Mar 28, 2024  
2010-2011 General Catalog 
    
2010-2011 General Catalog ARCHIVED CATALOG: To search archives, MUST use search box to left. Current catalog: catalog.usu.edu.

Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education


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Department Head: Beth E. Foley
Location: Lillywhite 103
Phone: (435) 797-3924
FAX: (435) 797-0221
E-mail: beth.foley@usu.edu
WWW: http://www.cehs.usu.edu/comd/

Assistant Department Head and Advisor for Communicative Disorders:

Dee R. Child, Lillywhite 112, (435) 797-2318, dee.child@usu.edu

Advisor for Deaf Education:

Jan Kelley-King, Lillywhite 40, (435) 797-5718, jan.kellyking@usu.edu

Degrees offered: Bachelor of Science (BS), Bachelor of Arts (BA), Master of Science (MS), Master of Arts (MA), Master of Education (MEd), and Educational Specialist (EdS) in Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education; Doctorate of Audiology (AuD)

Undergraduate areas of focus: BS, BA—Communicative Disorders, Education of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Graduate specializations: MS, MA, MEd—Speech-Language Pathology; MEd—Education of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing; EdS—Audiology

Objectives

Three main objectives of the Department of Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education are (1) to train competent speech-language pathologists, educators of the deaf and hard of hearing, and clinical-educational audiologists capable of receiving state and national licensure; (2) to provide clinical services to individuals with speech-language deficits or hearing loss in the University population or in the community; and (3) to provide research opportunities for students relating to communication problems of individuals. The graduate programs in both Speech-Language Pathology and Clinical- Educational Audiology are accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA) in Audiology and Speech-Language  Pathology of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association. The program in Education of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing is accredited by the Council on Education of the Deaf (CED). All department programs hold Utah State Office of Education approval.

Suggested Four-year Plans

Suggested semester-by-semester four-year plans for students working toward bachelor’s degrees within the Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education Department can be found at: http://www.usu.edu/degreeplans/

These plans are models of the requirements and possible sequences of courses. However, students may progress through their program or have more flexibility if they have high ACT scores, CLEP credit, concurrent enrollment credit, AP credit, and/or transfer credit; or if they attend during summer semesters.

Students should consult with their advisor to develop a plan of study tailored to their individual circumstances.

Departmental Honors

Students who would like to experience greater academic depth within their major are encouraged to enroll in departmental honors. Through original, independent work, Honors students enjoy the benefits of close supervision and mentoring, as they work one-on-one with faculty in select upper-division departmental courses. Honors students also complete a senior project, which provides another opportunity to collaborate with faculty on a problem that is significant, both personally and in the student’s discipline. Participating in departmental honors enhances students’ chances for obtaining fellowships and admission to graduate school. Minimum GPA requirements for participation in departmental honors vary by department, but usually fall within the range of 3.30-3.50. Students may enter the Honors Program at almost any stage in their academic career, including at the junior (and sometimes senior) level. The campus-wide Honors Program, which is open to all qualified students regardless of major, offers a rich array of cultural and social activities, special classes, and the benefit of Honors early registration. Interested students should contact the Honors Program, Main 15, (435) 797-2715, honors@usu.edu. Additional information can be found online at: http://www.usu.edu/honors/

Additional Information

For more information concerning graduation requirements and course sequencing, see the major requirement sheet, available from the Department of Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education, or online at: http://www.usu.edu/majorsheets/. Additional information may also be found at the departmental website: http://www.cehs.usu.edu/comd/

Because many of the undergraduate COMD-DE courses are taught in sequence, students should meet with a departmental advisor prior to beginning classes in the COMD-DE major to assure that the most efficient and effective schedule is followed. Students should also confer with a departmental advisor for information about changes in requirements or scheduling.

Graduate Programs

Admission Requirements

A bachelor’s degree in Communicative Disorders or equivalent equipments must be completed before the student enters the  graduate program. (Students already having a bachelor’s degree in another area must either complete a second bachelor’s degree in Communicative Disorders or take the undergraduate Communicative Disorders courses as postbachelor’s courses.) The time required to complete the master of science degree is determined during the first semester of study by a temporary department committee consisting of professors from the student’s direct field of study. Students seeking the MEd with a specialization in education of the deaf and hard of hearing must have an undergraduate degree in early childhood, elementary, secondary, or special education.

Students seeking the MEd with a specialization in education of the deaf and hard of hearing must have an undergraduate degree in early childhood, elementary, secondary, or special education. Students coming into the master’s degree with a degree other than deaf education will need to plan on a two-year MEd program, while those coming directly through the USU curriculum will need to plan on a one year master’s degree program.

In addition to School of Graduate Studies admission requirements, students must demonstrate competency in American Sign Language, in order to be admitted to the education of the deaf and hard of hearing program.

Applications will be considered once a year between March 1 and March 15. However, students must have completed the application process to the School of Graduate Studies by February 15. No application will be considered until all the required information is submitted to the School of Graduate Studies.

Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education Research Requirements

Several options are available for graduate students to complete the research or special project required for the MS or MEd. These options are specified in the list of requirements available in the department office, and include for the MS the traditional Plan A experimental thesis option, as well as the Plan B integrative review option or creative project option. Declaration of an option must be made at the time the student files an Application for Candidacy form with the School of Graduate Studies. Changes in the option will necessitate a complete revision and  review of the Application for Candidacy by the student’s supervisory committee.

