I am still literally and figuratively unpacking the exhilarating blur that was the 2022 ASHA convention! Hands down - as per my last blog post - the most meaningful aspect of the convention was spending it with my dad. We make a great team, and I learned and continue to learn so much from him. 

It was interesting to compare our convention experiences. There are many parallels: lots of overlap in the logistics of running a booth, and total joy meeting our amazing customers in person. The differences in our experiences stem largely from my being a professional within the field for whom the convention was targeted, while my dad was a professional from outside (i.e. his conventions were for aestheticians, and he wasn't an aesthetician). It meant at his convention he was the seller, but not the customer, while at ASHA I represent both the vendor and consumer. Prior to going, I didn't appreciate what that might mean, but it was huge. It meant every aspect of the convention was saturated with awe and interest for me. Our field is packed with incredible people, and I was among giants!

I wished I could just clone myself so that one of me could run the booth, another to meet all the vendors, and a third to attend all the seminars. Luckily, the third day of the convention I was able to attend three wonderful presentations (Dr. Iuzzini-Seigel's on an exciting new tool for differential diagnosis of Apraxia vs. Dysarthria, Amy Graham's on Lateral lisps, and Dr Brosseau-Lapre's on speeh perception). Watch this space for future blog posts summarizing some of this research. 

 Evenings were pure fun! Hung out with my good long time friends from LessonPix as well as The Speech and Stuttering Institute, dinners, drinks, ghost tour, lots of laughs and stories, and  got to know great new friends. 

Next year in Boston? Seriously considering it . . . I think I'm hooked!