UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT GREENSBORO

Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders

CSD 571: Beginning Clinical Practice in Speech-Language Pathology

 

COURSE SYLLABUS

Fall,2002

 

325 Ferguson Building

Tuesday,12:15-2:00

 

Instructor:   Vicki McCready, M.A., CCC-SLP

                    Director, UNCG Speech and Hearing Center

                    Clinical Supervisor

Office:         343 Ferguson Building

Phone:          336/256-1495

E -Mail:         cvmccrea@uncg.edu

 

Clinical Supervisors:   Perry Flynn                      pfflynn@uncg.edu

                                 Lyn Mankoff                     lbmankof@uncg.edu

                                 Vicki McCready                 ( see above )

                                 Louise Raleigh                  lfraleig@uncg.edu

                                   Parttime:

                        Sandie Barrie-Blackley     llclinic@aisnc.net

                        Martha Eanes                   eanesspeech@aol.com     

                        Colette Edwards               cletmedw@aol.com

                                  Denise Russo                     reinbofish@yahoo.com

                                  Tracey Snipes                   tsnipes@ncat.edu

 

I.    Catalogue Description

 

Beginning clinical practice in diagnosis of and therapy for communication disorders.

 

II.   About this Course   

 

This course is designed to provide graduate students with their first clinical practicum experience in speech-language pathology.  In order to be certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association ( ASHA ), a student must complete 350 clock hours of supervised practicum that includes the evaluation and treatment of children and adults with disorders of speech, language, and hearing.  At least 250 of those hours must be in speech-language pathology and must be completed at the graduate level.

 

Before being assigned Externships during their second year of graduate school, students must complete a minimum of 100 clinical hours or approximately 50 hours per semester during their first year.   Students who do not obtain this minimum by the end of their first year will need to enroll in summer clinic.

 

Students are assigned clients with communication disorders or clients seeking accent reduction or code-switching and work with those clients on a regular basis in the UNCG Speech and Hearing Center or another specified facility under the close supervision of a faculty supervisor.  In addition to conducting therapy, students attend a weekly hour and a half clinical seminar that helps to prepare them in developing the planning, instructional, and interpersonal skills necessary for therapy.  Students also confer regularly with their clinical supervisors to discuss their clients as well as their own clinical skills.

 

Before beginning this initial clinical practicum, students should have completed at least 25 clock hours of supervised observation.   Written verification of these hours should be in each student’s file.   Students also should have completed the basic courses in speech and language disorders and should be enrolled in diagnostics or should have completed a course in that area. The observations and coursework are preparatory experiences before beginning direct practicum with individuals who have communication disorders.

 

 

III.   Student Learning Outcomes

 

  A.  PREPARING FOR CLINICAL WORK

 

 Given classroom instruction and handout material, students will identify and discuss the seven steps of intervention for each new client, i.e., the evaluation of the communication disorder, the development of target behaviors, remediation of the disorder, the measurement of outcomes, and the reporting of progress.  To be acceptable, all seven components should be adequately discussed with rationales for each included.

 

Given classroom and supervisory instruction, students will collect data, make objective observations, and use results to design a Therapy Plan.   To be acceptable, all results should be reported orally and/or in writing and approved by individual supervisors.

 

After meeting with supervisors and reviewing diagnostic textbook material, students on a diagnostic team will demonstrate application and integration of the basic principles of diagnostics into the evaluation process.   To be acceptable, principles should be reported and discussed with individual supervisors before and after each evaluation at a level deemed appropriate by supervisors.  Emphasis should be on the application of the principles for each particular case.

 

DOING CLINICAL WORK

 

After reading and discussing the ASHA Code of Ethics, students will name the four principles of ethics and/or rules that are illustrated in various written or enacted scenarios.   In addition, students will apply those principles to all clinical work.   To be acceptable, application of principles must be demonstrated at all times to individual supervisors.

 

Given specific and general input and demonstration from individual supervisors, students will demonstrate use of planning, instructional, and interpersonal skills with all assigned clients.  To be acceptable, mid-term and final evaluations of clinical skills should be at average (or satisfactory) levels or above according to the Assessment of Clinical Performance.

