SLPA - Speech-Language Pathology

This course introduces the neuroanatomical and neurophysiological bases of attention, learning, memory, communication, and emotion. Beginning with an orientation to brain structures, students practice making clinical connections throughout the course. Students will learn to associate symptoms of neurological disease and injury with sites of lesion, and will be able to explain the neurological bases of communication and swallowing disorders. Human brain dissection labs are incorporated.

This laboratory course provides participants the opportunity to observe and participate in human brain dissection. Students locate structures on human brain specimens, and practice explaining neuropathologies that lead to communication and swallowing impairment.

This course covers articulation and phonological disorders that impact speech production in children. Students learn how to assess and treat speech sound disorders. Featured learning activities include transcription and analysis of speech samples, standardized testing, and intervention planning specific to individual cases.

Students will learn methods for prevention, identification, assessment and intervention of language disorders in preschool children. Highlights include experiences with language sample analysis, standardized testing, and treatment planning.

Students will learn methods for prevention, identification, assessment and intervention of language disorders in school-age children and adolescents. Highlights include experiences with language sample analysis, other authentic classroom-based assessments, standardized testing, and treatment planning.

This course examines the communication disorders that result from stroke, also known as aphasia. Students will gain experience with informal and formal testing, and treatment planning relative to individual cases. Cognitive, linguistic and social aspects of aphasia will be considered.

In this course, students will explore communication disorders that result from traumatic brain injury or neurological diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease or multiple sclerosis. They will practice how to assess and treat the cognitive communication disorders that arise as these conditions progress.

This course reviews the anatomy and physiology of normal and disordered swallowing patterns of adult clients. Etiologies of swallowing disorders, their assessment and treatment, will be discussed specific to cases presented in class. Disorders that occur concomitant to dysphagia will be considered, as swallowing problems often occur as part of a complex medical condition. Ethical considerations relative to swallowing treatment will also be considered.

Autism is a common condition that makes effective communication and social behavior challenging for children and adults. People with autism vary widely in their social communication abilities, including verbal and nonverbal skills. This course will review the development of social communication competence, and how to assess and treat deficits that often occur in individuals with autism and other disorders.

This is the first of two workshop courses to guide students through review of important topics for the Praxis II Examination in Speech-Language Pathology. Passing this board examination is required for state licensure in SLP and ASHA certification in SLP.

This course covers foundational research concepts, single subject and group research design, and common methods of data analysis used in the field of speech-language pathology.  Students learn to critically read and analyze research manuscripts.  Students begin to apply knowledge of research methods by designing a research study similar to the one they will implement for their first capstone experience.

This course will review the ASHA Code of Ethics as it pertains to speech-language pathology practice. Current ethical issues confronting SLPs will be discussed in consideration of best practice recommendations.

This course will teach students how to screen for communication and hearing problems in children and adults, and how to plan diagnostic assessments for individuals with suspected communication disorders. Students will interact with a variety of evaluation tools used for evaluation of speech, language, social and cognitive abilities.

This course will provide students with experience in treatment planning for children and adults with identified communication disorders, including deficits in speech, language, social and cognitive skills. Students will learn to apply evidence-based methods for each client, considering available scientific support for methods chosen, family preferences for treatment methods, and their own clinical experiences when making treatment recommendations.

Students will interact with a variety of clinical cases in a web-based interactive learning environment to gain basic clinical experiences with articulation, language, fluency and voice disorders in children and/or adults.  Supervised by faculty who are licensed SLPs, students can gain up to 75 hours of supervised clinical practice in this course.

Students will gain clinical experience in one of a variety of settings.  Students will be placed at a Lewis University Community SLP Clinic, and supervised by a Lewis SLP faculty member to address identified speech, language, social or cognitive challenges of children or adults.  Students experience 50-75 hours of supervised clinical experience in this course.  The expectation is that students will spend at least two days per week for eight weeks in his/her assigned clinical rotation. 

Students will gain clinical experience in one of a variety of settings.  Students will be placed at a Lewis University Community SLP Clinic, and supervised by a Lewis SLP faculty member to address identified speech, language, social or cognitive challenges of children or adults.  Students experience 50-75 hours of supervised clinical experience in this course.  The expectation is that students will spend at least two days per week for eight weeks in his/her assigned clinical rotation.  Each rotation is different so that students obtain a wide variety of clinical experiences while in the MSSLP program. 

This course covers recommended practices for assessment and intervention of voice disorders in children and adults. Students examine the anatomical and physiological correlates of phonation and oral/nasal resonance.  Voice disorders experienced by people with laryngectomy, cleft lip/palate, vocal fold hyperfunction are covered, in addition to voice changes experienced by non-binary and transgender individuals.

