The transitions

I forgave ASHA for depriving male attendees of hygenic resources, during this year's Denver Convention. 4% of the membership deserve 50% of the stalls? FIE! Let the men all desiccate into dust and be blasted home on howling winter gales! Sorry, dehydration mania.

It's the last day of convention, and I feel myself tugged - looking in two directions at once. Like Faulkner said, the past may not even be past; but  - and the original statement is copyrighted so, be kind Apple - you had better have one of those teeny tiny programs that do fun STUFF, for that -

I have attended ASHA conventions off and on from 1974, when it was in Las Vegas and I was an undergraduate in search of a career. Since that convention, the Association has never returned to Vegas. Giantesses and giants alike in the professions have blazed numerous trails of discovery with rigorous method and proven results, so that the people we serve can blaze their own trails as powerful, interactive individuals. Conventions have served to not only celebrate accomplishments, but also to charge us to search for more.

And, would you fill up my water bottle while you're at it - yeah, at that fountain right there - thanks!

What are we becoming as two professions; audiology and speech-language pathology?  It's the height of magical thinking, to assume that today's professionals can just bypass all the technological, regulatory, business model, legalistic, political warfare, cultural Hatfield v McCoy types of changes; all those and more, whirling us around every day like ingredients for a
Venti Iced Skinny Hazelnut Macchiato, Sugar-Free Syrup, Extra Shot, Light Ice, No Whip - ??

We have to live in the world where our consumers live; where they communicate, move, think and swallow . But do we have to be swept along by it til pureed? We are charged to help the persons we serve, find the tools they need to maneuver the world in which they live. The convention sessions on wellness, mindfulness, stress is your friend, etc.; - all are part of our professional lexicon, none too soon.

The more stable and resourceful we are in all our life settings, the better we are at serving as shelters from the storm. Thank you, Mr. Dylan. An example of our need for both resources and resilience?

Greenslade, Hutchins and Prelock, session 1607: 4 out of 4 hammers; -
I will never cease to amaze myself. First, an audiology session and now - well, I have not had a child consumer on my caseload for three years. But there are great scientists-clinicians out there, not just building the corporate theories of mind, but also empowering families and communities for persons with ASD, and standing alongside their persons served, to enjoy life. Those in the meeting room who saw the 17 year old, on video, express empathy for his mother who (not really) whacked her finger with a hammer - if you were not one of the group that let out an "Awwwwwww!", you immediately wished you had acted on what you had felt inside.

The union of science and human contact: this has been, is and should always be the core of our professions.

Back to the poster sessions, as I prepared to rush to the airport. A poster at which I had paused, appeared to me to bring this issue to focus. A doctoral candidate from a southern US university presented  her research, on assessing attentional impairment after brain injury. Her data was impressive, but her excitement at reporting what the data revealed - it made you glad you were masochistic enough to finish advanced study in this field.

Lucky me. I ended convention on a high note. Back to work now; we'll take this up again in Philadelphia next November.