Licensure

Each undergraduate and graduate student is advised on which classes will meet Utah State Office of Education and American Speech-Language-Hearing Association licensure requirements, as well as Utah State Professional Licensure requirements. State Office of Education licensure credentials within Utah include approval for audiology, speech-language pathology, and education of the deaf and hard of hearing. Graduation from any of these graduate programs ensures the student may be licensed in Utah. Such licensure facilitates meeting other requirements for other states, because of reciprocal agreements that exist among some state educational agencies throughout the country.

Practicum Opportunities

Practicum experience at the graduate level is available in a variety of settings. The department maintains a Speech-Language-Hearing Center offering a full range of diagnostic and remedial services to individuals with speech-language or hearing disabilities. Additionally, students are assigned to off-campus practicum sites such as hospitals, schools for the deaf, long-term and rehabilitation care centers, clinics, physician’s offices, and public schools. Placement in out-of-state practicum sites is available for those students who request it. Students may also be placed at the Center for Persons with Disabilities for experience in birth to age three services. Students must be enrolled in clinical practicum each semester of their graduate program.

Financial Assistance

Limited departmental and federal grant support is available to graduate students and is awarded on a competitive basis. The application form for financial support must be submitted to the department no later than March 1 for consideration for the coming year.

Career Opportunities

Audiology graduates are prepared to work as clinical, educational, and rehabilitative audiologists. Speech-Language-Pathology graduates are prepared to work in a variety of medical, rehabilitation, and educational settings. Graduates in the area of Education of the Deaf are trained to work in total communication, bilingual/bicultural, and auditory-aural settings.

Additional Information

Specific details about each of the foregoing degree programs are outlined in policy and procedure documents available through the department. All requirements are subject to change; check with the department for current requirements. Additional information may be obtained by contacting the Department of Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education.

Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education Faculty

Trustee Professor
Carol J. Strong, Dean, Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services; language development, language assessment and intervention, language disorders in school-age students, research methodology in communicative disorders, narrative assessment and literature-based language intervention

Lillywhite Endowed Chair and Professor
Ron Gillam, language development, language assessment and intervention, narrative development, memory, phonological representation

Professors
James C. Blair, educational audiology, education of the deaf and hard of hearing
Beth E. Foley, neuropathologies of speech and language, augmentative/alternative communication, language and literacy
J. Freeman King, American Sign Language, linguistics, teacher preparation

Adjunct Clinical Professors
Jeffrey Bennion, MD, otolaryngologist
James Blotter, MD, otolaryngologist
Jeffrey Keyser, MD, otolaryngologist
Bryan R. Larsen, MD, gastroenterologist
Gordon S. Wood, MD, otolaryngologist

Associate Professors
Kim Corbin-Lewis, diagnosis and management of voice disorders, laryngeal imaging, speech science, disorders of motor speech, dysphagia, anatomy and physiology of speech and swallow
Sandi Gillam, language assessment and intervention, evidence-based practice, text comprehension, memory, language difference, phonology
Sonia S. Manuel-Dupont, nondiscriminatory educational assessment of non-English-language background children, Native American language assessment, emergent literacy, ethnic literacy, developmental phonology, syntax, professional and scientific discourse analysis
John E. Ribera, medical audiology, amplification, hearing science, telemedicine, hearing conservation, balance studies

Adjunct Associate Professor
Douglas W. Laws, clinical audiology

Assistant Professors
Debbie Golos, bilingual-bicultural deaf education, emergent literacy, ASL development, educational television, children’s media
K. Todd Houston, spoken language acquisition in children with hearing loss, habilitation after cochlear implantation, early intervention, speech and hearing sciences, family-centered practices, adult aural rehabilitation
Jeffery Larsen, classroom acoustics, speech perception
Jaclyn Littledike, orofacial anomalies, professional practice issues, and clinical supervision
Karen Muñoz, pediatric audiology, amplification, clinical audiology
Lauri Nelson, early childhood spoken language, academic achievement in young children with cochlear implants and hearing aids Susan Watkins, early intervention programs, sensory impaired infants and toddlers
Julie Wolter, school-age language, literacy

Clinical Assistant Professors
Cache Pitt, cochlear implants, pediatric audiology, clinical supervision
Vicki Simonsmeier, pediatric neurogenic disorders, oral-motor dysphagia, early intervention programs, audiology, auditory processing, clinical supervision

Clinical Instructors
Jill R. Andrus, assistive technology, augmentative communication, child articulation and language disorders, clinical supervision
Chad Bingham, pediatric brain injury, limited English proficiency, augmentative/assistive technology, clinical supervision
Dee R. Child, distance education, disorders of phonation
Anne Elsweiler, fluency, preschool language and articulation, clinical supervision
Heather Jo Jensen, clinical supervision, amplification, medical audiology
Jan Kelley-King, American Sign Language, deaf education
Amy Porter, clinical supervision, pediatric/adult diagnostics and amplification, balance assessment Lecturer
Curt Radford, American sign language, bilingual/bicultural education, teacher preparation

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