General Information about CU-Boulder

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1 1 University of Colorado Providing Academic and Research Excellence in the Science Field of Speech-Language Pathology Vernon B. Ingraham, 33, Grand Cross Executive Secretary Scottish Rite Foundation of Colorado March 2010 This article provides an overview of the University of Colorado at Boulder (CU-Boulder) and the work performed by the Scottish Rite Foundation of Colorado s CU partner, the Speech- Language Hearing Center. The following topics are discussed: General Information about CU-Boulder The Foundation s Partnership with CU-Boulder Academic Excellence at CU-Boulder s Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences Clinical Care at CU-Boulder CU-Boulder s Research Work Regarding Speech-Language Disorders General Information about CU-Boulder Founded in 1876 (the same year Colorado became a state), the University of Colorado at Boulder has an undergraduate student population of about 30,000 and a graduate student population of about 4,800. It is one of two Colorado universities providing graduate programs in speechlanguage pathology. CU-Boulder offers an array of undergraduate, masters, and doctoral degree programs. With a tradition of academic excellence in sciences, engineering, business, law, and other disciplines, CU has four Nobel laureates and more than 50 members of prestigious academic academies such as the National Academy of Sciences. CU-Boulder is also one of the premier public research universities in the nation with more than 90 research centers, institutes, and laboratories. In the past six years it has received more than $1.5 billion in sponsored research funding, placing it 6 th among all public universities. During the past several years it has been awarded more NASA research funding than any other university. The Foundation s Partnership with CU-Boulder In 2007 the Scottish Rite Foundation of Colorado entered into a RiteCare partnership with CU- Boulder s Speech-Language Hearing Center. The Center, located on the Boulder campus near CU s planetarium and the Coors Events Center, opened in The department with a limited number of clinical services was originally located in two small campus houses. The Center is an integral part of the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences which was established in 1959.

2 2 Speech- Language Hearing Center The Center offers comprehensive speech, language, and audiology services to children and adults in Boulder County and surrounding areas. These services are provided as part of on-site training for students who are studying to be speech, language, and hearing professionals. The Center also serves as a valuable resource for research and observation. Early childhood speech-language and audiology services are provided in the Child Learning Center (CLC) component of the Speech-Language Hearing Center. In the academic year the Child Learning Center served 414 children and families with 90 graduate students participating in delivery of services. All services are supervised by clinically certified professional speech-language pathologists and audiologists who are departmental faculty members. In 2007 and 2008, 78 children received speech-language services as a result of the financial support from the Scottish Rite Foundation of Colorado. During this period the Foundation supported the CLC with grants totaling $34,660. Of this amount $23,000 was allocated for 2009 in addition to $4,000 in matching funds to support the CLC Space camp program. The Foundation again has recently approved a 2010 budget for the CLC totaling $23,000. Academic Excellence at CU-Boulder s Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences The principal academic programs offered by the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences include: Master s Degree in Speech-Language Pathology leading to ASHA Certification Master s Degree in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, non-clinical program Doctor of Philosophy in any area of study within speech, language, and hearing sciences

3 3 Doctor of Audiology Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience within a specialization in Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences Doctor of Philosophy in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences with a joint Ph.D. in Cognitive Science Students admitted into the Doctoral programs and the Master s programs which lead to ASHA (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association) certification in 2009/2010 are as follows: Doctoral Programs Master s Programs (ASHA) 44 students 68 students The Department has a faculty of 26 professors and instructors as follows: Doctoral faculty in Speech-Language Pathology 7 Doctoral faculty in Audiology 5 Clinical faculty in Speech-Language Pathology 7 Clinical faculty in Audiology 1 Other faculty and instructors 6 In addition, CU has 31 adjunct faculty members associated with institutions such as The Children s Hospital, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, University of Northern Colorado, Harvard Medical School, Gallaudet University, Boys Town National Research Hospital, and the Veterans Administration Hospital as well as a number of other institutions. Included in this group of adjunct faculty members is the Kelley Family/Schlessman Family Scottish Rite Mason s Chair in Childhood Language Disorders Deborah Hayes, Ph.D. In 2005 the Scottish Rite Foundation of Colorado initiated a $5,000 scholarship in speechlanguage pathology offered to second-year graduate students in the Master s degree program leading to ASHA certification. Students eligible to apply for this scholarship must intend to work upon graduation in early childhood intervention in Colorado. Since inception, nine scholarships have been awarded to graduate students at CU. Clinical Care at CU-Boulder CU-Boulder s communication disorders clinical services provide children and adults with both comprehensive assessment and remediation. Individualized intervention and treatment is available in either individual or group settings. Some of the areas in which services are offered include: Augmentative Alternative Communication Aural Rehabilitation Autism Brian Injury stroke, head injury, aphasia Child Learning Center

