08/26/2026
We are so fortunate to have Nikki Dudley, adjunct clinical supervisor in the Department of Communication Disorders at Marshall University, to present a breakout session titled: "A Pragmatic Approach to Social Language Group Therapy" at the Autism Across the Lifespan Conference on September 11th.
Attendees will learn about social language group therapy, which is a structured, small-group intervention designed to help individuals — often children or teens — develop and practice the language and social skills needed for everyday communication and relationships. Attendees will gain an understanding of what social language group therapy is and how it can be used to effect positive outcomes for individuals with autism.
Here's a short Q&A with Nikki -
Q: In a sentence or two, how would you describe the content you plan to share in your conference session?
A: Content will have easy to process PowerPoint slides, picture and video samples from pragmatic group activities, and discussion regarding person-centered care.
Q: What information do you hope participants receive from participating in your session?
A: I hope that participants leave the session feeling motivated to join or start their own pragmatic groups to expand the community of support for neurodivergent individuals in our area.
Q: What are you most excited about related to your session or the conference itself?
A: I'm always excited to share how much fun we have in pragmatic group at the Marshall University Speech and Hearing Center and to put a spotlight on special interests and novel challenges that fuel meaningful connections between our clients.
We hope you will join us by registering for the conference. For more information and details about registration, please visit our conference website (www.marshall.edu/atc/2026-autism-across-the-lifespan/).
