Communicative Sciences & Disorders (CSCD-UE)

Have you ever wondered how communication is actually accomplished or who rehabilitates it when it breaks down? This class provides an introduction to the underappreciated processes of speech, language and hearing and the research approaches used to study them. We will also explore disordered communication and the role of the speech-language pathologist and audiologist in facilitating communication. Learn about brain injury, hearing loss, autism, stroke, stuttering, literacy, research methods and more. Discover why communication is an art and a science. Liberal Arts Core/MAP Equivalent - satisfies the requirement for Societies and Social Sciences for non-CSD majors

This course provides an overview of the scientific study of the human language faculty, focusing on the cognitive & neural processing mechanisms that underlie linguistic knowledge & use. We describe contemporary approaches to delineating levels of language structure & review various scientific methodologies used to study language. Topics include language knowledge & use as well as language change & variation. Liberal Arts Core/CORE Equivalent - satisfies the requirement for Natural Science for non-CSCD majors

This course introduces students to the nature of human speech and speech sounds. Students explore how different sounds are produced (phonetics), how they pattern (phonology), and how speech production can vary across individuals. Students learn to represent the speech sounds of English with phonetic transcription, including transcribing clinically relevant variation in speech production and speech patterns in major varieties of American English.

Principles and techniques of pure tone and speech audiometer; interpretation of ideograms; consideration of etiologies and auditory characteristics of major types of hearing impairment.

Using a medical model perspective, this course is designed to help students develop a working knowledge of the structures (anatomy) & functions (physiology) of the speech, swallow, & hearing mechanisms across the lifespan that disrupt communication & swallowing. Anatomy & physiology of the nervous system, subsystems for speech (respiration, phonation, articulation, resonance), hearing, & deglutition are discussed. A detailed study of normal structure and function is requisite for the identification of speech & swallowing disorders.

This course is designed to provide students with a working knowledge of brain & behavior relationships by studying the neurological bases of motor & sensory function, speech & language production, language comprehension, hearing, swallowing, & cognition. Development of the nervous system, the action potential, central & peripheral nervous system anatomy & physiology, & related pathological conditions are discussed.

It should be noted that independent study requires a minimum of 45 hours of work per point. Independent study cannot be applied to the established professional education sequence in teaching curricula. Each departmental program has established its own maximum credit allowance for independent study. This information may be obtained from a student’s department. Prior to registering for independent study, each student should obtain an Independent Study Approval Form from the adviser.

A broad-based study of acoustic phonetics including acoustic theory and measurement; distinctive feature systems; integration of physiologic and perceptual characteristics with concomitant acoustic features.

Principles and techniques of audiologic evaluation and management of hearing impaired infants and children. Both personal and assistive amplification listening systems are covered. Speech reading and auditory training techniques. Educational and communicative options for children of different ages with different types and degrees of hearing loss. The cochlear implant: implications for rehabilitation and education of profoundly hearing-impaired children are included.

Students conduct research on language acquisition and development under the supervision of a faculty member, focusing on children with typical development, late talkers or children with or at risk for a language or communication disorder (such as autism spectrum disorder). Activities may include a literature review, learning laboratory techniques, collecting data, coding data, and statistical analysis. At the end of the semester, students complete a written report about a research project they worked on or give an oral presentation about the project at a lab meeting.

Students conduct research on speech and language production under the supervision of a faculty member, focusing on both behavioral and neurological aspects of neurotypical adults as well as adults with acquired communication disorders subsequent to stroke. Activities may include a literature review, learning laboratory techniques, collecting data, coding data, and statistical analysis. At the end of the semester, students complete a written report about a research project they worked on or give an oral presentation about the project at a lab meeting.

Students conduct research on speech motor control, under the supervision of a faculty member, focusing on children with speech sound disorders (such as childhood apraxia of speech) and adults following facial reconstruction. Activities may include a literature review, learning laboratory techniques, collecting data, coding data, and statistical analysis. At the end of the semester, students complete a written report about a research project they worked on or give an oral presentation about the project at a lab meeting.

