First Trip To ASHA Prep

The ASHA conference, where thousands of SLPs and other professionals gather once a year to hear information from experts in the field. I created a product recently called the action builder cards. With the creation of this product, came the dream of discussing this product with others and doing so at the ASHA conference. I have been practicing 14 years and have not attended thus far. Having 3 kids under the age of 8 probably has a little something to do with that! It is hard to be away from the house for an hour, let alone a couple of days. But this year I knew something was different. When the ASHA leader announced that it would be in California this year, I was excited. Getting out of Ohio in November to go to the sunny west coast was something that sounded exciting.

So anytime I go to a conference, I try to participate in some way, shape or form. Whether that is introducing a speaker, doing a presentation or poster presentation, I like to feel involved.  I submitted my proposal to do a poster presentation. I have been working with a student, who has made such wonderful gains, that I just had to share our methods with others. Presenting at ASHA solo seemed a little extreme, with this being my first time and all. So I was just easing myself into this colossal event with a poster presentation. Chatting with other professionals about my work is something I love.

I found out in July that my proposal had been accepted- hooray!! I watched for the ASHA leader to put out the dates for when housing and registration opened up and did those 2 things right away. If I am going across the entire United States- I want to stay close to the convention center! I am all about convenience and paying for that when needed – sheesh so expensive!!

I had a trusted friend help me out with the poster template. I had done a template for TSHA when I lived down in Austin Texas, but that was 8 years ago! So I was a little rusty at all of that. I worked on gathering all of the information I wanted to include on the poster and the handout. After some dedicated time in front of the computer, it was complete. I uploaded my PowerPoint and went to Office Max to pick up my poster. I was so nervous- what if I spelled a word wrong and spell check did not get it, what if it wasn't aligned correctly- so many worries! When I picked it up, I was pleasantly surprised. It looked great! Now I just have to put it in this paper holder and find space for it in the overhead bin on my cross-country flight-eek!! I hate putting stuff in the overhead bin and never do – but hopefully there will be room.

In preparation for the conference, I also had some shirts made by a friend, with my logo for ABA SPEECH. I am new to this entire social media, website, blogging world- but have a mission to share strategies for systematic language instruction for students with autism. So I thought showcasing this new little brand of mine – would be fun at such a huge event!!

I am looking forward to presenting my poster, catching up with old friends, making new ones and learning from the best in our field! I am also so excited for professionals to learn more about ABA SPEECH and The Action Builder Cards. 

They will be at the Dynamic Resources and Speech Corner booths- hooray! I will check in from the conference on my Facebook page and Instagram, so make sure to like my pages. See ya soon LA!