2021 KSHA Convention
February 24 – 26, 2021
Virtual Convention
Welcome From the President
Change. It is a six letter word that, when used as a verb, exemplifies the way we have lived over the past year. Change is almost never comfortable. However, if there has ever been a year to embrace change and move forward in hopeful expectation, it would be this year! And, that is exactly what we are doing for KSHA Convention 2021. So…
On behalf of the KSHA Executive Council, we welcome you to the 64th Annual Convention which just so happens to be our first ever virtual Convention! Our theme this year is #teamKSHA. Nevermore, has there been any truer of a convention tagline. It has taken the totality of the whole team working hard to plan, rethink, and reimagine this annual event that not only benefits our members but also keeps your safety in the forefront. This year, we look forward to providing you with cutting-edge and thought provoking speakers from around the nation, pre-recorded poster sessions through a new platform, an online silent auction, and ongoing networking opportunities in new and creative ways. Of course, there will be some events that we will miss this year but we are hopeful that we will get to bring them back stronger than ever next year!
As speech-language pathologists and audiologists, we too have had to rethink and reimagine the way we provide high level services while adapting to the ever-changing safety guidelines. COVID-19 has reiterated just how essential speech-language pathologists and audiologists are. Though we have been doing our part to stay apart, we are #essentialtogether. The challenge, as we have already overcome so many obstacles this past year, is to move into and through this new year remaining flexible, hopeful, and extending grace where need be.
I would like to personally thank our Convention Co-Directors, Leigh Anne Roden and Tommy Evans as well as the members of the Convention Planning Committee. They have so graciously donated their time, talent, and brainpower to plan a Convention and then re-plan a virtual Convention as the needs of our membership changed. I would also like to thank Craven Management Associates for their dedication and working hard to make Convention a reality.
Thank you for joining us for the 2021 KSHA Convention! We hope you enjoy the new and exciting virtual platform as well as new opportunities to connect with your peers and colleagues. #TeamKSHA is #essentialtogether.
Bethany Berry, MA, CCC-SLP, BCS-S
KSHA President
Welcome From the Convention Co-Directors
We are truly humbled to welcome you to the 2021 Kentucky Speech-Language-Hearing Association Convention, particularly in a period of time where we have experienced so much uncertainty in our lives, both professionally and personally. What we are certain of is that this year’s Convention would not be possible without the incredible teamwork between the KSHA office, our leadership, our tremendous speakers, and most importantly our members. We are #teamKSHA and we are so excited you have joined us virtually.
Due to the potential restrictions and obstacles that have been created due to the COVID-19 pandemic responses, we all have had to plan differently this year. We have worked hard to continue to offer some of the special activities that so many have found engaging, including the Empowerment Zone, the Golden Brain Competition and a virtual/online Silent Auction. Poster presentations will be pre-recorded and available for attendees to view at their convenience. Another change you may notice is that we decided to end convention on Friday instead of a Saturday due to member input. We hope you find some of these changes to be positive and we look forward to your feedback following convention.
As you begin Convention on Wednesday, we will have an opportunity to come together as an organization to learn more about advocacy during our Advocacy and KSHA Forum. On Thursday we will have a keynote address from Shari Robertson, general sessions, and the Golden Brain Competition. On Friday, we conclude our 2021 Convention with more sessions, our annual business meeting, awards ceremony and an inspiring message from our luncheon speaker, Joel Katte.
We have learned that in planning for this year’s convention we must continue to be flexible and adaptable to last minute changes. We appreciate your understanding and flexibility as you join us. These last minute changes will offer attendees the opportunity to earn more continuing education hours than ever before. Most sessions will be recorded and be available for On Demand viewing beginning March 1 – March 7. Watch for an email notifying attendees when the On-Demand Viewing is ready.
We are excited you are here and we hope that you find it to be a valued experience. Team KSHA recognizes your contributions to our professions and more than ever we realize how essential you are! Thanks for attending!
We are #teamKSHA and #essentialtogether!
Your Chairs,
Tommy Evans and Leigh Anne Roden
Convention Co-Directors
Back by Popular Demand
Spirit Day and Tailgate | Thursday
Wear your college gear on Thursday to show your support for your favorite university team competing in the Gold Brain Competition! Join us for a fun tailgate party Thursday immediately following sessions. Wear your college gear and join us for games, fun and a bit of competitive razzing!
Empowerment Zone
Experience Empowerment of Your Association
Join us at the KSHA Empowerment Zone* to learn more about (and experience) the value of your membership.
