10985429_10206314733578237_2540147106810852497_nThis past weekend, I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the Speech-Language-Hearing Association of Virginia (SHAV) conference held in Richmond, VA. I was able to attend many different sessions regarding various areas of Speech-Language Pathology. My favorite session that I attended was Developmental Feeding and Swallowing Milestone Versus the Baby Food Industry by Mr. Scott Rankins. It was fascinating to learn that some of the various consistencies of baby food, that are recommended by top brand baby food industries, are actually not promoting children to learn how to masticate their food. It was great to see and experience which consistencies of food are recommended for children of different ages. It was also beneficial to learn some of the techniques to use with typically and atypically developing children for feeding and swallowing. I look forward to incorporating the knowledge I’ve gained from this session, and other sessions from SHAV, into my professional and clinical experience.