Courses

The definitions, descriptions, diagnosis, and treatment of articulation and phonological disorders are the focus of this course. To fully understand improper articulatory placement and persistent phonological processes, normal function of these coexisting systems will be examined. Related issues such as phonological awareness, language, and dialectal variations will also be discussed.

This is an in-house or off-campus practicum assignment for students in year one of the Master’s program. The student will receive hands-on clinical experience in the remediation of communication disorders in persons with a variety of speech, language, and hearing disorders. This practicum is intended to supplement what students are learning in the academic coursework and will be accomplished under the supervision of a faculty member, clinical supervisor, or a licensed speech-language pathologist who holds the certificate of clinical competence from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Every effort will be made to provide the student with an ethnically diverse client population.

This is an in-house or off-campus practicum assignment for students in year one of the Master’s program. The student will receive hands-on clinical experience in the remediation of communication disorders in persons with a variety of speech, language, and hearing disorders. This practicum is intended to supplement what students are learning in the academic coursework and will be accomplished under the supervision of a faculty member, clinical supervisor, or a licensed speech-language pathologist who holds the certificate of clinical competence from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Every effort will be made to provide the student with an ethnically diverse client population.

This course is designed to provide the student in speech language pathology with understanding of the complex issues, which surround the successful treatment of stuttering and other fluency disorders. By the conclusion of this course, students should be able to demonstrate knowledge of the nature of stuttering and other fluency disorders, including: etiological theories, characteristics of the disorder, anatomical and physiological bases and correlates of fluency disorders, developmental features of fluency disorders, psychological correlates of fluency disorder, linguistic factors relating to fluency disorders; and, social and cultural considerations in the assessment and treatment of fluency disorders.

A study of research design and statistical analysis as it pertains to communication disorders is covered in this course. Topics will include levels of measurement, single and group research designs, nonparametric and parametric statistics, and the organization and implementation of research from formulation of research questions through dissemination of results. The seminar will involve the critical review of representative samples of research in the speech-language pathology literature. Students will also identify a research topic that will be used throughout the remainder of their studies as their Capstone Project or thesis.

This course is intended to help speech-pathology students identify clients with an auditory disorder or who may be at risk for sustaining an auditory disorder as part of their clinical status; thus, enabling them to provide (within their scope of practice) appropriate prevention, assessment, referrals, accommodations, and modifications to the patient’s treatment plan and activities. In addition, we cover disorders of the auditory system and accompanying hearing loss, place stress on the understanding the implications of the audiogram, and study communication assessment and management of children and adults with hearing impairment. The student will receive hands-on clinical experience in conducting otoscopic exams, pure tone audiological screenings, and tympanometry screenings. This practicum is intended to supplement what students are learning in the academic coursework and will be accomplished under the supervision of a faculty member, clinical supervisor, or a licensed speech-language pathologist or audiologist who holds the certificate of clinical competence from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Every effort will be made to provide the student with an ethnically diverse client population.

This course provides an advanced review of typical language development and focuses on language disorders in young children ages 0-5. Topics include receptive/expressive phonology, morphology, semantics, syntax, and pragmatics. The course provides evidence-based practices for assessing and treating language disorders of a diverse early childhood population in variety of settings. Language facilitation and intervention strategies are presented. Includes practice in the analysis of child speech and language sample analysis.

Theory, assessment, and treatment of a variety of voice disorders are examined. These disorders can result from disease, lesions, neurological impairment, or behaviors that are detrimental to good vocal hygiene. Voice and resonance disorders also may exist in persons with craniofacial anomalies and/or velopharyngeal insufficiency, as well as in persons who have undergone laryngectomies due to cancer. This course is designed to expose students to current theory and practice in the prevention, assessment, differential diagnosis, and management of vocal and resonance disorders in children and adults. Research studies examining evidence-based practice, care of the professional voice, gender affirmation therapies, and prevention of voice disorders will also be discussed.

Assessment and intervention strategies and technology for individuals with severe communication impairments will be covered.

Definitions, characteristics, classifications, epidemiology, pathophysiology, etiologies, differential diagnosis of aphasia and cognitive-linguistic disorders associated with aphasia, traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer’s disease, and other dementias. Formal and informal assessment tools and intervention strategies will be presented.

This course focuses on spoken and written language development, disorders, and differences in school-age children and adolescents. It emphasizes evidence-based language and literacy assessment and intervention for students struggling with spoken and written language. It includes topics related to clinical practice in school settings such as service delivery models, classroom management, IEPs, and interprofessional collaboration.