- Learn about advocacy from members of Kentucky’s Advocacy Network
- Interact with executive council members
- Find your path to power by:
- Learning about advocacy efforts
- Finding out how you can connect with your local legislator to make a difference
- Creating a personalized message for your legislator
New This Year
KSHA Advocacy and Membership Forum | Now on Wednesday
This session will provide updated information to members regarding changes to current legislation, as well as a discussion on advocacy. Additionally, members will be given time to ask questions of professional concern regarding current, upcoming State/federal legislation impacting those with communication disorders.
Highlighted Presenters
Hammam AlMakadma, AuD, PhD, CCC-A, is an assistant professor in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and Communicative Disorders at the University of Louisville. He earned his doctor of audiology in 2011 and his doctor of philosophy in audiology in 2017 from Syracuse University. His current research activities focus on refining wideband acoustic immittance measurements for clinical diagnosis of middle ear disorders in children and adults and detection of conductive dysfunction in newborns’ ears. In addition to research, Dr. AlMakadma assumes responsibilities in teaching and clinical supervision of audiology students at the University of Louisville.
Presenting Wideband Acoustic Immittance: Interpretive Approaches and Clinical Applications, on Wednesday.
Sandra Combs, PhD, CCC-SLP, is a speech-language pathologist with more than 30 years of clinical, teaching, research and supervision experience. She currently works as a full time clinician at a private special education school in Lanham, Maryland. Dr. Combs has presented on language, literacy, autism and teacher coaching and collaboration at the local, state and national levels.
Presenting What is Autistic Communication, on Friday.
Lynzee Alworth Cornell, PhD, CCC-A, FAAA is the director of clinical services for the program and currently divides her time at the University of Louisville between clinical practice, teaching and research. She is a graduate of the University of Tennessee were she obtained her degree in speech and hearing science with a concentration in audiology. While completing her degree she also completed an Alexander Graham Bell Cochlear Implant Fellowship in 2010; one of only nine nationwide.
Presenting Precepting 101: What You Really Need to Know, on Friday.
Angela Dixon, MA, CCC-SLP, is the manager of outpatient rehabilitation services at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, Indiana. Clinically, she has been the speech-language pathologist on Riley Cleft and Craniofacial Team, specializing in the evaluation and treatment of cleft palate and velopharyngeal dysfunction related speech disorders. Ms. Dixon is the assistant coordinator for American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Special Interest Group (SIG) 5: Craniofacial and Velopharyngeal Disorders and is the co-chair on the Learning Resource Committee through the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association.
Presenting Early Intervention Therapy for Children With Cleft Palate and Evaluation and Treatment of Cleft Palate Speech Disorders: Preschool and School Aged Children, on Wednesday.
Cari Ebert, MS, CCC-SLP, is a pediatric speech-language pathologist in private practice in the Kansas City, Missouri area. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa in 1993 and her master’s degree from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale in 1995. Ms. Ebert is a therapist, consultant, author and nationally recognized speaker who gets paid to do what she loves most—TALK! She specializes in the birth to three population and believes that collaborating with parents, caregivers and teachers is the most effective way to support early learning and development. She has dedicated her career to helping young children achieve their maximum potential with speech, language and social-emotional development. Ms. Ebert’s son has autism and apraxia, allowing her to engage audiences both as a professional and as a parent of a child with special needs.
Presenting Coaching and Bagless Visits in Early Intervention and Using Deep Interests to Guide Programming for Students With Autism, on Thursday.
Kellie Ellis, PhD, CCC-SLP, is an associate professor and chair of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Eastern Kentucky University. She received her doctorate from the University of Kentucky in rehabilitation sciences. Dr. Ellis teaches undergraduate and graduate coursework in language intervention, speech sound disorders, literate language and research methods. Kellie is a former chair of the Kentucky Board of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, former president of the Kentucky Speech-Language-Hearing Association (KSHA) and former chair of American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s (ASHA) Governmental Relations and Public Policy Board. She currently serves as KSHA’s Governmental Relations/Political Action Committee (PAC) Chair and is a member of the Site Visit Team for the Council of Academic Accreditation.
Presenting The ABC’s of Spelling Assessment and Intervention: Practical Strategies for SLPs, on Friday.