Students conduct research on developmental stuttering under the supervision of a faculty member, focusing on the factors that contribute to the variability of stuttering events. Activities may include a literature review, learning laboratory techniques, collecting data, coding data, and statistical analysis. At the end of the semester, students complete a written report about a research project they worked on or give an oral presentation about the project at a lab meeting.

Students conduct research on speech perception and spoken language processing and on the acoustic properties of speech under the supervision of a faculty member, focusing on children and adults with typical speech and language skills and with language and reading impairments. Activities may include a literature review, learning laboratory techniques, collecting data, coding data, and statistical analysis. At the end of the semester, students complete a written report about a research project they worked on or give an oral presentation about the project at a lab meeting.

Students conduct research on speech development and disorders under the supervision of a faculty member, focusing on the use of technologies to enhance the delivery of speech intervention and/or the measurement of outcomes. Activities may include a literature review, learning laboratory techniques, collecting data, coding data, and statistical analysis. At the end of the semester, students complete a written report about a research project they worked on or give an oral presentation about the project at a lab meeting.

Students conduct research on normal swallowing function and disordered swallowing (known as dysphagia) under the supervision of a faculty member, focusing on the measurement of biomechanical and functional aspects of swallowing. Activities may include a literature review, learning laboratory techniques, collecting data, coding data, and statistical analysis. At the end of the semester, students complete a written report about a research project they worked on or give an oral presentation about the project at a lab meeting.

Students participate in research on language and literacy skills in children with typical development and in children with a range of conditions, such as developmental language disorder, autism spectrum disorder and hearing impairment. Activities may include a literature review, learning laboratory techniques, collecting data, coding data, and statistical analysis. At the end of the semester, students complete a written report about a research project they worked on or give an oral presentation about the project at a lab meeting.

Students conduct research on normal and disordered voice production under the supervision of a faculty member, the biopsychosocial aspects of voice, transgender voice, effects of risk factors on voice, singing, and the impact of neurological disorders on voice. Activities may include a literature review, learning laboratory techniques, collecting data, coding data, analyzing data, and statistical analysis. At the end of the term, students complete a written report about a research project they worked on or give an oral presentation about the project at a lab meeting.

The objective of this course is to develop a broad understanding of the process in which typically developing children acquire speech & language skills. The complexities of normal human communication will be focused upon which will lay the foundation for discussing speech sound acquisition & language development from the prelinguistic stage to the school age period. Theoretical aspects of speech & language development will be reviewed.

This course helps students develop a broad understanding of categories of speech and language delay/disorder including autism spectrum disorder, specific language impairment, language learning disabilities, hearing impairment, speech sound disorder, motor speech impairment and craniofacial anomalies. Topics include basic principles of assessment and intervention and the role of the speech language pathologist.

Introduction to contemporary issues of clinical practice in communication disorders across the lifespan. Emphasis on integration of previous coursework with direct clinical observations of diagnostic & treatment sessions. Introduction to clinical settings through study of current methods of standardized & non-standardized assessment procedures, client interviewing, treatment planning, clinical report writing, & implementation of treatment plans. Each student will complete 25 hours of supervised clinical observation outside of class.

This is a semester-long seminar for students in the Honors Program in the Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders. The seminar has three main objectives: (a) provide a forum where students engage in a serious intellectual discussion about the process of conducting independent research, (b) provide guidance and structure to students in the process of conducting their independent research projects, and (c) prepare students for presentation of their honors thesis in a professional forum. All honors students must have a research mentor and approved research project prior to registering for the course.

This seminar course will include didactic coursework and site visits during which time students will observe interdisciplinary clinical service provision at sites in the metropolitan London area. Students will observe evaluation and treatment sessions of children and adults receiving clinical services across disciplines such as speech language pathology, audiology, counseling, nursing, art, music, or drama therapy, and physical and occupational therapy. Seminar discussions will focus on the role of the interdisciplinary team in treating individuals with various disorders and provide an introduction to the practice of health fields specific to the United Kingdom and will explore attitudes toward disability and the allocation of health care resources in the UK. Comparisons between the US and UK health care systems will also be emphasized.