A supervised practicum experience is provided with an emphasis on performing in-depth diagnostic evaluations with individuals exhibiting any type of speech, language, or hearing disorder. Students will gain experience in obtaining case history information, administering diagnostic tests, conferring with parents or their responsible party, and report writing. Students will be required to complete evaluations in pairs and individually.

This course will cover concepts of clinical practice, including models of service delivery, clinical decision making, diagnostic methods and instruments/tools, the development of therapeutic intervention strategies and materials, goal writing, fundamentals of clinical data collection and measurement, treatment planning, providing feedback and cuing, and professional clinical writing including treatment plans, SOAP notes, and diagnostic reports.

This course focuses on counseling skills appropriate for practicing speech-language pathologists. The course emphasizes interpersonal communication and counseling skills to improve trust, rapport, and clinical outcomes of clients and their family members in a wide range of clinical and educational environments.

Students are provided with a working knowledge of dysphagia and prepare them to evaluate and treat patients with dysphagia in a supervised setting. Topics in the course will include assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and work setting practices. After completion of this course, students will have a better understanding of the anatomy and physiology of the swallowing mechanism and clinical paradigm, an ability to diagnose and measure swallowing disorders, and understand the treatment process.

This is an in-house or off-campus practicum assignment for students in the first year of study who have completed SLP 501, SLP 502, SLP 515, and SLP 555. The course is offered in the summer semester. The student will receive hands-on clinical experience in the assessment and remediation of communication disorders in persons with stuttering, language/literacy, and/or autism. This practicum is intended to supplement what students learn in academic coursework and will be accomplished under the supervision of a faculty member, clinical supervisor, or a licensed speech-language pathologist who holds the certificate of clinical competence from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

This is an off-campus or study abroad practicum assignment for students in their first year of study who want a clinical focus on cultural and linguistic diversity. The course is offered in the summer semester and is typically taken after the student has completed SLP 501, SLP 502, SLP 515, and SLP 555. The student will receive hands-on clinical experience in the assessment and remediation of communication disorders in persons from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. This practicum is intended to supplement what students learn in academic coursework and will be accomplished under the supervision of a faculty member, a bilingual clinical supervisor, or a licensed speech-language pathologist who holds the certificate of clinical competence from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

Supervised off-campus practicum in a health care facility, school setting, or other clinical setting such as a private practice or early intervention setting. This practicum will provide the student with an opportunity to obtain clock hours of direct client contact to meet ASHA’s standards. Every effort will be made to provide the student with an ethnically diverse client population.

Foundational issues involved in serving culturally and linguistically diverse populations with a focus on developing and exhibiting cultural competence when conducting interviews, patient/family education and counseling. This course investigates how to conduct evaluations and collect data on relevant cultural and linguistic backgrounds and to incorporate this information into documentation. Consideration will be given to reliability and validity of standardized assessment tools based on those culturally distinct populations. Treatment approaches that respect and incorporate the cultural-linguistic background of the patient and family members will also be discussed.

This course covers assessment, diagnosis, and management of motor speech disorders such as dysarthria and apraxia of speech in children and adults. The purpose of this course is to introduce the student to motor speech disorders resulting from disease and injury to the peripheral and central nervous system.

Topics of current interest to the profession of speech-language pathology using guest lecturers and research literature to discuss speech, language, voice, swallowing and contemporary professional issues, centered around the school-based speech-language pathology practice and/or medical aspects of practice. Topics may vary from year to year depending on the current state-of-the art topics being discussed within the profession.

A seminar devoted to issues pertinent to the field of speech-language pathology, including but not limited to pre-professional academic and practicum requirements, accreditation standards, ASHA practice policies and guidelines, legislative and regulatory policies, business practices, reimbursement issues, certification requirements, specialty recognition, licensure requirements, and professional ethics.

The course is designed to cover all nine ASHA areas of specialty, including articulation/phonological disorders, child language/literacy disorders, adult language/neurological disorders, voice disorders, fluency disorders, augmentative and alternative communication, dysphagia, research methods, and cultural aspects of communication disorders. The course also covers all 7 areas of the PRAXIS SLP, including basic human communication, phonological and language disorders, speech disorders, neurogenic disorders, audiology/hearing, clinical management, professional issues, psychometrics, and research.

Independent design and implementation of a research study under the supervision of a faculty member. The research study must also be designed to facilitate a comprehensive assessment of competencies in all ASHA specialty and PRAXIS SLP areas outlined in the description for SLP660, which the research study would replace.