Professional Travel Grants for Graduate Students
Communication Sciences & Disorders
2017 Speech-Language- Hearing Association of Virginia Convention
7 years
On March 23-25th I had the pleasure of attending the 2017 Speech-Language- Hearing Association of Virginia Convention in Richmond, Virginia. This was my second year attending the conference. I was able to attend various sessions that helped to increase my knowledge of assessing and treating children and adults with various disabilities. I learned about various intervention techniques specific to different populations, and I am eager to implement these techniques in my therapy sessions. I was also able to network with various companies all over the state of Virginia by visiting the different exhibits. I will be graduating in August and I found it to be very beneficial to talk to several employees and employers about their companies. I also attended a Student Social to learn more about preparing to interview for jobs and what to expect. I found this to be very beneficial as well, and I feel that I am better prepared to begin the process of job searching. Overall, attending this conference was a very rewarding experience and I am eager to attend the conference again next year.
SHAV 2017
7 years
Last week I had the privilege of attending the Speech and Hearing Association of Virginia’s annual conference in Richmond, VA. During this conference, I had the opportunity to attend sessions with topics such as dementia, NICU feeding therapy, alcoholism and dysphagia, oral care, and more. It was educational and fascinating. I learned so many new things that will help me as I begin my career in this field. I am excited to implement techniques and methods I learned to use when treating individuals with language, speech, cognitive and swallowing disorders. In addition to attending sessions, I was able to meet other professionals in the field, ask them questions, and take advice for my future career. I am very grateful to Longwood for allowing me this opportunity, it was an unforgettable experience and I learned so much!
SHAV Conference 2017
7 years
This past weekend, at the annual Speech Hearing Association of Virginia (SHAV) Conference in Richmond, I had the privilege of networking with professionals and attending multiple sessions relevant to my career interests. It was inspiring and exciting to be surrounded by so many energized people who share the same interests I do and it was nice to be able to see my old Longwood professors and Longwood Alumni. The session I enjoyed the most was about integrating Augmentative and Alternative Communication with children who have Apraxia of Speech. I plan to use this new knowledge to help my clients. I look forward to meeting up with my peers and other professionals again at the SHAV conference next year!
SHAV Conference 2017
7 years
This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend my third annual Speech-Hearing-Association of Virginia (SHAV) conference held in Richmond, Virginia. During the conference, I attended several sessions focusing on augmentative and alternative communication, early language development, fluency, and autism. These sessions provided me with new knowledge, ideas, and insights into the careers of speech-language pathology and audiology. Between sessions, I networked with a variety of speech-language pathologists and graduate students from across Virginia. I was also able to attend the silent auction to benefit the Communication Disorders Foundation, where I won some materials that I look forward to using in my speech therapy sessions. I’m very thankful to have been able to attend this year’s conference and I plan to use the knowledge gained for years to come!
2017 Speech-Language- Hearing Association of Virginia Convention
7 years
On March 23-25th, I was able to attend my second Speech-Language- Hearing Association of Virginia Convention this year in Richmond, Virginia! I attended sessions that provided me with several resources and references that will be useful to me as an upcoming graduate. During the conference, I broadened my knowledge of assessment and intervention methods for children with autism spectrum disorder. I learned about several apps that can be downloaded with a variety of purposes that will be helpful when working with children and adults. There were several companies and school systems at the conference that are currently looking to hire speech-language pathologists. I signed up to receive information from various schools and other facilities to learn more about their job opportunities. I also met representatives from various companies that assist the speech-language pathologist locate jobs and find contacts with schools, home health care, skilled nursing facilities, and other settings. I was able to network with individuals in the field of speech-language pathology. During the conference, I collected information packets on various types of pediatric and adult hearing aids. These brochures and packets will be helpful resources for me in the school system since there are not always audiologists on staff.