4 4 Cochlear Implants Language Disorders in Children Language Learning Disabilities Reading Disorders and Dyslexia Speech Disorders Stuttering Voice Disorders The Child Learning Center (CLC) is focused on identifying and serving young children and their families who might not otherwise receive speech and language therapy due to a lack of funding for therapeutic services. Services provided by the CLC include: Speech, language, and literacy and individual and small group intervention programs Pathways to Assessment of Learning ~ A comprehensive, family-centered, transdisciplinary, team-based assessment enhanced with parent resource consultants, a consulting Occupational Therapist, and an Early Childhood Special Educator as well as Audiologists and Speech Language Pathologists working with child and family members Inclusive toddler group and preschool classroom services Parent education and support program Bilingual (Spanish) Services ~ El Grupo de Familias Story of Friendship Programs and Space Camp Summer Program for children with ASD CLC Outreach Program ( e.g. workshops, coaching, and consultation to area child care centers and preschool personnel and families to improve quality of early care and education) funding provided through grants from The Rose Foundation and the temple Hoyne Buell Foundation Group Therapy Kids

5 5 Intervention programs are provided individually, in small groups, or through the CLC s toddler and preschool programs during the 16-week semesters. Therapy is provided to children once or twice weekly. These programs enable the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences to develop clinical competencies in graduate students through supervised delivery of state-of-the-art, high-quality inclusive services to young children and their families. Examples of group activities include A Story of Friendship and Space Camp. Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their typical peers, ages 3-6, may participate in A Story of Friendship group activity. With Scottish Rite Foundation support, this activity has evolved into a community-based program, housed at Creekside Elementary School in the Boulder Valley School District. Participating children engage in a play-date experience focusing on social interaction and communication. The storybook journey approach to curriculum provides auditory and visual cues for peer interaction within a play context. Story of Friendship Space Camp is a two-week summer program for children with ASD. It promotes social communication between these children and their typically developing peers. Each child with high-functioning ASD brings a typically developing friend to the camp. Each of these pairs of children, ages 6-9, are supported by a graduate clinician who works with them in exploring their common interest in space and in developing social communication skills through joint projects or games and field trips. The field trips are taken to the Sommers-Bausch Observatory and the Fiske Planetarium on the CU-Boulder campus. Professors and students at the observatory and planetarium provide the children with experiences that are

6 6 informational and promote interaction and pragmatic language skills. Scholarships for children enrolled in the camp are provided with funding support from the Scottish Rite Foundation. Space Camp Numerous other group activities are available for children who stutter; children who have articulation difficulties; children who are struggling with learning to read, write, and spell; children with cochlear implants; children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing; and Spanish speaking children with communication challenges. CU-Boulder s Research Work Regarding Speech-Language Disorders Research activities are an integral part of the mission of CU s Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences. The Department has six research laboratories: 1. Hearing Research Laboratory 2. Child Learning Center 3. Language and Sign Language Development Laboratory 4. Brain and Behavior Laboratory 5. Motor Speech Disorders Laboratory 6. Bilingual Development in Children The Department has a wide range of partners and affiliates in conducting this research. These organizations include: 1. Center for Language and Learning (CU-Boulder Campus) 2. Computation Language and EducAtion Research (Boulder)

7 7 3. Marion Downs Hearing Center (University of Colorado Hospital) 4. National Center for Voice and Speech (Denver Center for Performing Arts) 5. University of Colorado Hospital Audiology Clinic 6. Center for Neuroscience ( CU-Boulder Campus) 7. Institute of Cognitive Science ( CU-Boulder Campus) The following examples of faculty research projects convey the depth and range of research at CU-Boulder which are directed at Speech-Language Disorders. Research into the nature of oral and written learning disabilities in first and second languages and their effect on first and second language acquisition. Research on the influence of certain factors (e.g., linguistic, cognitive, social, environmental, and emotional) in contributing to communicative success in persons with brain damage. Research and development of rehabilitation methods for persons with acquired neurologically-based language and cognitive disorders. Research in age-related changes in language-motor interactions and motor learning/plasticity in the speech system to determine how aspects of speech motor control and learning are affected by neurological disease. Cognitive and language processing in monolingual and bilingual children and the examination of the roles of language experience and cognitive processing ability in language learning. Research on efficacy of Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT) for persons with idiopathic Parkinson s Disease funded through NIH grants. Investigation of the maturation of the human central auditory pathways in normal hearing children and in children with hearing impairment, including those with cochlear implants with a view of better understanding the effects of sensory deprivation on central auditory development funded through NIH grants. These examples of research presently underway at CU demonstrate the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences continued emphasis on academic training in speech-language pathology and audiology as well as research advancements in the field of communication disorders. We are honored to be associated with our CU RiteCare Partner in its various endeavors to prepare graduate students in the field of communication disorders and to advance the research and science in this field of study.