Over the past month or two, maybe you have overheard your speech therapists mention something that sounded like "Asha" and wondered if that was a real word, some strange speech term, or just another sneeze during the cold and flu season.
ASHA stands for the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association (ASHA), which is our national, professional, accreditation association. Every year in late November, tens of thousands of speech therapists (and audiologists) convene to connect and learn about new research, products, and interventions to best serve our communities at the annual convention. Since 2009, one or all of our directors have attended every ASHA Convention and always look forward to meeting up with a colleague who owns a speech therapy practice in Arizona. This year the convention was held in Boston, Massachusetts and our directors, Alexia, Sarah, and Mari were in attendance. They had a fantastic time, attending seminars and events, braving the exhibit hall to score new therapy tools and swag, and even getting caught in the snow!
Mari enjoyed learning about a new way to use a familiar tool (the Story Grammar Marker) and was excited to learn that the benefits extend beyond improving narrative skills, but also improve working memory and comprehension in the most functional way.
Tongue ties have been an area of interest for Alexia since all three of her children had them when they were born. She learned more about the active role an SLP can play in diagnosis, revision, aftercare, and treatment. She is excited to collaborate with other local professionals to assist our clients who may have undiagnosed tongue ties. Revision can help not only their speech, but also feeding difficulties and headaches!
Sarah loved learning about a new behavior mapping tool that can be used to help clients who may not respond as positively with the more traditional social behavior map. She is looking forward to returning to TALK after her maternity leave and collaborating with our therapists about clients who might benefit from these tools.
Our mission at TALK is to provide the best therapy. By attending ASHA and learning the newest research, therapy methodologies, and connecting with other professionals, we are able to do just that!