This collaborative session brings together the clinical expertise of speech-language pathologists and the lived experience of an aphasia advocate to demonstrate effective healthcare communication training. The course discusses practical strategies for partnering with people with aphasia to create more accessible healthcare environments and train interprofessional colleagues in communication support techniques.
Live Webinar
Thu, Jun 26, 2025 at 12:00 pm EDTCEUs/Hours Offered: ASHA/0.1 Introductory, Professional; Calif SLPAB/1.0; IACET/0.1; Kansas LTS-S1370/1.0; SAC/1.0
Learning Outcomes
- After this course, participants will be able to identify at least three strategies incorporating first-person perspectives from individuals with aphasia into communication partner training for healthcare professionals.
- After this course, participants will be able to describe two collaborative approaches for SLPs and people with aphasia to jointly advocate for better communication access in healthcare settings.
- After this course, participants will be able to review three training techniques that combine clinical expertise with lived experience to enhance shared decision-making between healthcare providers and patients with communication disabilities.
Agenda
| 0-5 Minutes | Introduction |
| 5-10 Minutes | Communicating with patients with aphasia as a fundamental right, Aphasia and impact on healthcare communication |
| 10-25 Minutes | Don's story: Life before and after stroke |
| 25-30 Minutes | Healthcare professionals' experiences communicating with people with aphasia |
| 30-35 Minutes | Organizational approaches to improve communication accessibility |
| 35-45 Minutes | Communication partner training models (FRAME, KomTil, etc.) |
| 45-55 Minutes | Available resources and tools for healthcare providers |
| 55-60 Minutes | Summary, Q&A |
Presented By
Katie Strong
PhD CCC-SLP
Katie Strong, Ph.D., CCC-SLP leads the Strong Story Lab at Central Michigan University, researching how clinicians can support people with aphasia in rebuilding identity through co-constructed narratives. Committed to the Life Participation Approach to Aphasia, she advocates for mental health support for those living with aphasia and cognitive-communication disorders. A Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and Tavistock Trust Aphasia Scholar, Dr. Strong brings over 30 years of clinical experience with neurogenic communication disorders. She currently serves as President of the Council of Academic Programs for Communication Sciences and Disorders, hosts the Aphasia Access Conversations Podcast, and is a founding member of the Lansing Area Aphasia Support Group.
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Don Spohn
Don Spohn is a dedicated aphasia advocate whose stroke journey fuels his mission to improve healthcare communication and aphasia awareness. An active member of the Lansing Area Aphasia Support Group, Don also contributes to the Friendship and Aphasia research group, which explores how clinicians can help people with aphasia maintain social connections despite communication challenges. In collaboration with Dr. Katie Strong, Don created an innovative communication simulation to train future speech-language pathology students with over 22,000 educational encounters. He has shared his story and message with medical students and was a finalist for the 2025 American Heart Association Stroke Hero Voters' Choice Award. Don demonstrates how lived experience transforms healthcare education.
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Financial: Katie Strong was paid an honorarium for presenting this course and is a Research Associate for Aphasia Institute. Non-financial: Katie is a founding member of the Lansing Area Aphasia Support Group and a member and interviewer for the Aphasia Access Conversations Podcast Working Group.
Financial: Don Spohn was paid an honorarium for presenting this course. Non-financial: Don Spohn is a stroke survivor and aphasia advocate. He is a member of the Lansing Area Aphasia Support Group and contributes to the Friendship and Aphasia research group.
Sponsor Disclosure: This Course is presented by SpeechPathology.com, a Continued site.
Content Disclosure: This learning event does not focus exclusively on any specific product or service.
Course participation information
To ensure you are ready to participate, please complete our short Test Drive to prepare your computer to view the course.
NOTE: Full attendance for all courses is mandatory. Please view the entire course.
Passing an online exam and completing a course evaluation will be required to earn continuing education credit.
Live Webinars allow presenter and participant interaction. The exam and course evaluation for these courses must be completed within 7 days of the event.
On-demand courses include texts, video and audio recordings of live webinars, and multimedia formats. The exam and course evaluation for on-demand courses must be completed within 30 days of course registration.
To participate in the course, complete the exam and course evaluation, and earn continuing education credit, you must be a SpeechPathology.com member. Participants must complete the entire course; partial credit is not allowed.
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American Speech-Language-Hearing Assn.
Introductory Level
0.10 ASHA CEUs
California Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology Board
SpeechPathology.com is approved by the California Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Board as a Continuing Professional Development Provider, approval number PDP 268. This course may meet the requirements for 1.00 hours of continuing education credit for speech-language pathologists as required by the California Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology Board. The responsibility for determining whether or not this specific course counts toward an individual's requirements for license renewal is up to the individual. Please refer to the CA state board rules regarding allowable topics and self-study limits: https://www.speechandhearing.ca.gov/licensees/slp-au_cpd_req.shtml Live webinars on SpeechPathology.com are not included in the self-study limit under California professional development guidelines.
International Association for Continuing Education and Training
Continued, LLC, DBA SpeechPathology.com, is accredited by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET). Continued complies with the ANSI/IACET Standard, which is recognized internationally as a standard of excellence in instructional practices. As a result of this accreditation, Continued is authorized to issue the IACET CEU. continued, LLC, is authorized by IACET to offer 0.10 CEUs for this program.
Kansas Dept for Aging and Disability Services
Approved for 1.00 continuing education clock hour(s) for Kansas licensed Speech Pathologists by the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services. Long-Term Sponsorship number: LTS-S1370.
Speech-Language and Audiology Canada
Clinically certified members of Speech-Language and Audiology Canada (SAC) can accumulate continuing education equivalents (CEEs) for their participation with SpeechPathology.com. One hour of coursework equals 1 CEE. All SAC members are encouraged to participate in on-going education.