 

After reviewing and role-playing interviewing techniques, students on diagnostic teams will apply and demonstrate those techniques with their clients with specific and general input from supervisors.   To be acceptable, mid-term and final evaluations of interviewing skills should be at average levels or above.

 

After meeting with diagnostic supervisors and given specific and general input and/or demonstrations, students on diagnostic teams will demonstrate appropriate planning, testing, and reporting skills for each individual client.  To be acceptable, mid-term and final evaluations of these skills should be at  average levels or above.

 

WRITING REPORTS OF THE CLINICAL WORK

 

After class instruction and text preparation and given a case scenario, students will write behavioral objectives accurately for each case.   To be acceptable, each objective on a worksheet must include all components of a behavioral objective. 

 

Given examples as well as class preparation, students will write a Therapy Plan for each client that specifies the functional outcome goals,   short-term objectives and projected outcomes, treatment rationale and treatment techniques/strategies/approaches.   To be acceptable, each Therapy Plan should be completed at a satisfactory level as judged by individual supervisors.

 

Given examples as well as class preparation and supervisory input, students will write Lesson Plans for each therapy session which include behavioral objectives, materials and teaching materials, a format for data collection and results.  To be acceptable, Lesson Plans should be completed at a satisfactory level as judged by individual supervisors.

 

Given examples as well as class preparation and supervisory input, students will write Progress Reports at the end of the semester, which include quantitative results of objectives, summary/comments and recommendations.   To be acceptable, Progress Reports should be completed at a satisfactory level as judged by individual supervisors.

 

Given examples as well as supervisory input, students on diagnostic teams will write Diagnostic Reports on each client evaluated.   To be acceptable, Diagnostic Reports should be completed at a satisfactory level as judged by individual supervisors.

 

EVALUATING CLINICAL WORK

 

Given examples from Progress Reports and discussion with individual supervisors, students will evaluate each client’s progress and report on it in supervisory conferences and in Progress Reports.  To be acceptable, reports should be deemed appropriate and agreed upon by individual supervisors.

 

Given class instruction and examples, students will evaluate their own work through observations and written analyses of videotaped therapy sessions.   To be acceptable, all written analyses should be deemed appropriate by individual supervisors.

 

After discussion in class and supervisory conferences regarding the supervisory process, students will evaluate their supervisors’ work on a written form as well as in mid-term and final conferences.   To be acceptable, forms should be completed when requested and feedback given orally in individual conferences.

 

IV.   Texts

 

Required

 

1.   ASHA ( 2000 ).   Certification and membership handbook.  Rockville,     

        MD:  ASHA.

Meyer, S.M. ( 1998 ).  Survival guide for the beginning speech

          language clinician.  Gaithersburg, MD:  Aspen.

3.   Roth, F. P., & Worthington, C. K. ( 2000 ).  Treatment resource                  

       manual for speech-language pathology (second edition).   San Diego:

        Singular.

4. Justice, L. M., & Ezell, H. K. (2002).  The syntax handbook.  Eau

          Claire, WI:  Thinking Publications.

 

Optional

 

     1.   Blockcolsky, V., Frazer, J., & Frazer, D. ( 1987 ).  40,000 selected

             words.  Tuscon:  Communication Skill Builder

     2.   Hegde, M. N. ( 2001 ).  Pocket guide to assessment in speech-    

              language pathology  (second edition).  San Diego:   Singular.

     3.   Hedge, M. N. ( 2001 ).  Pocket guide to treatment in speech-

                  language pathology (second edition).   San Diego:  Singular.  

 

V.    Course Procedures

 

Students will register for 3 credit hours of clinic and will be assigned   therapy in the on-campus clinic or at an off-campus site such as a local middle school, high school, or branch of the public library with dialect clients. Students will have at least 4 contact hours with clients per week and more if on a diagnostic team or assigned to a preschool language group.   Those students who have completed coursework in diagnostics will be placed on a diagnostic team and will see two to four clients for evaluations.   All cases will be supervised by our clinical supervisors both on and off-campus.   At least 25% of each student’s total contact time with each client in therapy will be observed directly by a supervisor and at least 50% of each student’s time in each diagnostic session will be observed.   These times are ASHA’s minimum requirements and will be adjusted upward during this first practicum experience.

