Fall Workshop 2024

We are thrilled to invite you to an in-person professional development session on Friday, October 25th, 2024. An expert team from Ascend is excited to present a dynamic training lineup tailored for Speech-Language Pathologists and other professionals in the field.

Ascend, a local therapist owned and operated company for over 20 years is comimitted to pediatric care, aiming to enrich the lives of the children in their care. Our staff of OT's/SLP's/EI/Inclusion pre-school have competitive salaries, great benefits, paid CEU's, and are passionte about working in

* Schools part-time or full-time

* Our muti-disciplinary pediatric clinics as clinicians or mentors 

* Early-Intervention for assessments and ongoing treatment 

* Our inclusion of community-based preschool programs 

Topic: Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) 

Kelly will delve into best practices, emerging technologies, and practical strategies for implementing AAC with various populations. 

Presenter: Kelly Rinehart

About the speaker: Kelly is an AAC specialist who conducts comprehensive evaluations for Early Intervention and provides tailored AAC. Her passion for helping young children communicate is matched only by her love for the arts; Kelly is also an accomplished actress actively participating in plays around the Bay Area.

Topic: Exiting Students from Speech in Schools and Private Practice 

This session will cover the key considerations, decision-making processes, and documentation strategies when planning to exit students from speech services.

Presenters: Christine Chen SLP and Anjie Bolanos SLP

About the speaker: Chris is an SLP and Regional Clinical Manager at Ascend with over 20 years of experience across various settings. Her expertise includes dysphagia, assessments, behavioral management, and AAC technology. Anjie is an SLP and the School Clinical Manager at Ascend. She has worked for over a decade as an SLP, has a passion for speech, and continues to share some of her knowledge and experience in helping other SLPs, CFs, and SLPAs.

Topic: Practical Sensory Strategies for Supporting Communication in clinic/schools and EI 

Presenter: Sammy Ghaisas OTR/L and Swati Shah, OTR/L

About the speaker: Sammy is an OT with clinical experience for over a decade. She specializes in assessments and intervention in outpatient clinics and school settings for children with diagnoses such as autism, ADHD, and physical and neurological disabilities. She has a passion for feeding therapy and works at Ascend as the Lead OT in our clinics. Swati Shah is the founder of Ascend, has worked for over 25 years in all different sets of pediatrics, and is passionate about feeding and supporting the speech community with ideas to improve attention, learning, and communication.