National Student Speech Language Hearing Association

What is NSSLHA?

The National Student Speech Language Hearing Association (NSSLHA) is a national organization for graduate and undergraduate students who are interested in the study of normal and disordered human communication.

NSSLHA at Duquesne University

We have our own NSSLHA Chapter at Duquesne University, which is open to all current Speech-Language Pathology students.

As part of our NSSLHA Chapter, we participate in:

• Service activities around the Pittsburgh community pertaining to speech and language disorders
• Apraxia walk supporting families of children with Apraxia
• Educational events for members that explain health science field from different perspectives of various professionals
• Aphasia workshop- learning for speech pathology students and teaching PT students
• Research opportunities that bring faculty and students together to expand knowledge and encourage student learning outside of the classroom

Why Are We Crowdfunding?

It has become a tradition that the 4th and 5th year members of our chapter (graduate students) attend the annual American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA) Convention. We need your support to send as many students as we can to this great event. The 2016 ASHA Convention will be held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, November 17–19, 2016.

Why is the Convention Important for Duquesne University Students to Attend?

This convention is the premier annual event for speech-language pathologists, audiologists, and speech, language, and hearing scientists. Bringing together more than 14,000 attendees, the Annual Convention provides students with a once-a-year opportunity to learn about the latest research, polish clinical skills, improve techniques, and gain new tools and resources to advance professional development. (www.asha.org/Events/convention/About-the-ASHA-Convention)

At the convention, our members will:

• Learn about different disorders, treatments and technology in speech pathology.
• Be exposed to research on how to treat patients, from those who have suffered from a stroke to traumatic brain injuries to articulation disorders in children and other speech and language disorders.
• Have the opportunity to present their research! Over the past year, our own students have worked on research projects to present at this convention, which examines several different disorders. These projects either offer insight into these disorders or examine treatment methods and technology designed to treat certain disorders.

In addition, the convention is a wonderful opportunity for students to make connections with other professionals, learn about cutting edge research and explore potential interests in the field of speech-language pathology. We hope that by going to the convention, we learn more about our field and the disorders that we will see throughout our forthcoming careers, making us better and more competent professionals and therapists.

From Duquesne University Students Who Have Attended...

The following are from students that attended the convention last year:

“Last year, I attended the ASHA convention for the first time. As a young clinician, researcher, and student in the first year of the professional phase of my speech-language pathology program, attending the convention was a wonderful experience. Before the professional phase of my program, I assisted in data collection for a study examining structured language treatment for a person with primary progressive aphasia. Although I had previously presented the preliminary findings of this study to students and professors at my university, by attending the 2015 ASHA convention I also had the opportunity to share these findings with students, researchers, and other professionals in the field of speech-language pathology for the first time. Discussing the outcomes of our study with interested and engaged professionals was extremely rewarding and encouraging. I began to further understand the importance, impact, and value of evidence based practice. Following this experience, I decided to seek out as many research opportunities as I could, assisting in multiple studies as well as developing my own master’s thesis.” – Joanne Kinney, 5th Year SLP Graduate Student

"This conference not only met, but exceeded my expectations! We learned so much information about a variety of different areas in Speech-Language Pathology. We also had the opportunity to meet with some of the leading researchers in the profession , as well as the authors to some of our text books! It was also nice to meet with Speech-Language Pathologists who are already working in the field to hear about their experiences and advice for students." – Gabrielle Walsh, 5th Year SLP Graduate Student

Please Give Now and Help Spread the Word!

If you would like to help enhance the educational experience of Duquesne University Speech-Language Pathology students, then please give now. We also ask that you please help spread the word about this campaign by sharing this link (www.spirit.duq.edu/nsslha16) on social media and by sending it to those who might also be willing to help. Thank you!