From Behavior to Communication:
Functional Communication Training in Schools
with Ashley Campbell, MA, BCBA
Virtual 3-Part Workshop Series
📅February 12, 19 & 26, 2027
🕒10:00 AM–12:00 PM MT
Format: Virtual | 3 Sessions | 6 Hours | 6 OPI Renewal Units
Challenging behavior often communicates something important. Functional Communication Training (FCT) helps school teams identify what a student may be communicating through behavior and systematically teach a more effective, appropriate, and independent way for the student to communicate that need.
Join Ashley Campbell, MA, BCBA, for this practical three-part virtual series designed to help educators and school-based professionals understand and implement Functional Communication Training within everyday school environments.
Participants will explore how FCT fits within function-based behavior intervention, including how contextual information can help teams hypothesize the communicative function of challenging behavior. The series will examine how reinforcement and other behavioral principles support the development of functional communication and how a student's existing communication repertoire should guide intervention.
Importantly, functional communication does not look the same for every student. Participants will consider vocal communication, AAC, sign, gestures, and other communication modalities when identifying responses that are meaningful, efficient, and realistic for individual students.
The series will move from understanding FCT to actually teaching communication. Participants will explore prompting procedures, strategies for reducing prompt dependence, transferring stimulus control, strengthening communication through reinforcement, and promoting generalization across people, settings, activities, and communication partners.
Throughout the series, emphasis will be placed on developing approaches that are individualized, function-based, feasible for school teams, and focused on increasing meaningful communication and student independence.
Participants will learn how to:
Series Schedule
Session 1 | February 12, 2027 | 10:00 AM–12:00 PM MT
Foundations of Functional Communication Training
Session 2 | February 19, 2027 | 10:00 AM–12:00 PM MT
Teaching Functional Communication Across Modalities
Session 3 | February 26, 2027 | 10:00 AM–12:00 PM MT
Applying Learning Principles to Build Independent Communication Repertoire
Target Audience:
Special education and general education teachers, paraprofessionals, behavior support staff, school psychologists, related service providers, instructional coaches, administrators, and other school personnel supporting students with communication and behavioral needs.
Resources Provided:
Workshop recordings, presentation slides and supporting resources provided throughout the series.
Registration
Regular Registration: $99 per participant
MTPLC Member Rate: $79.20 per participant
20% MTPLC Member discount — a savings of $19.80.
Learn more about MTPLC Membership:
https://www.mtplc.org/mtplc-membership-plans.html
About the Facilitator
Ashley Campbell, MA, BCBA, is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst based in Belgrade, Montana, with experience providing evidence-based services in school, home, clinical, and remote settings in Montana, Colorado, and Massachusetts. She holds undergraduate degrees in Special Education and Psychology and a graduate degree in Behavior Analysis Practice.
Ashley has extensive experience supporting children with developmental disabilities and developing school- and caregiver-mediated interventions. A significant focus of her work is translating behavior-analytic principles into practical, accessible strategies educators, paraprofessionals, and caregivers can confidently use in everyday environments.
Through professional learning and consultation, Ashley helps school teams better understand behavior, implement evidence-based interventions, use data to guide decision-making, and build their capacity to achieve meaningful and sustainable outcomes for students
Register: https://forms.gle/rM8XvbCseTFySjKa8
Functional Communication Training in Schools
with Ashley Campbell, MA, BCBA
Virtual 3-Part Workshop Series
📅February 12, 19 & 26, 2027
🕒10:00 AM–12:00 PM MT
Format: Virtual | 3 Sessions | 6 Hours | 6 OPI Renewal Units
Challenging behavior often communicates something important. Functional Communication Training (FCT) helps school teams identify what a student may be communicating through behavior and systematically teach a more effective, appropriate, and independent way for the student to communicate that need.
Join Ashley Campbell, MA, BCBA, for this practical three-part virtual series designed to help educators and school-based professionals understand and implement Functional Communication Training within everyday school environments.
Participants will explore how FCT fits within function-based behavior intervention, including how contextual information can help teams hypothesize the communicative function of challenging behavior. The series will examine how reinforcement and other behavioral principles support the development of functional communication and how a student's existing communication repertoire should guide intervention.
Importantly, functional communication does not look the same for every student. Participants will consider vocal communication, AAC, sign, gestures, and other communication modalities when identifying responses that are meaningful, efficient, and realistic for individual students.
The series will move from understanding FCT to actually teaching communication. Participants will explore prompting procedures, strategies for reducing prompt dependence, transferring stimulus control, strengthening communication through reinforcement, and promoting generalization across people, settings, activities, and communication partners.
Throughout the series, emphasis will be placed on developing approaches that are individualized, function-based, feasible for school teams, and focused on increasing meaningful communication and student independence.
Participants will learn how to:
- Define Functional Communication Training (FCT) and explain its role within function-based interventions.
- Use contextual information to hypothesize the communicative function of challenging behavior.
- Understand how behavioral principles, particularly reinforcement, support functional communication.
- Consider a student's existing communication repertoire and modality when selecting an appropriate communication response.
- Differentiate among prompting procedures commonly used when teaching functional communication.
- Apply reinforcement principles to strengthen communication and increase independence.
- Promote communication across people, settings, activities, and communication partners.
- Recognize common implementation errors that can contribute to prompt dependence or interfere with independent communication.
Series Schedule
Session 1 | February 12, 2027 | 10:00 AM–12:00 PM MT
Foundations of Functional Communication Training
Session 2 | February 19, 2027 | 10:00 AM–12:00 PM MT
Teaching Functional Communication Across Modalities
Session 3 | February 26, 2027 | 10:00 AM–12:00 PM MT
Applying Learning Principles to Build Independent Communication Repertoire
Target Audience:
Special education and general education teachers, paraprofessionals, behavior support staff, school psychologists, related service providers, instructional coaches, administrators, and other school personnel supporting students with communication and behavioral needs.
Resources Provided:
Workshop recordings, presentation slides and supporting resources provided throughout the series.
Registration
Regular Registration: $99 per participant
MTPLC Member Rate: $79.20 per participant
20% MTPLC Member discount — a savings of $19.80.
Learn more about MTPLC Membership:
https://www.mtplc.org/mtplc-membership-plans.html
About the Facilitator
Ashley Campbell, MA, BCBA, is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst based in Belgrade, Montana, with experience providing evidence-based services in school, home, clinical, and remote settings in Montana, Colorado, and Massachusetts. She holds undergraduate degrees in Special Education and Psychology and a graduate degree in Behavior Analysis Practice.
Ashley has extensive experience supporting children with developmental disabilities and developing school- and caregiver-mediated interventions. A significant focus of her work is translating behavior-analytic principles into practical, accessible strategies educators, paraprofessionals, and caregivers can confidently use in everyday environments.
Through professional learning and consultation, Ashley helps school teams better understand behavior, implement evidence-based interventions, use data to guide decision-making, and build their capacity to achieve meaningful and sustainable outcomes for students
Register: https://forms.gle/rM8XvbCseTFySjKa8