Apraxia Kids is seeking submissions for presentations for our 2026 National Conference that address a full range of topics. The 2026 conference will be held in-person in Pittsburgh, PA July 9th-11th. The theme for the conference is “Stars Shine” and we would like to have a variety of sessions for both family members and professionals. Analysis of previous conference attendance shows that over half of those present are attending their first conference. Therefore, we encourage introductory sessions along with intermediate and advanced ones for returning participants. Presentations should ideally include “how to”, “hands on”, and practical strategies with evidence-based support and include information about working with diverse languages and cultures, age ranges, severities of CAS, and co-occurring challenges. Apraxia Kids encourages collaboration between speakers (including parents and interdisciplinary professionals) in the development of presentations (i.e. co-presenters or small panels [2-4 people]). Please carefully consider what type of session might work best for your proposal. Formats for sessions will be either a lecture with up to 3 total presenters, or a panel discussion which typically has more than 3 presenters and/or contains audience discussions such as looking at case studies or problem solving around an issue. We are also inviting students and researchers to submit proposals for posters presenting results of current research projects.
Because of the previous success of, and continued demand for recorded content, we invite you to pre-record a session to be made available on demand throughout the conference period. This is a great way to still contribute to the conference if you cannot attend to present in-person during the live event in Pittsburgh. As part of the application process, presenters will be asked to choose 1 of 3 options:
- Live Only – Present the session live in-person between July 9-11 and do NOT pre-record it for viewing virtually during the conference period.
- Hybrid – Present the session live in-person between July 9-12 AND pre-record the session for viewing virtually during the conference period (recordings due no later than June 15, 2026).
- Virtual Only – Do not present live in-person and ONLY pre-record the session for viewing virtually during the conference period (recordings due no later than June 15, 2026).
Key Presenter Dates:
Call for Paper Submissions Due: January 11, 2026
Acceptance Notification: February 16, 2026
Conference Speaker Agreements Due: February 23, 2026
Pre-Recordings Due: June 15, 2026
Handouts Due: June 15, 2026
Research Posters for Virtual Posting Due: June 15, 2026
Topics of Interest Include:
- The Whole Child/Co-occurring Disorders – language disorder, autism spectrum disorder and other complex diagnoses, neurodiversity, dysarthria, developmental coordination disorder, social, voice, fluency, global apraxia, sensory processing disorder, fine/gross motor movements, and OT/PT
- Scientific Research/Theory/Genetics – current research on any related topic including genetics, putting research into practice
- Cultural and Linguistic Diversity – (DEI) providing evidence-based assessment and treatment for CAS and other motor speech disorders in children who communicate in languages other than and/or in addition to English, including overall communication system of the whole child, target selection, home practice, decisions across the lifespan, AAC, and co-occurring disorders
- Assessment and Differential Diagnosis of CAS and other motor speech disorders – evidence bases for making differential diagnosis, analysis of data, case studies, testing minimally verbal children, assessment for older/mild cases
- Treatment of CAS and other motor speech disorders – evidence bases and tutorials for treatment protocols, novel therapy approaches, principles of motor learning, case studies, evaluating progress, residual speech issues, therapy for different ages/severity, home practice, generalization, prosody and vowel changes, intensive services for apraxia, writing appropriate goals, and data collection
- Interpersonal/Social/Emotional – social skill challenges, friendship building, dealing with classmates, bullying, difficult behaviors
- Education/Academic/Literacy – developing goals, IEPs, advocacy, legal issues and special education, school placement options, retention, accommodations, literacy issues, phonological awareness, language processing deficits, executive functioning
- AAC – introductory through advanced sessions on evaluation, training of device use in therapy, use at home and in the community, teaching language through AAC, pre-verbal children
- Older Individuals with CAS (middle/high school/adult) and their challenges
- Advanced Topics geared towards the SLP who already has foundational knowledge in assessment and treatment – challenging diagnostic/treatment case studies, contrasting speech therapy methods; therapy strategies for vowel and prosody modification; perception, phonological representation
- Other (Ethics or other topics not included above)
Additional Info:
- Topics not on the list will also be considered.
- ASHA CEUs will be offered for this conference.
Speaker Selection:
The Conference Committee will review, evaluate, and select proposals using the following criteria:
- Alignment with, and demonstration of, current evidence-based practice.
- Originality and relevance of topic.
- Overall quality of proposal content, delivery method, and proposed format.
- Alignment of learning objectives with presentation overview.
- Qualifications, expertise, and experience level of presenter(s).
- Practical application of education, skills, and resources.
Presentation Guidelines
By submitting for the 2026 Apraxia Kids National Conference, I explicitly agree to the following presentation guidelines:
- Principal Presenter Correspondence and Responsibility
- The Principal Presenter agrees to receive all conference correspondence and accepts responsibility for conveying conference-related information to co-presenters. Only two co-presenters, along with one primary speaker, shall be listed for any one session. Any more than three presenters for a session will be indicated as a “panel”.
