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$49.00 USD

97% rating - reviews

0.25  ASHA CEUs

Autism Spectrum Disorders: Build Speech, Language, And Literacy Skills With Orthographic Instruction #e65


Presenter: Keli Richmond, MS, CCC-SLP

This evidence-based course provides specific guidance for SLPs working to establish early literacy skills with children with Autism.


"The resource list is amazing! The videos also were excellent. Best of all, the course was practical and positive!"

– D.D., prior course participant

Read more comments about this course!

Different from other "literacy" courses, this evidence-based course will provide specific guidance for SLPs working to establish early literacy skills with children with Autism. Phonological awareness is vital for successful literacy, language and speech skills in children. Exposing children with Autism to early literacy interventions with embedded printed (orthographic) cues is imperative.

This course teaches the use of printed cues as a means to activate and synchronize the processors within the brain (orthographic, phonological, meaning and context) resulting in improved communication and literacy skills.

Offered for 0.25 ASHA CEUs – 2.5 contact hours.

Course Overview & Run Time

Course Overview – Run Time: 2:30:00

  • Traditional Intervention Results
  • Orthographic Instruction Results
  • Processors
  • Target Sound Selection
  • Intervention Strategies
  • Orthographic Instruction Progression
  • Additional Considerations
  • Orthographic Instruction Resources

"This is a relatively underappreciated treatment approach in terms of having wider applicability. I liked how the presenter is practical but links her points to research. This course makes a strong case for the applicability of orthographic intervention to a wider range of deficits we see. I thought the presenter had a very engaging style."

– G.R., prior course participant

Read more comments about this course!

Content Disclosures

Orthographic instruction (printed cues) is the primary focus of this course. Additional evidence-based techniques and product resources are discussed. The presenter is the author of the Literacy Speaks!® program published by Northern Speech Services and presenter receives royalties. Literacy Speaks!® is driven by orthographic instruction; the presenter does not discuss the Literacy Speaks!® program during the course.

Course Format

Video PowerPoint presentation with author narration & downloadable handout. Stop and re-start the course at any point. Learners retain access to course content after completion for ongoing reference and review.

Reviews

Comments From Prior Course Participants

"Discussing orthographic processors was beneficial. The visuals were easy to follow." M.S. (Nov. 2024)

"Helpful ideas re: activities to do with school-based therapy. I liked the presenter's knowledge and enthusiasm." C.S. (Oct. 2024)

"Intervention techniques for ways to incorporate literacy with phonological awareness, speech production, language development, and literacy were beneficial. It was great. I liked many things, e.g., specific instruction on intervention, and resource lists." L.V. (Aug. 2024)

"Slides were great, highly organized. Graphics about the cycle approach were clear and helpful. I enjoyed the treatment videos." J.E. (Jul. 2024)

"This course was well thought out. It is needed to assist children with Autism in obtaining literacy skills. I enjoyed how activities were explained and how the application for different types of students was explained." K.A. (Jul. 2024)

"Loved the practical applications and the use of the clinical video examples." S.A. (Jun. 2024)

"The video examples of orthographic instruction were helpful. I have been able to easily add orthographic instruction into my therapy sessions. The video examples were extremely helpful." J.L. (May 2024)

"Understanding of the four processors was beneficial. Well presented course overall. Excellent examples and videos." G.S. (May 2024)

"So many great ideas especially the websites and therapy resources." K.A. (Mar. 2024)

"Using orthographic instruction in my sessions. I liked the video examples." B.W. (Feb. 2024)

"The suggestion to combine the sight words and blended words into meaningful sentences to support language development was beneficial. This course gave me ideas on how to get parents on board with orthography even when minimally speaking." S.C. (Jan. 2024)

"I liked the shared therapy ideas and materials. The discussion on connecting print to speech production instead of treating it just as a sound you produce was beneficial." C.C. (Nov. 2023)

"The entire course is loaded with ideas that are easily implemented into my practice. I especially appreciated the videos showing the hierarchy of target presentation. The research basis for the approach and the fMRI results were beneficial." A.M. (Oct. 2023)

"Video examples and lots of resources. I liked the shared resources and websites to help me find materials." G.M. (Jul. 2023)

"Explanation of the processors involved in reading was beneficial." S.J. (Jul. 2023)

"The layout of the content was informative and directly correlated with ways to improve each skill. The course was very easy to follow and was very educational." K.R. (Jul. 2023)

"Clear presentation. Learning how lack of attention to faces affects speech and literacy development was interesting." J.D. (Jul. 2023)

