ASHA to Meet in New Orleans

Focusing on language, communication, and swallowing and feeding disorders in children, Elizabeth Lowery treats patients at the Little You clinic in Chicago. To keep abreast of her field, Elizabeth Lowery is a member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). Founded in 1925, ASHA sets practice standards, advances research, and advocates for its 223,000 members. Its membership includes speech and language pathologists, audiologists, researchers, and students.

ASHA will present its annual meeting in the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans November 17-19, 2022. Learning events will be presented in person or both online and in person. The convention comprises several educational formats. The longest and most complex type of presentation will be the master classes; for two hours, invited experts will tackle advanced topics, offering evidence-based data. Master classes will meet only in person.

The remaining formats will be in-person or pre-recorded for virtual access. Shorter than the master classes but also intensive are the one-hour oral seminars on clinical and research concepts. Thirty-minute technical sessions will highlight research or demonstrate new applications and methods. Finally, 15-minute poster sessions allow presenters to convey their findings and answer questions. Registration for the 2022 convention opens in August. For more information, please visit www.asha.org/

Dysphagia - Symptom, Diagnose, & Treatments

An experienced language pathologist from Illinois, Elizabeth Lowery is the former owner of Little You, Inc. Elizabeth "Betsy” Lowery specializes in speech and hearing sciences and helps children with pediatric feeding and swallowing problems.

Dysphagia is a symptom that showcases difficulties in eating and swallowing, and it typically occurs in children. Children with dysphagia may struggle to swallow even liquids or saliva as it can result in pain. Dysphagia can affect a child's growth as the swallowing difficulties can prevent them from getting the nutrients and vitamins they need. Choking and coughing are among the most common symptoms that a child with dysphagia encounters.

It can be diagnosed through barium swallow and upper GI series in which a child drinks a liquid, and the doctor takes X-rays to determine and analyze the problem. It can also be diagnosed through endoscopy, which involves using a small tube and a camera lens introduced into the child's mouth. Dysphagia can be treated with feeding therapies in which therapists help the child learn some exercises to swallow easier.

Little You, Inc. Wins Chicago’s Projects

A graduate of the University of Illinois and a licensed speech pathologist, Elizabeth Betsy Lowery started her own private company, Little You, Inc., in 2007. It provides speech therapy to local children of Mt. Greenwood, Illinois. Elizabeth Lowery started Little You, Inc. as the sole speech pathologist and now employs over 15 speech therapists and other staff. For its building's unique architecture, Little You, Inc. won the 2014 American Institute of Architects (AIA) Chicago’s Small Projects Award.

AIA Chicago is the largest chapter of licensed architects, architecture students, and allied professionals within AIA Illinois. AIA helps people associated with the field of architecture continue their education. AIA also has numerous award programs that help emerging or professional architects build their portfolio such as the Small Projects Award. This award aims to promote small architecture firms and practitioners. The AIA Small Projects Award recipients are firms of 10 full-time employees or less.