Communication Disorders Program Hosts CDIS Fall Conference

From left, Amy Meek, Christine Holyfield and Ashley Oline, student members of the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association, assisted and provided support for the conference.

The University of Arkansas Communication Disorders program hosted the 2018 CDIS Fall Conference on Saturday, Sept. 8. Students from the U of A chapter of the National Student Speech-Language Hearing Association volunteered at the event. The conference welcomed 50 attendees, including professionals from across the state of Arkansas, as well as CDIS graduate and undergraduate students. Professionals in attendance were from a variety of health related fields.

The conference focused on the use of augmentative and alternative communication technology, or AAC, when working with children with developmental disabilities.

Christine Holyfield, an assistant professor in the Communication Disorders program at the University of Arkansas, presented “AAC Intervention for Early Language Development: Using Visual Scene Displays and Just-in-Time Programming to Promote Semantic and Pragmatic Development.” This course provided SLPs with 4 continuing education units registered with the American Speech Language Hearing Association.

The Communication Disorders program will host the annual CDIS Spring Symposium, sponsored by UA NSSLHA on March 30th, 2019.

The program is looking forward to welcoming Stacy Wagovich, an associate professor and the chair of the Department of Communication Science and Disorders from the University of Missouri. Her fluency-related research focuses on the interactions among language, cognition, and stuttering in young children. Her other research interests include the role of executive function in word learning and the development of expository discourse skills in children with developmental language disorders. She has served as the associate editor for the Journal of Fluency Disorders and Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, and she is currently the editor-in chief of Seminars in Speech and Language, Pediatric Section. She has published over 30 articles and book chapters and has given over 75 national and international conference presentations on her research. She will provide 6 hours of professional development on the topic of intervention for children who stutter. Additional information for this event will be available in December.