"Good resources offered, videos shown, and with lots of examples. The connection of sound production to orthographic print work was beneficial. I liked the discussion of the interrelationship between the processors." J.S. (Jun. 2023)

"I liked the orthographic progression." T.L. (Jun. 2023)

"I particularly liked the framework regarding the 4 processors: orthographic, phonological, meaning, and context. This is a great way to talk to parents about how the processors work together and how a deficit in one impacts the child as the child goes through the increasing demands at school. Seeing this presentation prompted me to reintroduce some of these ideas with students I currently am seeing." D.D. (Mar. 2023)

"The resource list is amazing! The videos also were excellent. Best of all, the course was practical and positive!" D.D. (Mar. 2023)

"I liked all of the content. Learning how differently children with ASD access cognitive information for reading and writing was beneficial." M.B. (Feb. 2023)

"The course was well organized, clear, and concise. Learning how phonological processing should start early for children with autism." C.M. (Dec. 2022)

"Liked the ways to incorporate this into the classroom. The resources and suggestions were beneficial." M.A. (Dec. 2022)

"Building up from sounds to written words in sentences. I liked the video examples." K.H. (Nov. 2022)

"I liked the activities provided and how to implement them right away. The description about the parts of the brain used was helpful." R.M. (Sept. 2022)

"I liked the videos of the speaker modeling therapy with autistic students. And supporting phonological awareness of students who display hyperlexia." A.L. (Aug. 2022)

"The resources and how to systematically teach speech sounds using orthographic instruction were beneficial.  Also, the resources provided and video examples of therapy sessions were good." M.T. (Jul. 2022)

"I loved the video models and resource lists. Learning how to incorporate literacy and orthographics into therapy was helpful! The video models and systematic approach, along with materials, will really help me get started!" E.S. (Jul. 2022)

"I will begin to use the printed word along with pictures to help students with their orthographic learning. The objectives were clear, the information was clear." D.R. (Jun. 2022)

"The flow charts were very helpful." J.G. (May 2022)

"This is a relatively underappreciated treatment approach in terms of having wider applicability. I liked how the presenter is practical but links her points to research. This course makes a strong case for the applicability of orthographic intervention to a wider range of deficits we see. I thought the presenter had a very engaging style." G.R. (May 2022)

"I loved all of the examples Keli gave in the lecture, the handout, and in her videos. She gave some great resources that I am anxious to go to. I really liked the emphasis on reading! Keli brought this out so well and you could hear the passion in her voice to get children and their families into the books. It was all covered so well!" K.S. (Jan. 2022)

"I liked how to incorporate literacy into therapy sessions even for the youngest of clients. I liked that I could complete the course at my own pace." R.K. (Jan. 2022)

"All of the information was very relevant and useful. Website resources, video examples, etc." K.T. (Jan. 2022)

"Keli's passion for reading and her depth of knowledge I thought it was great!" C.M. (Jan. 2022)

"I liked all of the background information and treatment suggestions, as well as the resources that she provided. She did a great job." C.S. (Jan. 2022)

"I was particularly interested in the final webinar with the lists of sound loaded, and grammatical morpheme loaded books. I am interested in incorporating theme based activities in my school practice. I liked the resources provided for online and printable resources." A.C.

“The videos helped reinforce what was being discussed. The target sound selection was newish information that I will be able to apply immediately - loved it. The pace and flow were great. The content was organized well and had a good flow. Good information was shared as well as resources. Great online course.” H.F.

“I found the course very informative. There was more covered than I had anticipated. I especially enjoyed going over the importance of pairing print with the sounds during speech sessions. I liked the specific examples of how to pair the print to the sound. There were a multitude of examples for varying levels of development.” D.B.

Course Objectives

At course conclusion, participants will be able:
  1. To describe the rationale for introducing printed (orthographic) cues into therapy and classroom activities for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
  2. To identify the reading processors within the brain.
  3. To describe the roles of the four reading processors within the brain.

Presenter & Disclosures

Keli Richmond, MS, CCC-SLP

Keli Richmond, MS, CCC-SLP, is a practicing speech-language pathologist specializing in early literacy development. She has a Teaching License as well as a Master of Science Degree in Speech-Language Pathology, Bachelor of Arts Degrees in both Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, and a Minor Focus in Special Education. Her career began in the medical field with an emphasis on neurological disorders; then, she continued to expand her experience by providing therapy and promoting literacy skills for preschool through middle school students.

Keli conducts in-service training for school-based personnel, presents continuing education seminars nationwide for Northern Speech Services (NSS), and speaks at Speech-Language-Hearing Conventions, Educator Conferences and related events.

