Ann Bedard is a Speech-Language Pathologist and Assistive Technology Specialist on the EASTCONN AT Team and has been working with individuals with special needs since 2006. Ann specializes in Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) and working with children who have complex communication needs. She provides assessment, consultation, and professional development regarding preschool children through young adults with a range of abilities in a range of settings. She has worked as an AAC consultant across Eastern Connecticut schools, to collaborate with and train educational teams in regards to selection and implementation of AAC in the educational environment. Prior to working with the AT Team, Ann worked in the EASTCONN Related Services Group as a full-time school-based SLP where she provided weekly interventions for students with a variety of speech and language disorders including students using AAC and developed Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) goals and objectives. Ann also concurrently worked in the home setting to deliver speech-language services through EASTCONN’s Birth-to-Three program. She received her Bachelor’s degree from UConn and Master of Science degree in Communication Disorders from Southern Connecticut State University. While pursuing her graduate degree, Ann worked in the Center for Adaptive Technology where university students utilized AT. Her experience working with individuals with special needs from birth through post-secondary education has provided Ann with a uniquely beneficial perspective that she is extremely grateful for. Recently she provided direct speech therapy at the EASTCONN Autism Program (EAP) in Columbia, Connecticut for students using AAC from PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) to SGDs (Speech Generating Devices). She is a certified TouchChat trainer and maintains membership in the American Speech Language Hearing Association. Ann has given numerous presentations at the regional, state, and national level on topics such as Intro to AAC Implementation: Basic Talker Training, Next Steps: Fine-Tuning Talker Skills, Spectrum of AAC from Low to High-Tech, Apps for AAC: The Fantastic 4, Visual Strategies to Support Communication and Learning, and Myths of AAC.