2026 Cleft and Craniofacial Speech Therapy Boot Camp for Professionals
Two-day CEU seminar on VPD Speech Therapy hosted by the Cleft and Craniofacial Center at Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital.
Event Date: Oct 02, 2026
Event Time: 8:30 AM
Event Type: In Person
Event Location
Memorial Regional Hospital
3501 Johnson Street
Conference Center Garage
Hollywood, FL
33021
The Cleft and Craniofacial Center at Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital will host its annual Speech Therapy Boot Camp for Professionals: Velopharyngeal Dysfunction (VPD) Speech Therapy - Theoretical and Practical Training, October 2-3, 2026, at Memorial Regional Hospital's Conference Center in Hollywood, FL.
OBJECTIVES
After this 12-hour course, participants will be able to:
- Identify the anatomy and physiology of velopharyngeal structures and how they relate to speech production.
- Identify causes for velopharyngeal dysfunction.
- Properly assess velopharyngeal dysfunction using components of a perceptual assessment.
- Make clinical judgments about whether poor speech is due to a structural or functional issue.
- Perform an oral-peripheral examination to assess oral structures and their implications on speech production properly.
- Identify compensatory misarticulations associated with cleft palate.
- Understand instrumental evaluation of velopharyngeal function.
- Understand the medical management of velopharyngeal dysfunction.
- Provide appropriate speech and language intervention for children from birth to age 3.
- Provide appropriate articulation therapy for school-aged children.
- Effectively communicate with the craniofacial team.
- Demonstrate the use of therapy techniques with a VPD patient.
COURSE SUMMARY
Children with velopharyngeal dysfunction present challenges for speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in all settings. This seminar is designed to provide current theoretical information as well as practical hands-on experience for treating patients with velopharyngeal dysfunction (VPD).
Day One: The conference will begin with a lecture-style session covering both theoretical and clinical aspects of velopharyngeal dysfunction (VPD), including guidelines for evaluation and treatment.
Day Two: The second day will feature interactive, hands-on sessions as patients and families participate in the speech therapy boot camp. Children will be grouped by age and specific needs, allowing participants to apply concepts from the previous day's lecture through engaging speech, language, and social activities.
CEU CREDITS
- Earn 1.2 CEUs for the full two-day conference
- Earn 0.7 CEUs for Friday lecture only (CEUs not ACE eligible)
PRESENTERS
- Kristen DeLuca, MS, CCC-SLP
- Diana Acevedo, MS, CCC-SLP
- Raquel Garcia, MS, CCC-SLP, BCS-S
- Yitzella Camargo, MS, CCC-SLP
REGISTRATION COST
Registration will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis, with priority given to treating SLPs with a participating patient. NO onsite registration will be available.
- Professional SLP: (2-day training): $125
- Treating Professional SLP (2-day training with patient participating in camp): $75
- Professional SLP (Lecture ONLY): $50
- Memorial Healthcare System Employee (2-day training): $75
- Student/SLP-A (2-day training) $50
- Student/SLP-A (Lecture ONLY): $25
- Late fee: Add $25 (after September 13)
For more information, please contact Kristen DeLuca at kdeluca@mhs.net.
Keywords: JDCH, In-person, Cleft & Craniofacial, Speech Therapy
The Cleft and Craniofacial Center at Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital will host its annual Speech Therapy Boot Camp for Professionals: Velopharyngeal Dysfunction (VPD) Speech Therapy - Theoretical and Practical Training, October 2-3, 2026, at Memorial Regional Hospital's Conference Center in Hollywood, FL.
OBJECTIVES
After this 12-hour course, participants will be able to:
- Identify the anatomy and physiology of velopharyngeal structures and how they relate to speech production.
- Identify causes for velopharyngeal dysfunction.
- Properly assess velopharyngeal dysfunction using components of a perceptual assessment.
- Make clinical judgments about whether poor speech is due to a structural or functional issue.
- Perform an oral-peripheral examination to assess oral structures and their implications on speech production properly.
- Identify compensatory misarticulations associated with cleft palate.
- Understand instrumental evaluation of velopharyngeal function.
- Understand the medical management of velopharyngeal dysfunction.
- Provide appropriate speech and language intervention for children from birth to age 3.
- Provide appropriate articulation therapy for school-aged children.
- Effectively communicate with the craniofacial team.
- Demonstrate the use of therapy techniques with a VPD patient.
COURSE SUMMARY
Children with velopharyngeal dysfunction present challenges for speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in all settings. This seminar is designed to provide current theoretical information as well as practical hands-on experience for treating patients with velopharyngeal dysfunction (VPD).
Day One: The conference will begin with a lecture-style session covering both theoretical and clinical aspects of velopharyngeal dysfunction (VPD), including guidelines for evaluation and treatment.
Day Two: The second day will feature interactive, hands-on sessions as patients and families participate in the speech therapy boot camp. Children will be grouped by age and specific needs, allowing participants to apply concepts from the previous day's lecture through engaging speech, language, and social activities.
CEU CREDITS
- Earn 1.2 CEUs for the full two-day conference
- Earn 0.7 CEUs for Friday lecture only (CEUs not ACE eligible)
PRESENTERS
- Kristen DeLuca, MS, CCC-SLP
- Diana Acevedo, MS, CCC-SLP
- Raquel Garcia, MS, CCC-SLP, BCS-S
- Yitzella Camargo, MS, CCC-SLP
REGISTRATION COST
Registration will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis, with priority given to treating SLPs with a participating patient. NO onsite registration will be available.
- Professional SLP: (2-day training): $125
- Treating Professional SLP (2-day training with patient participating in camp): $75
- Professional SLP (Lecture ONLY): $50
- Memorial Healthcare System Employee (2-day training): $75
- Student/SLP-A (2-day training) $50
- Student/SLP-A (Lecture ONLY): $25
- Late fee: Add $25 (after September 13)
For more information, please contact Kristen DeLuca at kdeluca@mhs.net.
Keywords: JDCH, In-person, Cleft & Craniofacial, Speech Therapy