Welcome to IMASH 2008

Welcome Letter

Highlighted Presenters

Special Events

Session Handouts

Continuing Education

Convention Program

Registration

Convention Location

Exhibitors

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WELCOME LETTER

IMASH 2008 brings together new and returning colleagues from Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah and Wyoming. The Planning Committee from these states are working energetically to ensure that IMASH 2008 will be as successful as our first one in 2005. Our joint effort started almost five years ago as a casual conversation around a dinner table and were realized subsequently with tireless energy by volunteers from the three states of Idaho, Utah and Wyoming. This endeavor has now grown into IMASH 2008 with participation from two more states: Colorado and Montana. Indeed, we welcome all of you! We hope that you can sense the excitement we feel in hosting this ever so special event.

Those of us who live here in the Intermountain West know that it is sometimes difficult to bring educational opportunities to our members due to the geography, diverse and sometimes sparse population of this region. During IMASH, we have an opportunity to meet and network with our colleagues and friends from neighboring states. If you are new to IMASH, we hope to meet you and get to know you this year! We are confident that your experience at IMASH will allow you to obtain top notch education, learn about state-of-the-art research findings and take home many new ideas. In addition to the five hosting states, we are extending an enthusiastic invitation to our colleagues in Arizona, Nevada, Washington and other states close by.

This year, we are anticipating an attendance of over 500 speech-language pathologists, audiologists, speech scientists and students! What does that mean for you? It means:

• Attending courses presented by locally and nationally recognized researchers, clinicians, educators and leaders in the professions

• Ample opportunity to attend presentations and posters sessions covering a wide variety of topics

• Earning up to 1.7 CEUs over the course of the Convention (both ASHA and AAA)

• Mingling with your colleagues in audiology and speech-language pathology

• Having the opportunity to view products from a large selection of exhibitors

• Socializing with professionals and future professionals (students) during the Tailgate Party and Student Competition, "Are You Smarter than a Grad Student?"

• Discussing issues of common interest throughout the region in grand rounds

• Attending your very own state sponsored luncheon.

This year’s highlighted speakers are Tim Kowalski, Peter Ramig, Louis Rossetti, Yvonne Sininger, Robert Traynor and Don Worthington. Many vendors are excited to "spoil" you with gifts and prizes. We hope you will join us for the "Are You Smarter than a Grad Student" social event on Thursday evening and exchange new ideas with friends, fellow professionals and future colleagues.

IMASH is THE place to be at the beginning of October, 2008 – you won’t want to miss it!

HIGHLIGHTED PRESENTERS

Timothy P. Kowalski, M.A., is a licensed speech-language pathologist and nationally known expert on Asperger Syndrome and high-functioning Autism. Currently, he is a consultant to private and public schools and provides diagnostic, therapeutic and consultative services to children and adolescents with psychiatric and behavioral disorders in his office. Mr. Kowalski has worked in a variety of settings, including home health, nursing homes, hospitals and schools. Mr. Kowalski is the author of The Source for Asperger Syndrome, a practical resource for anyone working with this population and Assessing Social Communication in Asperger Syndrome. He is a member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, the Council for Exceptional Children and the Autism Society of America. Mr. Kowalski is also the recipient of the TEAMS 2000 Speech-Language Pathologist of the Year Award for his work with Autism in the four-countywide greater Orlando, Florida metropolitan area.

Peter R. Ramig, Ph.D., is Professor in the Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences at the University of Colorado in Boulder where he teaches and specializes in stuttering issues in children, teens and adults. He is also a member, fellow and board recognized fluency specialist of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. As a working clinician of stuttering, he annually presents many workshops and seminars pertaining to simple and practical ideas for treatment of stuttering in children, teens and adults.

