I have attended the Clinical Aphasiology Conference almost every year since entering my doctoral program in 2010. Each year I look forward to attending CAC to learn about new research findings, gain new perspectives from the invited speaker presentations, meet up with collaborators to discuss new and ongoing projects, meet newcomers in Aphasiology, and spend time with colleagues and friends.
This year was unique for multiple reasons. It was our first in-person CAC since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and it was also the very first hybrid CAC, with both in-person and virtual attendees and speakers. We were fortunate to hear from a panel of experts, Drs. Anne Charity Hudley, Charles Ellis, Davetrina Seles Gadson, on Inclusion in the Language Sciences. This session was both powerful and informative and provided attendees with resources and tools to help address health disparities and inequity within their academic programs, clinical settings, and research. There was also a session dedicated to wellness in aphasia, within which I had the opportunity to share recent research on the benefits of a yoga practice for stroke survivors with aphasia (my first CAC platform presentation!). There were other important topics, including a talk on individual-level predictors of post-traumatic growth and depreciation in aphasia, led by Dr. Tami Brancamp, and adapting acceptance and commitment therapy for stroke survivors with aphasia, led by Dr. Will Evans. These talks, along with many other great presentations, remind us that the consequences of aphasia extend beyond word-finding difficulties and highlight the importance of social and psychological wellbeing to one’s ability to live well with aphasia.
The student representation at the 2022 CAC was phenomenal. There were more students in attendance than ever before, many of whom were first authors on conference presentations. There were five National Institute of Deafness and Communication Disorders (NIDCD) presentations, a Research Symposium in Clinical Aphasiology (RSCA) presentation, Fellow platform presentations, and eleven poster presentations. I believe this is a terrific sign for the future of CAC and the field of aphasiology!
A big thank you to Drs. Will Hula and Mike Dickey, Conference Chair and Program Chair, respectively, and all those involved, for organizing an excellent and thought-provoking conference that covered a variety of topics in Aphasiology with options for in-person and virtual attendance for attendees and presenters.
Lauren Bislick, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, CBIS
Assistant Professor
Interim Director, Aphasia House
University of Central Florida
