President's Corner
Francie Arboleda, M.A., CCC-SLP
SCCSHA President 2024–2025
Dear SCCSHA Community,
Your SCCSHA board is eagerly anticipating an exciting year with all of you!
We hosted some fantastic workshops last year with some fun and dynamic SLP speakers, learning new ways to engage with our clients and families. We had a mix of both in-person and Zoom workshops, which allowed for more flexible attendance online while still providing opportunities to foster meaningful connections in person. This year, we are committed to continuing to allow opportunities for both online and in-person learning as well as collaborating with our undergraduate and graduate speech pathology and audiology students. We are thrilled to offer inspiring professional development opportunities this year. Additionally, we have some new board member candidates who need to be introduced and voted on:
Kathy-Ann Murray, Vice-President candidate
Kei Worry, Newsletter Editor candidate
You won't want to miss our Fall Workshop, where we will learn from team of professionals from Ascend about AAC, best practices in exiting students, as well as how to incorporate sensory strategies when working with children. Please join us on Friday, October 25, 2024, at Sunnyvale Unified School District in Sunnyvale to gain insights into best practices, assessments, goals, and services, among other related topics!
Membership has its perks! By becoming an SCCSHA member, you will also receive a 20% discount on all of our workshops this year. This includes not only our Fall workshop but also our virtual Winter workshop in January, 2026 with Kristin Chmela, SLP, who will educate us about current best practices with people who stutter, and our May luncheon featuring Christine Maul, SLP, who will be discussing ethics in our field. Membership and workshop tickets can be purchased through our website www.sccsha.org.
We look forward to seeing you in October for a day of learning and connecting!
Warm regards,
Francie Arboleda, M.A., CCC-SLP
President, SCCSHA 2024-2025
Legislative Corner
Ann England
Legislative Liaison
NEW LAW PASSED REDUCING STIGMA IN EDUCATION ACT:
AB 2173 (Dawn Addis) was signed by Governor Newsom on July 18, 2024. This law changes the special education qualifying category of "Emotional Disturbance" to "Emotional Disability." This law is to support the de-stigmatization of this special education eligibility category label.
NEW GUIDELINES FOR SLPA's:
Beginning July 1, 2024, speech-language pathology assistant (SLPA) supervisors will be permitted to supervise additional support personnel and provide direct supervision through synchronous audiovisual. To learn more about this regulatory change, visit the Notice of Regulatory Change Regarding SLPA Supervision Requirements.
LEGISLATIVE INFORMATION RESOURCE:
If you want to keep up-to-date on current legislation, visit the website of the Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology and Hearing Aid Dispensers Board: https://www.speechandhearing.ca.gov
Fall 2024 Workshop (.6 CEU's)
Seminar Description
An expert team from Ascend is excited to present a dynamic training lineup tailored for Speech-Language Pathologists and other professionals in the field. Their staff of OT's/SLP's/EI/Inclusion pre-school work in schools, pediatric clinics, and community-based preschool programs.
Topic: Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC)
Our speaker will delve into best practices, emerging technologies, and practical strategies for implementing AAC with various populations.
Kelly Rinehart, SLP
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.
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.
Christine Chen SLP and Anjie Bolanos SLP
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 Clinics/Schools and EI
Sammy Ghaisas OTR/L and Swati Shah, OTR/L
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.
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