Louis Rossetti, Ph.D., is Professor Emeritus of Communicative Disorders at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. He is an internationally recognized authority on services to infants, toddlers and their families and is a frequent presenter at professional conferences throughout the world. He is the author of five books on infants and toddlers with special needs. He is the author of the Rossetti Infant-Toddler Language Scale, the most widely used communication assessment scale for children under three years of age in the world. He is the founding editor of Infant Toddler Intervention: The Transdisciplinary Journal, and has been named a fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

Yvonne Sininger, Ph.D., is Professor in the Division of Head & Neck Surgery, University of California, Los Angeles. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Indiana University and her Ph.D. in Speech and Hearing Science from the University of California Santa Barbara and San Francisco.

Robert M. Traynor, Ed.D., MBA, is CEO and practicing audiologist at Audiology Associates, Inc., Greeley and Johnstown, Colorado with particular emphasis in amplification and operative monitoring offering all general audiological services to patients of all ages. Dr. Traynor holds degrees from the University of Northern Colorado, the University of Phoenix, as well as Post Doctoral Study at Northwestern University. In addition to practicing audiology for the past 15 years, he has been an active international consultant in Audiology to the hearing industry and currently serves as Senior International Audiology Consultant to Bernafon A/G, Bern, Switzerland and Consulting Audiologist to Otologics, LLC, Boulder, CO, makers of the Carina fully implantable Middle Ear Hearing Device.

Don W. Worthington, Ph.D., received his B.S. and his M.S. from Utah State University and his Ph.D. from Northwestern University. His initial work in audiology was in private practice. He later served as an audiologist in the United States Army where he was stationed at Walter Reed General Hospital. He served as the first non-medical Director of the Army Audiology and Speech Center, and as Audiology Consultant to the Army Surgeon General. Dr. Worthington has served as President of the American Auditory Society, a Panel member and Consultant for the Ear, Nose and Throat Devices Panel of the Food and Drug Administration, Consultant to the Veteran Administration Hearing Aid Program, was a founder of the American Academy of Audiology (AAA), a member of the Board of Representatives of the AAA, a Legislative Counselor to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and served on numerous other committees both within the state and nationally. He has been Director of the Intermountain Healthcare Hearing and Balance Center in Salt Lake City, Utah since 1993 and will be retiring in January 2009.

SPECIAL EVENTS

As we gear up for the College Competition, we invite you to the IMASH Tailgate Party. This is your opportunity to personally meet the teams, network with alumni and enjoy some refreshments before the fierce competition begins.

Get ready to refresh your knowledge in current standards and skills of speech, language, hearing, swallowing and communication.

This is a competition between the Inter Mountain university student programs in Communication Disorders. Each team will consist of 5 members: 3 students, 1 faculty (clinical or academic) and 1 state association member. There is no limit to the number of teams that can be entered into this head-to-head competition to win the coveted title of Inter Mountain College Competition Champion. Questions for the competition will represent those typically found on the NESPA/PRAXIS examination. Points will be awarded for correct answers. The university with the most points will be awarded prizes. Prizes will be awarded to first, second and third place teams. Teams and audience members are encouraged to wear appropriate collegiate attire and bring banners or other props to support teams. Prizes will be awarded to the most creative team. Teams and audience cheerleaders will be awarded .1 CEU.

Teams are encouraged to register in advance. You may register your team by emailing Jeff Larsen (Jeffery.larsen@usu.edu) and provide your team name, university the team is affiliated with, the names of the team members and whether the team participants are students, faculty or other professionals. Pre-registration is preferred, however, additional teams will be taken on-site until 10:00 am on Thursday, October 2.

You are invited to attend your State Association Luncheon. For professionals attending from another state association, you are invited to choose a state luncheon. Pre-registration for the luncheon is required on the Convention Registration form.

SESSION HANDOUTS

Session Handouts will be posted the IMASH website.

Session Handouts will be available on the IMASH website two weeks prior to the Convention for your review and printing.  Handouts will also be available for purchase at the Convention.  Handouts may be purchased for $1 per session. 

You may also purchase a CD with all available handouts for $5. Please note that availability of handouts is dependent on the presenter providing a copy to the IMASH office.

Please visit the website prior to attending the Convention to obtain your handouts.  If you have problems accessing the IMASH website for handouts, contact the IMASH Office at either 888-729-9959 or imash@robertcraven.com.