First ASHA Conference In The Books

Wow I just got back on the red eye from the city of angels early this morning. Exhausted but filled with enthusiasm from the weekend. I just got home from my first trip to ASHA. After being in the field for 14 years, this was my first visit to this colossal conference and I can say for sure that it won’t be my last.

Getting there was quite the adventure and took about 1 whole day – yikes!! I made my hotel reservation the day that the hotels opened up, so I ended up staying at the JW Marriott – which was super close and so lovely! I got in on Thursday evening, just enough time to check into my hotel and head over to the conference to check in and go to a little reception at the ASHA leader booth for people who have contributed this past year. I wrote an article called “ It Can Be Fun And Games” in the school matters section of the September 2017 ASHA Leader. Check it out here. 

It was so nice to meet some of the editors that I had worked with virtually this past year. I had also contributed a piece to the blog about collaboration strategies for SLPs and BCBAs. Check that out here. 

After saying hi at the leader booth, I took some of the action builder cards (the product that I have created) to the Dynamic Resources booth. How exhilarating to see my product on display for other therapists to learn more about. With that, I was spent and that made day one a wrap.

On day two, I was up by 5 am – darn that 3 hour time difference! I had to put up my poster at 6:30 am anyway – so I was all ready when the time came. I walked over to the exhibit hall and what was a blank slate became my poster session about collaborative services for a student with autism – a case study.

I came back to the exhibition hall and visited distributors who are currently selling the action builder cards- dynamic resources and the speech corner. I also visited with some fellow bloggers! It was so wonderful to meet SLP TOOLKIT, SLP NOW, RACHEL MADE and SPEECH PANDA in person. Oh and Sharon Weber was there – so a selfie was a must! J

Later that afternoon I presented my poster. It was so fun to talk about my project with other therapists. Posters are such a great time to discuss projects you are passionate about with other professionals in a smaller group format. There were a little fewer than 2,000 poster presentations as ASHA 2017 – wow!!! I capped off the night with a wonderful talk about collaborative services with an SLP and Psychologist describing the service model that they use.

On Saturday I was feeling a bit fatigued but there was still so much to do. I talked with 3 new potential distributors for the action builder cards – hope to release this information soon! On this day I went to the SIG 16 School based issues meeting. I love contributing to this online community- so it was so nice to put faces with names from our online discussions. This was followed by sessions about language samples, coaching with students with autism and using wordless picture books to work on narrative development. I really enjoyed learning new information from presenters who were so well versed and passionate about their topics.

Along the way I made some new friends and ran into former colleagues- so fun to catch up! This wrapped up the conference for me and now I was on my way back to LAX to catch my first ever-red eye back to Ohio. I bought the obligatory neck pillow in hopes that slumber would ensue on the flight home. I would be coming back to 3 little ones under the age of 8 that would want to hear all about my big adventure. Besides sitting next to someone who was listening to music the whole 4 hours home – I did get some rest. This whole red eye thing- is great!!

So to sum it up. ASHA is an amazing conference!! Whether you are a student who is just getting his or her feet wet or a seasoned professional – there really is something for everyone. I left feeling very inspired! See ya next year ASHA! J

Were you at ASHA? Contact me over at www.abaspeech.org and let me know what you liked best!

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!