Workshops offered for ASHA continuing education units (ASHA CEUs) or professional development hours (PDHs)—sponsored by the Massachusetts Speech-Language Hearing Association (MSHA) or the Specialty Certification Boards—will take place on Wednesday, November 15, from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Workshop tickets are available for purchase through registration. Tickets are $80 each. ASHA members located in the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont may take advantage of a half-price disount on the MSHA-sponsored workshops.
This session is developed by, and presenters invited by, MSHA. Students and professionals are asking a challenging question to the association, "Why doesn’t ASHA’s membership have more representation from marginalized groups?" (Allison, 2022; Rodriguez, 2016). ASHA’s 2022 Membership and Affiliate Professional Profile reports that only 8.9% of the total membership identify as racial minorities. This statistic has far-reaching implications—from undergraduate and graduate recruitment, student retention (Sanez et al. 1998), faculty recruitment (Battle, 1999), program development (Horton et al. 2021; Stockman et al., 2008), research (Battle, 1999), and to client outcomes (Rodriguez, 2016). This is an intermediate-level session that will examine implications of the dearth of diversity and considerations to improve diversity and equity within our field.
This session is developed by, and presenters invited by, MSHA. Implementation science involves practitioners and researchers working together in partnerships to create equitable evidence-based decisions to improve outcomes. In this presentation we will share how to develop, maintain, and sustain practice partnerships. We showcase the realities of real-life partnerships by presenting as a team of researchers and practitioners who are currently working together in various settings, including schools and rehab hospitals. Panelists will describe their own pathways to clinical-research collaboration, as well as barriers and complexity when working with stakeholders. Participants will explore how implementation science can happen in their own practice settings and address the research-to-practice gap. Attendees will also have the opportunity to engage in collaborative activities and discussion.
This session is developed by, and presenters invited by, MSHA. Advances in technology have resulted in inventive developments in the field of AAC. This panel-style workshop will highlight these advancements and their application across a range of individuals with complex communication needs across the lifespan, including those with developmental and acquired conditions. A brief history of the evolution of AAC will be shared, including a timeline from speech generating devices through the use of wearable technology, extended reality, and artificial intelligence. This panel will highlight social challenges in implementation, including beliefs about prerequisites for communication and the science behind debunking unproven communication methods. We will discuss implications and principles for clinical decision making when implementing novel AAC strategies and suggestions for future innovations with input from an adult AAC user.