Amber Valentine Forston, MS, CCC-SLP, BCS-S, IBCLC, CNT, is a speech-language pathologist who graduated from the University of Kentucky with her Master of Science degree in Communication Disorders. She is a board certified specialist in swallowing and swallowing disorders and an international board certified lactation consultant, as well as a certified neonatal therapist (CNT). She worked for Baptist Health Systems, Inc., for eight years before moving to Florida where she worked for Wolfsons Children’s Hospital and Mayo Florida. She is now back in Kentucky working for Baptist Health Lexington. She has experience in adults and pediatrics with feeding and swallowing difficulties including: bedside swallow evaluations, modified barium swallow studies, fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing and pediatric feeding evaluations including the neonatal intensive care unit. She has experience with head and neck cancer patients including evaluation and treatment of swallowing difficulties, Passy-Muir valve use and voice after total laryngectomy including tracheoesophageal voice prosthesis.
Presenting COVID and Dysphagia: The Hurdles of PPE, on Thursday.
Sandra Grether, PhD, CCC-SLP, is an adjunct associate professor at the University of Cincinnati in the College of Allied Health Sciences, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. She has been practicing for 46 years. Her areas of interest and expertise are in prelinguistic communication with individuals with significant cognitive disabilities, the impact of cognition on language in pediatric hearing loss and cognitive disabilities, the neurophysiology of speech and language in children with childhood apraxia of speech and augmentative communication.
Presenting Augmentative and Alternative Communication for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, on Friday.
Caroline Alexander Hudson, MS, CCC-SLP, has provided services to individuals in a variety of settings: early intervention, schools, hospitals, outpatient clinics and long-term care facilities. She has worked as program manager, clinic director and has taught college level classes in communication sciences and disorders. She believes that language is closely connected to overall development, and that language is the foundation for life success. This belief has created a passion for helping children develop language skills. She currently serves as the director of speech-language pathology at Western Kentucky University’s Clinical Education Complex.
Presenting Clinical Supervision in the Midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic, on Wednesday.
Mark Ittleman, MS, CCC-SLP, has been a speech-language pathologist for 47 years. In Florida, he operated a private practice in Lakeland for nearly 20 years. He also specialized in profound speech and language difficulties in children and adults. In 2001, Mr. Ittleman developed an intensive speech and language stimulation program in Texas. He is a patient advocate and has a special zeal for teaching therapists, caregivers, parents and spouses methods of speech and language stimulation for aphasia. He also teaches others an approach to apraxia that enables caregiver training, home practice and improvement of spontaneous talking.
Presenting Methods to Help Those With Apraxia Talk at Home, on Wednesday and The Teaching of Talking: Stimulating Speech-Language the Fun Way, on Thursday.
Joel Katte has been a staff developer and presenter since 2013. Mr. Katte contends today’s relationships are urgent. His professional developments help individuals maximize their relationships and moments with clients, students, colleagues, families and community members. The positive energy that emerges from his learning experience is instantly catapulting cultures to greater levels! He is an experienced secondary English teacher, elementary school principal and alternative schools administrator.
Presenting as our Awards Luncheon Speaker, Getting in the Heads and Hearts of Those You Serve!, on Friday.
Jenna (Rayburn) Kirk, MA, CCC-SLP, has been a school speech-language pathologist for 10 years. She has a passion for creating speech and language therapy materials and writing about current topics in the field on her website The Speech Room News. Ms. Kirk has authored more than 500 best-selling resources on Teachers Pay Teachers and has been featured in the ASHA Leader.
Presenting Mastering Mixed Groups, on Wednesday and SLP Time Savers for the School SLP, on Thursday.
Joneen Lowman, PhD, CCC-SLP, is an associate professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) at the University of Kentucky. She is project director for LinKS, a federal grant to train graduate communication science disorders students in telehealth and the program director for the interprofessional telehealth graduate certificate offered through the University of Kentucky. She is co-principal investigator on an National Institutes of Health (NIH)/National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) RO1 grant investigating effectiveness outcomes of behavioral parent training for families with deaf and hard of hearing children. Her teaching, research and publications focus on school-age language disorders and telehealth.
Presenting A Systems Approach to Telehealth Design and Delivery, on Thursday.
Tim Nejman, AuD, is an audiologist who works at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. His previous work experiences included providing a variety of audiological services to both the pediatric and adult populations. His interests include amplification (traditional and bone conduction devices), the use of advanced hearing aid features for the pediatric population, selection of prescriptive hearing aid fitting formulas for children with acquired hearing loss, single sided deafness and auditory processing disorders. Dr. Nejman received his Doctor of Audiology from the Ohio State University in 2009.