Some highlights of Keli’s career are receiving the “Professional Achievement Award in Recognition of Advancement of Knowledge in Clinical Practice” from the Indiana Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ISHA); the “Award for Continuing Education” (ACE) from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA); and the “Award for Top 100 Websites for Speech-Language Pathologists”. The ISHA award is based on outstanding professional development and community involvement. The ASHA award is based on a commitment to lifelong learning. The Top 100 Websites award is based on the best available websites for anyone with an interest in speech-language pathology.

She was a founding member of the United Way Women’s Initiative. The Women’s Initiative is an organization dedicated to closing educational gaps through early literacy development.

Keli is the author of the Literacy Speaks!® program. Literacy Speaks!® is a comprehensive program driven by orthographic instruction (printed cues) designed to improve speech intelligibility, enhance phonological awareness and expand language skills while establishing a strong literacy foundation.

Speaker Disclosures:

Financial — Keli Richmond is an author of online CE courses sponsored by Northern Speech Services; receives royalty payments.

Financial — Keli Richmond is an author of the Literacy Speaks!® materials published by Northern Speech Services; receives royalty payments.

Nonfinancial — Keli Richmond has no relevant nonfinancial relationships to disclose.

Intended Audience / Accreditation

Intended Audience/Accreditation
asha ce approved provider

This program is offered for 0.25 ASHA CEUs (Intermediate Level; Professional Area).

Intended Audience

  • Speech-Language Pathologists

ASHA CEUs: NSS online courses are registered with ASHA and are offered for ASHA CEUs. The number of ASHA CEUs is noted above. Note that 0.1 ASHA CEU = 1 contact hour = equals 1 CEE.

ASHA CE Registry: During the enrollment process, if you select to receive ASHA credit for this course and if you provide your ASHA number, NSS will automatically submit your CEU information to the ASHA CE Registry after successful course completion (80% on post test). This submission happens once per month, during the first week of the month. For example, if you complete your course on November 7th, NSS will submit all November online course CEUs to ASHA during the first week of December. When ASHA inputs the information into their database, they will mark the course as completed on the last day of the month in which it was completed, so November 30th using this example. The certificate of completion available for you to print immediately, however, will reflect the actual completion date, November 7th in this example. Due to ASHA processing procedures please allow 2-3 weeks, from the submission date, for the course to appear on your ASHA transcript.

ASHA CEUs: Attendees must meet at least one of the following conditions in order to be eligible to earn ASHA CEUs:

  • Current ASHA Member.
  • ASHA Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) Holder.
  • Licensed by a state or provincial regulatory agency to practice speech-language pathology (SLP) or audiology.
  • Credentialed by a state regulatory agency to practice SLP or audiology.
  • Credentialed by a national regulatory agency to practice SLP or audiology.
  • Engaged in a Clinical Fellowship under the supervision of an individual with their ASHA CCC.
  • Currently enrolled in a master's or doctoral program in SLP or audiology.

If an attendee is not an ASHA member or CCC holder but meets any of the above criteria, they may inform the ASHA CE Registry of their eligibility by visiting this site.

Licensing Boards: Most state licensing boards DO accept CEUs earned online (usually classified as home-study credits). Some state boards do, however, place a limit to the number of credits that can be earned via home study/online courses. For the most current information, we suggest that you contact your licensing board or agency to verify acceptance policies and/or any credit limits related to home-study courses prior to registering for this course.

Additional accrediting agencies by which Northern Speech is an approved CE provider:

  • California: NSS is approved as a provider of continuing education by the California Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology Board. Provider #PDP4. Online CEU limits may apply; please contact SLPAHADB for current online CEU acceptance policies.
  • Iowa: NSS is approved as a provider of continuing education by the Iowa Board of Speech Pathology and Audiology Examiners. Provider #169.
  • Kansas: NSS is approved as a provider of continuing education by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. Provider #LTS-S0005.
  • Florida: NSS is approved as a provider of continuing education by the Florida Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Board. Provider #SPA-026.
  • New Jersey: NSS is approved as a provider of continuing education by the New Jersey Department of Education. Provider #1654.

Frequently Asked Questions

Online Course FAQ — Click Here

Customer Support: Please phone 888.337.3866 or email info@northernspeech.com.

Course Completion Timeframe:

You have unlimited time to complete our online courses. You may log off and log on as often as you’d like to in order to complete all sections of a course.

However, completion dates are based on Eastern Standard Time. Therefore, if you need your CEUs by a certain date, be sure to complete the course test before 11:59pm EST on that date. For example, if you need CEUs before January 1st, you will need to complete the course test before 11:59pm EST on December 31st.

