Communication Disorders Program Hosts CDIS Fall Conference

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Conference attendees with presenter and Lisa Bowers, assistant professor of communication disorders

The University of Arkansas Communication Disorders program hosted the 2017 CDIS Fall Conference on Saturday, Sept. 16. Students from the University of Arkansas chapter of the National Student Speech-Language Hearing Association, a registered student organization at the university, volunteered at the event.

The conference welcomed 50 attendees, including professionals from across the state of Arkansas, as well as graduate and undergraduate students in communication disorders. Professionals in attendance were from a variety of fields, including speech-language pathologists, speech-language pathology assistants, and pediatric physicians.

The conference focused on bilingualism and its implications in the field of speech language pathology. Topics included:

• "Providing Appropriate Assessment for Bilingual Children" presented by Amy Faith, Ed.S, CCC-SLP, the lead speech-language pathologist and bilingual consultant at Rogers Public Schools.
• "Improving Written Literacy Outcomes of Bilingual Children" presented by Lisa Bowers, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, an assistant professor in the communication disorders program at the University of Arkansas.

All attendees reported either currently working with or intending to work with children who are bilingual.

The Communication Disorders program will host the annual NSSLHA CDIS Symposium on Feb. 24, 2018. The program is looking forward to welcoming Julie Masterson, the associate provost and dean of the Graduate College at Missouri State, to talk about literacy and language development at the event. Additional information for this event will be available in December.