Presenting Pediatric Hearing Aid Candidacy, Selection and Fitting Considerations, on Wednesday.
Michelle Niehaus, LCSW, is the program administrator/statewide coordinator for deaf and hard of hearing services with the Kentucky Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities. A graduate of Indiana University and Washington University in St. Louis, she also holds a certificate in the administration of programs for people who are deaf or hard of hearing from San Diego State University. Ms. Niehaus serves on the KY Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, the statewide advisory committee for the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) program and various other state, regional and national committees.
Presenting Addressing the Whole Patient: Biopsychosocial Impacts of Hearing Loss, on Thursday.
Lesley Raisor-Becker, PhD, CCC-SLP, is a researcher, teacher and practicing clinician specializing in the language and literacy development of infants, toddlers and preschoolers. Her research interests include the effects of prenatal drug/alcohol exposure on development, social skills and executive functioning in children. Dr. Raisor-Becker has adopted two children from foster care and has committed her career and personal life to helping vulnerable children.
Presenting Building Trauma-Informed Services in Early Intervention and Examining Implicit Bias: Building Trauma-Informed Services in EI, on Friday.
Erin Redle Sizemore, PhD, CCC-SLP, is an assistant professor-educator in the Communication Sciences and Disorders Department at the University of Cincinnati. She has more than 20 years of experience as a speech-language pathologist and has worked with inter-disciplinary teams in a variety of settings including early intervention, schools and pediatric hospitals. Her clinical and research interests include working with families in early childhood, quality improvement, feeding and swallowing disorders, and early speech sound disorders.
Presenting Childhood Apraxia of Speech: What’s New and What’s Important and Interactive Learning in Pediatric Feeding and Swallowing Disorders, on Thursday and co-presenting Building Trauma-Informed Services in Early Intervention and Examining Implicit Bias: Building Trauma-Informed Services in EI, on Friday.
Luis Riquelme, PhD, CCC-SLP, BCS-S, is currently an associate professor at New York Medical College and director of Barrique Speech-Language Pathology, PC which contracts with a large acute care hospital in Brooklyn, New York. He has authored articles on dysphagia (swallowing disorders), multiculturalism/cultural sensitivity and quality improvement. He has presented locally and internationally. Dr. Riquelme is on the Board of Directors of the International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative, and immediate past chair, American Board of Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders. He remains the only person-of-color to have served as president of the New York State Speech-Language-Hearing Association. He is a Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and received ASHA’s Certificate for Special Contributions in Multicultural Affairs in 2009. Most recently, he was recipient of the ASHA 2020 Media Champion Award for his representation of and guidance to speech-language pathologists during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Presenting COVID-19 Update and Presbyphagia: Impact on Our Practice, on Friday.
Shari Robertson, PhD, CCC-SLP, is a professor emerita and provosts’ associate at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She is an American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Fellow and the 2019 President of ASHA. Robertson has published numerous articles, book chapters, and clinical materials and presented hundreds of workshops at state, national, and international venues on a variety of topics. She enjoys helping her fellow ASHA members find ways to nurture their professional and clinical skills as well as their creative and entrepreneurial talents.
Presenting I Used to Have a Handle on Life, But it Broke!, on Wednesday and on Thursday as our Keynote Presenter, Imaginologists Imagine More! Also presenting Stress-Free Strategies for Building Better Readers, on Thursday.
Jade Robinson, PhD, is an assistant professor in the communication disorders program at Eastern Kentucky University. She received her Doctor of Philosophy in Communication Disorders from Florida State University. Dr. Robinson is a licensed and certified speech-language pathologist. Her primary clinical research interests include early intervention and parent-implemented strategies that facilitate language development. She teaches a variety of courses, including language development, language assessment, diagnostics in communication disorders, school-based services and augmentative and alternative communication.
Presenting Training for Team KSHA!, a special student session, on Thursday.
Michael Scott, AuD, currently serves as the Auditory Clinical Research and Implant Program Coordinator at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. His clinical and research interests include auditory implants, auditory (re)habilitation and electrophysiology. In addition, Dr. Scott has a background in educational audiology, adult auditory (re)habilitation and auditory implant program development. He received a master’s degree in communication sciences and disorders from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri and a doctor of audiology (AuD) degree from the Northeast Ohio AuD Consortium. Dr. Scott is also an adjunct instructor at the University of Cincinnati.
Presenting Contemporary Approaches to Auditory Implants in the Pediatric Population, on Thursday.