Content Access:

Access to course materials and content does not expire, even after completing the post test. You may continue to review course material by logging into your NSS account, clicking the My Online Courses tab, and then viewing your desired course.

Certificate of Completion:

On successful completion of the post test (80%), a certificate will be immediately available for download and/or printing. This certificate will include your name, date of completion (based on Eastern Time Zone, USA/Canada), and number of contact hours (CEUs / CEEs). Please note that CEUs are awarded on the date of successful test completion, not the date of course enrollment. Please ensure that you successfully complete the post test prior to any licensure renewal dates.

ASHA CE Registry Submission:

During the enrollment process, if you select to receive ASHA credit for this course and if you provide your ASHA number, NSS will automatically submit your CEU information to the ASHA CE Registry after successful course completion (80% on post test). This submission happens once per month, during the first week of the month. For example, if you complete your course on November 7th, NSS will submit all November online course CEUs to ASHA during the first week of December. When ASHA inputs the information into their database, they will mark the course as completed on the last day of the month in which it was completed, so November 30th using this example. The certificate of completion available for you to print immediately, however, will reflect the actual completion date, November 7th in this example. Due to ASHA processing procedures please allow 2-3 weeks, from the submission date, for the course to appear on your ASHA transcript.

Purchase Orders:

Purchase orders are currently not accepted for online orders, if you wish to submit a purchase order please do so at info@northernspeech.com or fax to 888-696-9655.

What is an Online Course?

Our Online Courses consist of video, audio, and/or text content and are offered for ASHA CEUs. Unlike a webinar, which requires participants to be logged on and at a computer at specific times, our Online Courses are available to you at any time, from any device, via your NorthernSpeech.com online account. You may work at your own pace and start and stop your course as you wish. Your course will conclude with a short post test. On successful completion of the post test (>80%), a printable certificate of completion is presented to you.

Receiving CEUs:

Northern Speech is an ASHA CE Provider and our online courses are registered with ASHA and offered for ASHA CEUs. Please note that successful completion of the online post test is required prior to the awarding of CEUs. Please contact your state licensing board for acceptance policies related to CEUs earned online. Please note that courses offered for university students are not applicable for CEUs.

Registering for an online course:

You may browse all online courses by clicking the Continuing Education tab above, then Online Courses. Once you find a course, click Enroll Now, and you will be asked to either log into your existing Northern Speech account or create a new online account. Once you’ve entered your account information and provided your credit card payment, your course will be immediately available to you.

Accessing your purchased course or returning to a purchased course:

You will be able to access your online course by logging into your Northern Speech account and then clicking the My Online Courses tab on your profile screen. Click the course you would like to start or to resume. From there, proceed through the course sections until you are ready to complete the post test. You do not have to complete your course all at once. You may log on and off as you wish.

Testing requirements:

Each online course concludes with a post test consisting of multiple choice or true & false questions. Scores of 80% or greater are required for successful course completion and awarding of CEUs. You may revisit course materials and retest as needed to achieve a passing score.

Number of CEUs offered:

We offer courses from 1 to 21 contact hours. Each course will note the number of CEUs offered. Please note that 0.1 CEU = 1 contact hour = 1 CEE.

State licensing boards and online CEUs:

NSS is an ASHA CE Provider and most state licensing boards DO accept ASHA CEUs earned online (usually classified as home-study credits). Some boards do, however, place a limit to the number of CEUs that can be earned via home study/online courses. For the most current information, we suggest that you contact your licensing board or agency to verify acceptance policies and/or any CEU limits related to home-study courses prior to enrolling in an online course.

Course formats:

Our course formats include: text, audio, video, and PowerPoint with author narration. Each course will note the format on the course description page. Most courses include closed captioning.

Course handouts:

Most of our online courses provide a link to download the accompanying handout as a PDF file. 

Group discounts:

Groups of 3 or more are eligible for a 20% discount on each registration on most of our online courses. To receive this discount, registrations need to be processed together via the "Group Rates" tab on the Online Course of your choice.

Computer requirements:

For our online courses to function best, we recommend that you update your computer to include the newest version of your Internet browser (Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Internet Explorer, etc.) and newest version of your computer's operating system. Also a high-speed Internet connection is recommended (cable or DSL). Speakers or headphones will be required for many of our courses as many contain audio components.

Course Cancellation Policy:

A purchased online course can be exchanged, refunded, or transferred to another individual if contact is made with NSS (via phone or email) within 30 days of purchase and the course materials have not been viewed or downloaded. 

Special Needs:

Please click here for any special needs requests, and we will do our best to accommodate them. 

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