Rebecca Lowe (center), co-director of the UM Speech and Hearing Center and clinical associate professor, assists Savannah Sanders, a senior communication sciences and disorders major and research assistant from Tupelo, in offering aural rehabilitation therapy remotely to children using telepractice software. Clinical education is be one of the topics being covered at the 2019 Ole Miss Fall Institute. Photo by Thomas Graning/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services
OXFORD, Miss. – The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Mississippi will host the 2019 Ole Miss Fall Institute Oct.10-11 for speech-language pathologists, audiologists and clinical educators seeking professional development and American Speech-Language-Hearing Association continuing education credits.
The event is slated for The Inn at Ole Miss, and the hotel will offer a special rate to event registrants who need overnight accommodations.
Attendees can anticipate a modified format for this annual event that will both better inform their clinical practice with children and meet upcoming ASHA certification requirements. Online registration is officially open, and those interested in attending are encouraged to register early and to begin making plans for this two-day conference.
“This year’s format differs from what we have done traditionally by having multiple speakers covering three different topics: language and literacy, ethics, and clinical education and supervision,” said Brad Crowe, co-director of the UM Speech and Hearing Center and clinical instructor.
Within the language and literacy portion of programming, attendees will receive six hours of continuing education to gain knowledge and skills related to assessment and treatment for early-school-aged children, Crowe said. The topics will include the behavior-language connection, language and literacy, and language assessment and treatment for lower socio-economic children and families.
Ethics and supervision training will be required for audiologists and speech pathologists to maintain ASHA certification beginning in 2020, so event coordinators planned accordingly to offer two hours of ethics training and two hours of clinical training that specifically addresses supervising Gen Z.
“One thing we are especially excited about this year is that all of these topics are being presented by professionals from all over the state of Mississippi,” Crowe said. “We have presenters from Delta State University, the University of Southern Mississippi, the University of Mississippi Medical Center and the University of Mississippi here in Oxford.”
Presenters for this year’s event include invited guests Josie Sevier Alston, clinical director of the UMMC Voice and Swallowing Center and chief of the Division of Speech-Language Pathology in the Department of Otolaryngology and Communicative Sciences; Gina Jenkins, interim chair of the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences at DSU; Janie Magee, clinical director and instructor in the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences at DSU; Lesley Mancini, instructor in the DSU Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences; Missy Schraeder, director at the DuBard School for Language Disorders at USM; and Kim Ward, USM associate professor and audiology clinical education director.
UM clinical instructors Gina Keene and Amy Livingston, who operate the HILL Program for children with moderate to severe language disorders, also will present on a range of topics throughout the event.
Second-year communication sciences and disorders graduate students collaborate with institute committee co-chairs, Crowe and clinical instructor Amanda Devera, as well as Anne Williams, continuing education administrator and clinical audiologist, to plan every detail of the event, sponsored by the Ole Miss National Student Speech Language Hearing Association Chapter.
“One of the best parts of Fall Institute is anticipating the ASHA convention,” said second-year communication sciences and disorders graduate student Brittany Woodburn, of Phelan, California.
“Fall Institute helps second-year graduate students pay for the trip to the AHSA convention, which is in Orlando, Florida, this year. We watched as the second-years took their trip last year, and now it is our turn to go.”
Woodburn is looking forward to the presentation on the behavior-language connection that will focus on collaboration, intervention and accessing the environment for clinicians who work with children.
“I am in a school-based clinic placement this semester where the importance of professional collaboration is evident in each case, and I want to learn how to better serve this population,” she said. “Supervising Generation Z is also an interesting topic because it is a direct reflection of how our supervisors view us, our strengths and weaknesses, and it may provide some self-reflection as clinicians.”
To register for the 2019 Ole Miss Fall Institute, visit http://bit.ly/2019omfi. Organizations may register multiple participants in one registration and payment.
To book a room at a special group rate at The Inn at Ole Miss, visit https://www.theinnatolemiss.com/ or call 662-234-2331. Interested participants with questions about the event or special assistance needs, including accessibility, dietary or allergy concerns, should email olemissfallinstitute@gmail.com.
The School of Applied Sciences, home of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, offers professional preparation programs that integrate academic study, clinical training, creative research, service-learning and community outreach, leading to the development of leaders whose professional endeavors will improve health and well-being.