ArkSHA Convention 2021

Author: Clare Kellough | Major: Communication Sciences and Disorders | Semester: Fall 2021

Aphasia can be described as an impairment in comprehension and/or production of speech and language. I served as an intern observer for a group therapy treatment approach for individuals with aphasia, called Aphasia Reading Club. Every other week, individuals with aphasia attend ARC meetings at UAMS medical center located in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Persons with aphasia receive individual therapy as well as group therapy from a graduate student at the University of Arkansas. Group therapy roots in group discussion among participants, who analyze reading material based on a theme that is decided every week.

For the research portion of my honors project, I conducted research and a literature review on aphasia. My research focused on the effects that aphasia has on an individual including cognitively, socially, and the effect it has on the individual’s sense of self. I focused on the deficits caused by aphasia, besides the obvious effects on language. My research also consisted of the benefits of group therapy as well as characteristics of group therapy including when it began in history and why.

I received the opportunity to present my honors project at the 2021 ArkSHA Convention in Little Rock, Arkansas. I proposed my work to ArkSHA a few months ago, hoping for the opportunity to present. From presenting my work, I felt very proud of myself for all of the hard work that I put into my project. This experience helped me to grow as a professional and a person not only by speaking in front of many people but by inspiring me to conduct further research and possibly make an impact on the field of Speech and Language Pathology.

There were many professionals at the convention, many of who presented their own work. The individuals who were presenting as professional presenters presented to many people in the room. It was inspiring to see someone who was so interested in their work captivate the interest of so many others. It made me hope that as I continue to grow as a Speech-Language Pathologist, I have the opportunity to present again in the future, possibly on my own research project.

There was a sense of unity among the attendants, as everyone had a common understanding of one another. There were people from Arkansas State University who attended my presentation, who seemed to be impressed by my work. Although I did not receive feedback from anyone I do not know, I received wonderful feedback from Dr. Rachel Glade, my Honors Mentor, commending my hard work. I had the chance to meet and interact with people who are in many of my classes, but I had never had the opportunity to meet them.

Advice I have to share for my fellow students is- if you have the opportunity to present your work at a convention or even attend, do it! This experience taught me so much about the field of Speech-Language Pathology as well as taught me about myself. It was amazing to be immersed into the culture of SLPs and all share the same passion. Hearing people develop ideas and concepts I haven’t even thought of reminded the importance of collaboration as well as inter-professionalism among other professional fields.