- If accepted, I agree to adhere to the deadlines as detailed in the acceptance notification regarding additional information that is required, such as presentation materials (handouts and recordings).
- If accepted, I agree to present in the time slot and format assigned by Apraxia Kids.
- I understand that all speakers must register themselves for the conference.
- I understand that presentations must represent evidence-based practice or state the theory and references supporting its use and include information related to culturally and linguistically diverse populations.
- If accepted, I agree to make a statement at the beginning of the session informing whether or not it is permissible to capture images and/or short recordings of the session strictly for the participant’s personal educational purposes.
- Ethical Guidelines
- The individual(s) submitting or included within this proposal affirm that they have followed ethical guidelines in regards to:
- Appropriate “Releases of Confidential Information” were obtained for all client materials that will be used and/or recorded as part of this presentation. The responsibility for protecting client confidentiality rests with the presenter(s).
- Appropriate “Authorization to Present Video and/or Audio Recordings” within a conference presentation were obtained and kept by the presenters.
- Appropriate research procedures concerning protection of human subjects and confidentiality were utilized in any research-based presentations.
- To comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and to ensure the privacy of patients/clients by refraining from using names, photographs, or other patient/client identifiers in your presentation(s) without the patient’s/client’s knowledge and written authorization.
- Written permission from copyright holders for the use of any previously published material in this presentation or its handouts was obtained.
- Provide appropriate evidence to support any claims related to efficacy, validity, or reliability of assessment or treatment approaches.
- Offer evidence-based content in a manner that does not defame, ridicule, or demoralize individuals or groups.
- The presentation materials will contain nothing libelous, injurious, or untrue. The presentation will refrain from any political or religious content that could be contentious.
- Individuals submitting or included within this proposal will refrain from references, statements, or pointed humor that disparages, denigrates or depreciates the rightful dignity and social equity of any person or group.
- The individual(s) submitting or included within this proposal affirm that they have followed ethical guidelines in regards to:
- Disclosure Requirements
- Individuals submitting or included within this proposal will disclose to Apraxia Kids any financial or non-financial relationship that creates a conflict of interest or the appearance of a conflict of interest, as defined in ASHA’s guidelines concerning transparency and disclosure by answering the disclosure question on Part 1 and submitting it. Furthermore, individuals submitting this proposal:
-
- will inform Apraxia Kids if a disclosable interest related to the content of this presentation develops or is acquired at any time before or during Conference.
- will disclose relevant financial and non-financial relationships at the start of the presentation visually (slides) and verbally.
- will, when discussing a specific product or service, offer information on its theoretical framework, relevant evidence, and operational details; give a balanced view and be free from bias; disclose in advance if your presentation will not address the range of competing products or services.
- will refrain from attempting to persuade attendees to purchase or use a specific product, service, or piece of equipment or device.
- will contact us about vendor opportunities if interested in selling products at the conference.
-
- Individuals submitting will disclose if and how Artificial Intelligence (AI) was used in the creation of their submission.
- Individuals submitting or included within this proposal will disclose to Apraxia Kids any financial or non-financial relationship that creates a conflict of interest or the appearance of a conflict of interest, as defined in ASHA’s guidelines concerning transparency and disclosure by answering the disclosure question on Part 1 and submitting it. Furthermore, individuals submitting this proposal:
- Apraxia Kids Photography, Data Collection, and Survey Discretion
- Individuals submitting or included within this proposal give permission to Apraxia Kids to take photographs and to publish them in any format at the sole discretion of Apraxia Kids.
- Individuals submitting or included within this proposal agree that prior approval will be obtained from Apraxia Kids to distribute surveys or collect data at the event.
Disclaimer: Approval of presentation does not imply endorsement of course content, specific products, or clinical procedures by Apraxia Kids.
HOW TO APPLY FOR A POSTER:
Students and researchers are invited to submit proposals for posters presenting results of current research projects. All poster presenters will submit their poster information to be displayed virtually on the conference platform and record a brief summary of their research project and its results to also be posted. In addition, all accepted posters can print and bring their poster to display at the in-person conference and will be available during “poster times” to discuss their poster with attendees. All poster CO-PRESENTERS must also complete Part 1: Speaker’s Information of the conference application process linked below.
HOW TO APPLY FOR A BREAKOUT SESSION PRESENTATION:
The principal speaker for each presentation should click the “Start Application Here” Button below to fill out the Part 1: Speaker’s Information ONE time.
Once that is submitted, a confirmation email (PLEASE CHECK YOUR SPAM FOLDER) with directions for your next step will be sent to you immediately. Only the Principal Speaker will go to the link in the email and complete Part 2: Presentation Details once for each separate presentation submission.
All principal presenters and co-presenters need to fill out Part 1: Speaker’s Information only one time no matter how many presentation submissions they are listed on.
If you are chosen to present at our National Conference, Apraxia Kids will share an agreement for you to sign with full speaker benefits.
If you have any questions about the application process, please email nationalconference@apraxia-kids.org.