Students will focus on how to adapt communication modalities to address the needs of individuals with severe communication, sensory and/or physical disabilities. Various augmentative or alternative communication (AAC) techniques will be covered, including no-tech, low-tech, and dedicated communication devices. The benefits of an interdisciplinary, team-based approach to assessment and intervention will be reviewed, with classes instructed by physical and/or occupational therapists and educators.

This seminar course will review the identification of stuttering and cluttering in children and adults. Students will practice selecting, administering and analyzing results of fluency assessment techniques, and will design appropriate treatment for cases presented. The need for ongoing management of these disorders will be discussed, along with the role of counseling in intervention for these disorders. Students will learn about a variety of counseling techniques that help clients and their families deal with the social and emotional challenges that occur when someone in the family has a significant communication disorder.

Students will review methods for assessing and treating communication disorders associated with hearing impairment in children and adults. Basics of hearing screening will be reviewed, and students will learn when to refer a client for audiometric assessment by an audiologist.

Motor speech disorders are speech and voice abnormalities that arise from neurogenic causes, and include apraxia of speech and several types of dysarthria. This course will cover differential diagnosis of motor speech disorders and their treatment.

Students will learn methods for prevention, identification, assessment and intervention of literacy disorders in children and adolescents. Highlights include experiences with oral and written narrative analysis, other authentic classroom-based assessments, standardized testing, and treatment planning.

This course addresses the unique challenges of treating children who have feeding and/or swallowing difficulties.  Students will learn to distinguish normal from disordered biting, chewing and swallowing patterns, and how to address these problems in the pediatric population.  Behavioral and sensory eating disorders will be discussed. 

This is the second of two workshop courses to guide students through review of important topics for the Praxis II Examination in Speech-Language Pathology. Passing this board examination is required for state licensure in SLP and ASHA certification in SLP.

Guided by an SLP faculty member, students will design a clinical research study, collect and analyze data, and write a clinical report detailing the findings and their importance to management of the client. Results will be disseminated in a grand rounds presentation, and in a poster forum.

Students will write a reflective paper, supported by professional or scientific evidence, that envisions the expanding role of the SLP in the lives of people and our society.

This seminar portion of this course will review topics that are essential to SLP practice in healthcare settings. Interdisciplinary collaboration; referral of patients for communication or swallowing care; hospital instrumentation; coding, billing and reimbursement issues (Medicare; other insurers); and coordination of care for patients are among topics to be covered in this important course. Additionally, the case-based portion of the course will give students opportunities to consider the assessment and intervention needs of adult patients with multiple medical conditions that involve communication and/or swallowing disorders. They will practice how to assess the medically fragile client, and how to decide which issues are most important to treat for the individual client.

This seminar portion of this course will review topics that are essential to SLP practice in school settings. Interdisciplinary collaboration; referral of students for special education services, including SLP; service delivery models in school settings; developing and implementing effective individualized educational plans (IEPs); billing and reimbursement issues (Medicaid) are among topics to be covered in this important course. Additionally, the case-based portion of this course will give students opportunities to plan assessment and intervention for children with children with multiple learning and/or physical challenges in the school setting who present communication and/or feeding and swallowing problems. They will practice how to work with a team of educators, healthcare providers and the family to effectively evaluate and treat the complex speech, language and learning issues of these children.

Students will gain clinical experience in one of a variety of settings.  Students will be placed at a Lewis University Community SLP Clinic, and supervised by a Lewis SLP faculty member to address identified speech, language, social or cognitive challenges of children or adults.  Students experience 50-75 hours of supervised clinical experience in this course.  The expectation is that students will spend at least two days per week for eight weeks in his/her assigned clinical rotation.  Each rotation is different so that students obtain a wide variety of clinical experiences while in the MSSLP program. 

Students will gain clinical experience in a healthcare setting, such as a hospital, skilled nursing facility, or private clinic; OR in a school setting, including early intervention, early childhood/preschool, elementary, or secondary schools.  All experiences are supervised by licensed and certified SLPs, and students should gain at least 100 hours of supervised clinical experience in this course.  The expectation is that students will spend at least three days per week for up to sixteen weeks in his/her assigned clinical rotation.  

Students will gain clinical experience in a school setting, including early intervention, early childhood/preschool, elementary, or secondary schools. Most of these experiences will focus on clinical practice with pediatric clients. All experiences are supervised by licensed and certified SLPs, and students should gain at least 100 hours of supervised clinical experience in this course. The expectation is that students will spend five days per week for eight weeks in his/her assigned clinical rotation.