 

Various instructional techniques will be used to promote student learning including lectures, instructional centers, handouts, guest speakers, videotapes of faculty and student therapy, role-playing exercises, case presentations, and small and large group discussions.  If you have a special learning need, please speak with the instructor and your clinical supervisor and we will work with you to accommodate your need.

 

Students are expected to attend all clinic seminars and therapy sessions, participate actively in class discussions and exercises and complete all assignments by due dates.  If you need to miss a class or therapy session due to illness or an emergency, please notify the instructor or supervisor PRIOR to the session or class.   You are expected to reschedule all missed therapy sessions and to obtain material missed in class.  While in class, students are expected to attend with respect and not to engage in other tasks.  Since class meets during the lunch hour, food is permitted.   PLEASE PREPARE LUNCH IN ADVANCE OF CLASS.

 

Students will work in small seminar groups/PODS throughout the semester.   The PODS will be headed by a clinical supervisor or PODMA or PODPA.   The purpose of the PODS is to facilitate learning and interaction in a small collaborative group.  Each student will be assigned to a  POD at the beginning of the semester and will remain in that POD for the entirety of the semester. 

 

Students will meet with their individual supervisors for a supervisory conference on a regular basis.  Weekly conferences are recommended during the first half of the semester.

 

Students on diagnostic teams will meet with their team supervisor for a planning conference prior to the case, for a staffing conference after the evaluation, and for a parent or client reporting conference approximately one week after the evaluation.

 

Students will participate in requested on-line activities through Blackboard such as group discussions with supervisors and group discussions according to type of client.  This class is a web-enhanced class and students are expected to log-in to Blackboard frequently on a weekly basis.  The syllabus, clinic handbook and other important course materials are now on-line and should be printed out by students.  Announcements will be posted regularly and are a critical feature of Blackboard.

 

Students are expected to adhere to every aspect of the Academic Integrity   Policy (http://saf.dept.uncg.edu/studiscp/Honor.html)

 

VI.   Course Requirements

 

Completion of all written reports associated with therapy and diagnostic cases (Student Learning Outcome or SLO:  #III.C.1.,2.,3.,4.,5.).  Examples and explanations will be provided  on  Blackboard and in class.

 

Attendance at all clinic seminars/PODS and therapy and diagnostic sessions.

 

Attendance and participation in regularly scheduled supervisory conferences (SLO:  #III.D.1.,2.,3.).

 

Completion of all reading assignments and other assignments associated with the seminar.

 

Strict adherence to rules of confidentiality regarding all clients and files (SLO:  III.B.1.).

 

Strict adherence to the ASHA Code of Ethics (SLO: #III.B.1.).

 

VII.   Evaluation and Grading

 

All students will be evaluated by their clinical supervisors at the mid-term and at the end of the semester.  Elements of the evaluation include:

Professionalism ( Student Learning Outcomes or SLO: #III.A.1.,2.,3, and #III.B.1. )
Performance of Clinical Behaviors ( SLO: #III.B.2.,3.,4. )
Report Writing  ( SLO:  #III.C.1.,2.,3.,4.,5. )

     Participation in the supervisory process  ( SLO: #III.D.1.,2.,3. )

 

Students are expected to evaluate their own skills as well as those of their supervisors at the mid-term and at the end of the semester  ( SLO:  #III.D.1.,2.,3. )

 

The grading system for CSD 571 is a Satisfactory-Unsatisfactory system.   This system was deemed appropriate for a student’s first semester of clinical practicum.  Without the stress and worry of a grade per se, new clinicians should be able to devote their energy to learning and working with clients.  Students are expected to perform at  the level of Satisfactory and above on  all of the elements listed  above in VII.A.

 

VIII.   Semester Schedule > See Separate Document