The annual American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA) Convention is just around the corner and we are as excited as ever here at TalkTools. The 2015 convention will be in Denver, Colorado, November 12, 13, and 14. We will be there in full force with our tools, techniques, & training all be represented by our expert staff.

TalkTools is scheduled for two presentations and will be hosting a booth in the exhibit hall where you can order at a huge discount and be entered to win several prizes. Our goal this year is to celebrate successes in therapy, be sure you stop by our booth, #417, to share your stories!

We will have all of our signature items on-hand, like the Horn and Straw Hierarchies, the famous Honey Bear, and our Jaw Grading Bite Blocks. These items have become household names in the fields of oral placement, oral motor, sensory, and feeding therapy supplies. These tools, and others, are also why TalkTools® has been an industry leader for over 30 years and is now a worldwide resource for therapy tools, techniques, and training.

When you order our tools while at the convention, you will receive a 20% discount on all items! We will also be providing FREE SHIPPING for anyone who places their order at the booth during the convention. Beyond our array of products on display we will be providing attendees several opportunities to WIN fabulous prizes.

Every visitor to our booth #417 can enter to WIN an Introduction to Oral Placement Therapy Kit ($195 value) and a GoPro Hero+ LCD ($299 value). All you have to do is stop by the booth and have your badge scanned by one of our many associates.

Additionally, we will be providing attendees the opportunity to a WIN $500 Visa gift card! As part of our efforts to celebrate successful therapy we want to hear your success stories. When you provide a one to two minute video testimonial at our booth, you will be automatically entered to win.

You can also take a photo with our six foot celebrity Honey Bear and have a chance to be featured our Facebook page! Use hashtag #iamthehoneybear.

Another reason to stop by our booth is to visit with one of our amazing Speech Language Pathologists! Several of our expert presenters will be on hand throughout the convention to answer your therapy questions and to discuss our Continuing Education opportunities.

TalkTools® offers professional therapists opportunities to learn and train in innovative and solution based therapy techniques. Over 2,000 Speech Language Pathologists attend one of our live workshops every year and many more take advantage of one of our self-study programs. Those interested in advancing their knowledge are invited to participate in the TalkTools® Level Training Program.

Don’t miss an opportunity to see TalkTools founder, Sara Rosenfeld-Johnson, present at this year’s convention. Sara will be presenting on two different topics, the first on Thursday and the second, a poster presentation, will be on Saturday.

~ Thursday, November 12 at 1:30 PM Sara will present on the Effects of Limited or Excessive Jaw Mobility During Conversational Speech (Session Number 1080). 

~ Saturday, November 14 at 12:30 PM Sara will present on Oral Placement Therapy (OPT) vs. Non-Speech Oral Motor Exercises (NSOME): Understanding the Debate (Session Number 9333, Poster Board 602). This presentation was co-authored by Robyn Merkel-Walsh. 

We hope to see you in Denver!

We have speech and feeding therapy workshops across the U.S. this November. Our 1 and 2 day hands-on courses cover a variety of diagnoses including Down syndrome, Apraxia of Speech, Dysphagia, Autism (ASD), and Dyspraxia among others. Therapy techniques that improve speech and feeding by focusing on abdominal grading, tongue mobility, lip rounding, and jaw strength, stability and grading are demonstrated.

Detailed workshop information and registration is available here. We are also very excited for the 2015 ASHA Convention next month in Denver and hope to see many of you there!

We have a very busy schedule this October with speech and feeding therapy workshops across the U.S. Our 1 and 2 day hands-on courses cover a variety of diagnoses including Down syndrome, Apraxia of Speech, Dysphagia, Autism (ASD), and Dyspraxia among others. Therapy techniques that improve speech and feeding by focusing on abdominal grading, tongue mobility, lip rounding, and jaw strength, stability and grading are demonstrated.

Detailed workshop information and registration is available here. Earn CEUs, impress your clients, and take your therapy to the next level with TalkTools® Oral Placement Therapy!

In this new feature, we will introduce you to a member of the TalkTools team and get to know a little more about them. Up first, is Matthew from the TalkTools warehouse!

Matthew has had a pretty exciting week since he just turned 21. He celebrated with a party where he hung out with his friends.

Matthew loves to travel and has been on trips all over the world. His favorite place he has ever been to is Paris, where he loved visiting the Eiffel Tower.

Matthew is a big basketball fan. His favorite player is Kobe Bryant, and he loves the Lakers. He also enjoys baseball and has been lucky enough to see the Lakers and the Atlanta Braves play in person. He says that he had a lot of fun when his family took his great grandma to see the Braves, since they were her favorite team.

Favorite Movies - Titanic, ET

Hobbies - Bowling, playing basketball, playing video games, and watching baseball / basketball.

Favorite Music - Hip Hop & Rap

Fun Fact - Matthew's Mother loves animals, so his family has lots of pets including 5 cats, a dog, birds, and fish. They even had a pot belly pig at one time. Matt's favorite pet is their Jack Russell / Chihuahua mix named Dixie.

Summer Plans - Matthew is going on a Disney cruise with a friend, spending time at another friend's beach house, and visiting his brother's family in California.

Favorite Part of Working at TalkTools - Matthew enjoys packing up kits and seeing the finished product.