Speech Language Pathology (SLP)

This course introduces language science by discussing semantics, pragmatics, syntax, morphology, phonology, communication, hearing, form, content, use, and speech. Students demonstrate knowledge of language sciences by creating original work and then explaining 'how' and 'why' these materials relate to working with children or adults. A detailed discussion about careers in speech-language pathology is discussed, which includes the history of the field and national organization, scope of practice, education/training, roles/responsibilities, employment settings, ethical conduct/guidelines, and supervisory requirements.

This course focuses on typical development of speech and language in children from birth through five years of age. Basic and applied research is explored with an emphasis on the major approaches utilized to study language development. Language development theories are discussed with explanations of how these frameworks influence everyday practice. Students practice calculating the number of morphemes per utterance to estimate the syntactic complexity of children's utterances, identify sentence types and communicative functions expressed by children, and compare arguments of 'nature vs.nurture.'

This course studies the development of phonology, morphology, semantics, syntax, pragmatics, nonverbal, and cognitive, aspects of language. A description of the language milestones that are acquired during school-age and adolescent years are provided. This includes differentiation of various etiologies for primary, secondary, and acquired language disorders. Information regarding current theories and an explanation of intervention techniques are provided. Pupils describe common language disorders affecting children's language and match signs and symptoms generally presented by patients to the correct speech/language disorders.

This course involves the study of the science of speech sounds as elements of language including acoustic, articulatory, and physiologic characteristics. A description of the vowels of English in terms of their tongue height, tongue advancement, tenseness, and rounding are discussed. A review of the consonants of English in terms of their place, manner, and voice characteristics occur. Pupils describe common errors and error patterns in phonetic terms. using several different approaches and transcribe speech samples with multiple sound errors using the symbols of the International Phonetic Alphabet (i.e. broad phonetic transcription).

This course offers a study of the basic clinical principles and treatment of disorders of speech sound production. An explanation of the current theories regarding the development of articulation and phonology are provided. Information regarding causal factors and the major treatment approaches for articulatory and phonological disorders are discussed. The characteristics of common languages and dialects are reviewed. Students describe the articulatory and phonological characteristics of various pediatric populations presented by the instructor.