SHAV Conference 2017
7 years
On March 23-25th, I had the opportunity to attend the Speech-Language-Hearing Association of Virginia (SHAV) Conference for the third time. I look forward to meeting up with peers, networking with other speech-language pathologists, and learning new information each year. This time, I attended a variety of sessions about managing a school case-load, early intervention, pediatric and adult dysphagia, writing, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and fluency. I attended four session by Vivian Sisskin about making a differential diagnosis for stuttering versus other types of disfluencies, as well as an up-and-coming approach to treating stuttering called Avoidance Reduction Therapy. I liked attending this year more than previous years because, now that I am finally in my externships and looking for a job, I can directly relate what I am learning in these sessions to my clients.
2017 SHAV Conference, Reflection by Meredith Peck
7 years
I had the opportunity this past week to attend the 2017 Speech-Hearing-Language Society of Virginia (SHAV) Conference: “Every Day Leaders Lifelong Learners.” This is my third time attending the state conference for speech-language pathologists, and every year reminds me why I chose Longwood University. The professors encourage us to become active in the professional community and lead by example. They all attend and many present every year. I am confident when I enter the field that they will be there to support me at community events, such as the SHAV conference.
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SHAV Conference 2017
7 years
Me (on the right) and my graduate student friends at the SHAV conference.
On March 23rd,24th, and 25th, I had opportunity to go to the Speech and Hearing Association of Virginia conference thanks to a generous contribution from the CGPS. While at the conference, I learned a diverse array of information pertaining to the field of speech-language pathology about topics including, desensitization to stuttering, the use of applied behavior analysis in autism, the classification of speech errors in articulation and phonology, the language of poverty, and the use of different viscosities in barium swallow studies. My favorite presentation was about how stuttering can be better treated by using techniques to decrease fear and anxiety. I appreciated how the presenter Vivian Sisskin, used videos to show the incredible progress her clients made in a very short amount of time. As I am interested in working in the school system with K-3rd grade, I know this information will be beneficial for me as a practicing clinician when treating children who stutter. I am excited to attend the next SHAV conference in Williamsburg, VA and learn more about the field of speech-language pathology!
AT Symposium CollaborATe: A Transdisciplinary Approach to Assistive Technology through the Lifespan
7 years
On March 11th, I had the opportunity to attend sessions and present at the poster session during the second annual AT Symposium CollaborATe: A Transdisciplinary Approach to Assistive Technology through the Lifespan at VCU’s Children Hospital of Richmond. While at the conference, I was able to learn more about a variety of assistive devices that can be used to communicate and to complete other daily tasks. The conference included a presentation from a teenage assistive technology (AT) user and her mother. The mother shared many personal stories about the teenagers experiences with AT which included sharing ideas of how to create and construct assistive devices with inexpensive materials. Additionally, I learned about devices that involve low to no technology but are still assistive devices for communication. I met several representatives from various non-profit organizations that allow people in need to trial products and purchase the supplies with a payment plan. Furthermore, I was honored to have our group’s poster selected to be presented at the conference. I met other professionals in the field of speech-language pathology and discussed various aspects of working as a speech-language pathologist. I am thankful to have had the chance to use the CGPS travel grant to attend and present at the AT conference.
Assistive Technology Symposium 2017
7 years
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n Saturday, March 11, 2017, I attended and presented at the Assistive Technology Symposium called CollaborATe: A Transdisciplinary Approach to Assistive Technology through the Lifespan at Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU. As a speech-language pathology student, I focus a lot on assistive technology as augmentative and alternative communication and forget about other types of technology that can help individuals. I liked being able to hear from a teenager who uses several types of assistive technology and from her mother about cheap, effective ways to create assistive technology for her daughter. I also attended a session on GoogleChrome extensions that can be used in the classroom to help those with reading and writing difficulties. This was an interesting perspective because using extensions allows for more flexibility and variety than some of the standard software programs. Finally, I presented a poster, titled Accuracy of Speech Recognition Software (Apple versus Samsung): A Pilot Study, along with four of my peers. This project was conducted during our augmentative and alternative communication course, so it was nice to be able to share our results with professionals.