2025 Iowa Conference on Communicative Disorders (ICCD)

The Iowa Conference on Communicative Disorders provides continuing education activities in speech-language pathology that are acceptable to the State of Iowa and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). Areas of emphasis include adults and pediatrics. The course is offered for various levels up to 17 contact hours/1.70 ASHA CEUs.

The conference co-chairs are Karson Swim, BA, Paige Layman, BA, and Isabelle Fransen, BA, and advising the conference is Mrs. Suzanne Dripps, MA, CCC-SLP.

To receive ASHA CEUs, participants must attend the convention sessions they would like to receive credit for and complete an on-line evidence of learning form at the end of the convention. This form will have a few questions asking about what you learned and how you will apply it to your clinical practice. If for some reason we cannot confirm satisfactory completion of the CEUs, we will contact you in writing, by the email you provided at registration.

Please fill out the following form if you have purchased lunch and require any dietary accommodations.

https://forms.gle/1PWaWVHoW1BxmFcc8

Speakers for ICCD 2025:

Lacey Wolf and Sydney Euchner, Complex AAC- Case Studies Including Hands-on Strategies to Give Every Child a Voice

1. Describe at least three different strategies to trial for children with complex communication needs.
2. Create a communication board to be used to communicate their basic wants and needs.
3. Identify their own complex communication cases and seek feedback to use in their practice.

Joy Hesse & Sydney Brotherton, Interpreting Mild, Moderate and Severe Dysphagia with FEES

1. Classify 3 patients that would be appropriate referrals for a FEES and 3 patients that would be appropriate for a modified swallow exam.
2. Identify penetration and aspiration during case studies and will rate correctly using the Pen/Asp rating scales provided.
3. Rate video examples using the New Zealand Secretion Scale provided.
4. Rate residue in the vallecula, and pyriform sinuses using the Yale Residue Scale provided.
5. Rate severity of dysphagia using the DIGEST for FEES and write recommendations for treatment during small group activity.
6. Select appropriate compensatory strategies based on impairment seen during FEES exams.

Dr. Heather M. Clark, Intensive Therapy for Childhood Apraxia of Speech

1. Describe features of childhood apraxia of speech and its common co-morbidities.
2. Access resources for learning more about Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing Therapy.
3. Summarize advantages and disadvantages of intensive speech therapy.

Dr. Emily Guaseelan, Beyond Likes: Ethical Considerations of SLP Social Media Use

1. Describe common ways that SLPs use social media for clinical decision-making, contrasting these methods with more "traditional" methods.
2. Define the term "digital materials" and list at least 3 issues SLPs consider a lot/a little before downloading.
3. Analyze case studies, connecting case facts to ASHA Code of Ethics, and explain related ethical considerations.

Dr. Katie Jo Funk, Collaboration Among Speech and Occupational Therapy Students and Professionals

1. Identify current student learning interprofessional opportunities within Cedar Valley.
2. Identify occupational therapist role in patient care.
3. List the values of the sensory model in relation to communication.
4. Assess resources for sensory tools and potential future training.

Dr. Philip Combiths, Accurate Speech-Language Assessment for Dual Language Learners

1. Define socially contextualized and psycholinguistic frameworks of bilingual language development.
2. Assess their current knowledge and practices for bilingual speech-language assessment and intervention in schools.
3. Integrate evidence-based practices for dual language learners into their current assessment and intervention practices

Dr. Margaret Lehman Blake, Apragmatism: Communication after right hemisphere stroke

1. Define pragmatism.
2. Provide examples of linguistic, paralinguistic, and extralinguistic aspects of communication.
3. Describe historical trends in research on language and pragmatics in adults with right hemisphere stroke.
4. Describe how to select or design treatments in the absence of evidence.

Kali Rudd, A Holistic Approach to Pediatric Feeding and Swallowing

1. Define the transformational role of the pediatric speech-language pathologist across care settings.
2. Summarize the ways speech-language pathologists use a whole-child approach to feeding assessments and interventions.
3. List three disciplines the speech-language pathologist collaborates with to manage patients with pediatric feeding and swallowing disorders.
4. Demonstrate strategies to interact with, empower, and support caregivers to facilitate long-term feeding success in their children.

Dr. Julie Stierwalt, Differential Diagnosis of the Dysarthrias

1. Detail the underlying neuropathology of the dysarthrias.
2. Review the importance of differential diagnosis of the dysarthrias.
3. Identify salient features that differentiate the dysarthrias including neuropathology, perceptual features, and physical characteristics.

Dr. Michelle Hughes, Changes in Cochlear Implant Candidacy and Future Innovations

1. List the subsequent populations that have benefitted from cochlear implant technology since cochlear implants were first approved for postlingual, profoundly deaf adults.
2. Describe three concerns with lowering the age at implant.
3. List the negative impacts of asymmetric hearing.
4. Describe at least three innovative technological research areas that are currently being targeted for improving outcomes for people with severe to profound hearing loss.

Dr. Mili Kuruvilla-Dugdale, Enhancing Auditory-Perceptual Skills and Optimizing Scaling Methods for Dysarthria Assessment

1. Evaluate their perceptual and diagnostic skills to better detect and differentially diagnose dysarthria subtypes.
2. Identify resources for fine-tuning internal standards to carry out auditory-perceptual evaluations that inform dysarthria diagnosis.
3. Connect the current literature on perceptual scaling to help select optimal scales for use in dysarthria assessment.

Dr. Julie Gatts, Multimodal Communication for Engagement

1. List and describe a variety of communication modalities (minimum of 3) that may be relevant to individuals with aphasia and cognitive communication disorders.
2. Summarize multimodal treatment approaches for individuals with aphasia and cognitive communication disorders.
3. Integrate a variety of communication modalities into sessions to increase participation and engagement opportunities for individuals with aphasia and cognitive communication disorders.

Dr. Jennifer Garrett and Gretta Berghammer, Creative Drama to Support Social Communication Skills

1. List the elements of drama.
2. Identify how drama can support a client’s social communication.
3. Demonstrate 1 drama activity to support a communication goal.