JoAnna Sloggy, PhD, CCC-SLP, received a bachelor’s degree in music from Methodist University, a master’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of Memphis and a doctorate degree in rehabilitation sciences from the University of Kentucky (UK). She is a provider at the University of Kentucky Voice & Swallow Clinic where she is a member of the voice care team and serves as the singing voice specialist. Dr. Sloggy provides assessment and intervention for general and professional voice disorders, aging voice, behavioral disorders of the upper airway including vocal cord dysfunction and chronic cough. In addition, she serves as clinical supervision of graduate and undergraduate students completing rotations and observation hours. Her research area focuses on aging voice changes in professional singers. Dr. Sloggy is also a consultant for medical device technology software companies and provides professional vocal coaching for television/on-air personalities.
Presenting Voice Therapy Workshop, on Friday.
Stephanie Volker, MS, CCC-SLP, is a speech-language pathologist who specializes in providing cognitive rehabilitation to children and adolescents who have impairments due to acquired brain injury or chronic conditions. She received her Bachelor of Science in education and Master of Science in speech-language pathology at Miami University in 1994 and 1995 respectively, and achieved certified brain injury specialist certification in 2005. She is currently employed at Cincinnati Children’s, serving children and adolescents with acquired brain injury (ABI) as a clinician in the Division of Speech-Language Pathology. She was instrumental in creating and developing Cincinnati Children’s outpatient neurorehabilitation team, a family-centered, collaborative, comprehensive outpatient rehabilitation program for children and adolescents who have sustained an ABI.
Presenting SLP Treatment of Executive Function and Attention Skills, on Thursday and Role of the Speech-Language Pathologist in the Treatment of Mild TBI, on Friday.
Gail Whitelaw, PhD, is a clinical associate professor and director of the Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. She is also the audiology faculty member on the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Other Disorders (LEND) grant at Nisonger Center at Ohio State, a maternal and child health training grant. Dr. Whitelaw has been involved with leadership aspects of the profession of audiology, including serving as the president of the American Academy of Audiology (AAA), chair of the Board of Governors of the American Board of Audiology (ABA), and president of the Ohio Academy of Audiology (OAA). Her areas of clinical interest include auditory processing disorders (APD) in children and adults, tinnitus and sound tolerance disorders, and issues related to functional hearing loss. She is also interested in professional practice issues, including ethics education and mentoring. She received the Outstanding Clinical Educator Award from the American Academy of Audiology in 2019.
Presenting Fifty Shades of Ethics: Professionals Ethics for Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists, on Wednesday.
Continuing Education and Disclosures for the KSHA Convention
ASHA Continuing Education
This course from 2/24-2/26/21 is offered for up to 2.35 ASHA CEUs (various levels, professional area)
This course from 3/1-3/7/21 is offered for up to 8.65 ASHA CEUs (various levels, professional area)
The ethics course (session 12) from 2/24-2/26/21 is offered for 0.2 ASHA CEUs (intermediate level, related area)
The ethics course (session 12) from 3/1-3/7/21 is offered for 0.2 ASHA CEUs (intermediate level, related area)
The supervision course (session 13) from 2/24-2/26/21 is offered for 0.2 ASHA CEUs (introductory level, related area)
The supervision course (session 13) from 3/1-3/7/21 is offered for 0.2 ASHA CEUs (introductory level, related area)
AAA Continuing Education
Kentucky Speech-Language-Hearing Association is approved by the American Academy of Audiology to
offer Academy CEUs for this activity. The program is worth a maximum of 1.9 CEUs. Academy approval of this continuing education activity is based on course content only and does not imply endorsement of course content, specific products, or clinical procedure, or adherence of the event to the Academy’s
Code of Ethics. Any views that are presented are those of the presenter/CE Provider and not necessarily of the American Academy of Audiology.
International Institute for Hearing Instruments Studies
The Kentucky Speech-Language-Hearing Association is approved by the International Hearing Society to offer continuing education for this course. This course [CEN-354-21] is approved for up to 19 credit(s) of continuing education (1 CE Credit = 1 contact hour). IHS approval of this course is based on the course’s adherence to IHS’s course approval requirements only and does not imply endorsement of the course content, specific products, clinical procedure, instructor or adherence to the IHS Code of Ethics. Any views that are presented are those of the presenter/Education Provider and not necessarily of the International Hearing Society.
Division of Child Care for Early Care and Education
(Pediatric Track Only)
Click here for list of approved sessions, instructions and forms.