The Cochlear Connection
Edinboro University of PA
S
final semester has ended for
the academic year 2008-2009
year, but opportunity blossomed for Speech-Language
Pathologists to attend the
annual Spring Colloquium.
The Speech, Language and
Hearing Department’s
Alumni Conference Committee invited Dr. Cheryl Messick
Ph.D CCC-SLP to present on
Clinical Education: Approaches,
Strategies & Challenges. Dr.
Messick is the Director of
Clinical Education in the
Communication Science and
Disorders Department at the
University of Pittsburgh,
where she oversees all aspects
of clinical education for SLP
Created by Laura Hum
Edited by Char Molrine
Volume 1, Issue 2
Spring 2009
pring has sprung and the
and AuD students. Dr. Messick has shared her clinical
experience and knowledge on
clinical education and supervision at various continuing
education conferences including the ASHA annual convention. She concurrently supervises graduate student clinicians and provides clinical
services for infants and young
children with disabilities at
the Children’s Hospital of
Pittsburgh. She also serves as
an executive board member of
the Council of Academic Programs in Communication
Science and Disorders
(CAPCSD). The
learning outcomes from this
seminar in-
cluded: enabling clinicians to
establish techniques to bridge
communication between the
clinical instructor and the
student clinician; understanding procedures in clinical
education; identifying three
different strategies for promoting clinical skill acquisition by
student clinicians; and describing techniques to use
with challenging student clinicians. The conference was
held on campus at Reeder
Hall May 16, 2009 from 8am3:30pm. The Speech, Language and Hearing Department thanks Clinic
Director Mrs. Cynthia
Grazio for her time and
dedication in cocoordinating this event.
Inside this issue:
Spring Colloquium
Alumni on the Move!
1
Alumni on the Move: Sue Alex 1, 5
Dr. Shinn Connects with
Cochlear Implant Centers
2
Ground site for Institute is
under way!
2
Student Scholarly Activities
Featuring: Lacy Karosic and
Natalie Jackson
3,4,5
LTC summer internship
placements
4
Recognition of Excellence
6
Mark your Calendars!
6
where she started as an
SLP in the School District
Speech and Hearing
of Palm Beach County. In
alumna Sue Alex has been addition to providing
unanimously voted to retherapeutic services, Sue
ceive the Alumni on the
served as the Exceptional
Move Award at Edinboro
Student Education (ESE)
University’s 21st Annual
department chair and
Alumni Conference in fall
provided services for chil2009. Sue obtained both her dren with educational
Bachelor and Master deneeds. The Department of
grees in Speech-Language
ESE provides equal opporPathology from Edinboro
tunity for students with
University. After graduat- disabilities, ages 3-21
ing in ‘89 with her Master’s years with free and approdegree, she relocated with
priate education.
her husband to Florida
Edinboro University’s
Currently,
Sue is
responsible for 184 public schools
serving as ESE Program
Planner for Speech, Language, Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Pre-Kindergarten
Programming As an ESE
Program Planner she is responsible for directing evidence based programming
and research (cont. pg 5)
Page 2
Dr. Shinn Connects with Cochlear Implant Centers
gies used with intensive long
term therapy directed for inProfessor in the Speech, Lanfants or young children who will
guage and Hearing Department
be receiving or have received
has been granted a one year
cochlear implants. Also, he is
sabbatical leave starting in
interested in learning about the
2010. Although he will be taknew technology used to reduce
ing time away from the classthe effects of hearing loss.
room, he will be using his time
This extraordinary opportufor professional development in
nity
will allow Dr. Shin to work
clinical practice and research.
with teams of professionals
Throughout the year, he will
involved in the procedures of
be traveling across the country
observing and working in various cochlear implantation. Dr.
Pediatric Cochlear Implant Cen- Shinn and members of the
team will work with possible
ters. He is primarily interested
candidates and their families to
in observing therapeutic stratedetermine candidacy for im-
Dr. Roy Shinn, Ph.D., CCC-A, a
plantation. If the candidates are
eligible, the child (candidate) will
receive surgery and through this
process Dr. Shinn and members
of the team will counsel and
follow-up with the child and family members.
Early intervention for cochlear
implants has vastly improved in
the past decade, which has had
significant impact on reducing
the effects hearing loss on linguistic acquisition.
Bilateral Implantation
“I am interested in
learning all aspects
that are used to
reduce the effects
of hearing loss in
children (with
bilateral cochlear
implants)”
-Dr. Shinn
Traditionally, cochlear implants have been implemented
in one ear, however, over the
past two decades technology
has improved and has progressively increased the benefits of
bilateral cochlear implants.
Bilateral implantation enhances the quality of everyday
life for individuals with severeto–profound hearing loss.
Dr. Shinn hopes educate
student clinicians how to imple-
ment and adapt appropriate
therapeutic strategies in auditory training in the clinical setting for children with severe to
profound.
With the new Human Services
building equipped with a pediatric treatment room, there will be
more opportunity to practice
these techniques hands-on. Dr.
Shinn’s intention is to integrate
typical hearing children with
children who are hard of hearing
or who have receiving cochlear implantation. Children
with hearing loss acquire the
appropriate language skills
through the interactions of
children with typical hearing.
Dr. Shinn’s data and observations from various cochlear
Implant centers across the
country will help with his research.
GROUND SITE FOR INSTITUTE UNDERWAY
The groundbreaking ceremony at
parking lot adjacent to Mallory
will house both the Nursing and
last fall’s 20th Annual Alumni
Lake. The effect of the con-
the Speech and Hearing Depart-
Conference marked the first
struction was felt among stu-
ment. The facility will be
stage of the new Human Ser-
dents commuting to campus.
equipped with more therapy
vices Building expected to open
Student parking has become all
rooms, and advanced technology
for use in Fall 2010. In March,
about timing, due to the limited
to facilitate effective and effi-
preparation for the Institute’
spacing.
cient speech, language and hear-
ground site got underway in the
foot state-of-the-art facility
The 12,500 square
ing treatment.
Page 3
Student Scholarly Activities
Lacy Karosic– 1st year
graduate student.
Lacy Karosic, a first year graduate
cation (C-CUE). The Student
YouTube clip of
student and research assistant for
Forum provides students the
a high tech AAC
Dr. Patricia Leigh in the Speech
opportunity to submit a pro-
user to demonstrate the impact
and Hearing Department, has had
posal for a presentation on a
that technology has on the qual-
a busy spring semester.
topic related to technology. In
ity of life for individuals who can-
In March, Lacy was awarded 2nd
her 30-minute presentation,
not speak with their voice.
place with a modest monetary
Lacy explained and provided
Coincidently, the AAC user in
award for her presentation on
examples AAC technology for
the YouTube clip was a neighbor
Augmentative and Alternative
individuals who are need of an
to a member in the audience.
Communication & Technology at
assistive device to efficiently
He concurred how much of an
the Student Technology Forum
and effectively communicate in
impact the device has made on
promoted by the Consortium for
everyday situations. During her
the quality of life for his
Computing in Undergraduate Edu-
presentation, Lacy showed a
neighbor. In addition, to
discussing how high and low
varying levels of disabilities. The
Additionally, she reported that
technology devices have im-
devices can accommodate those
this advanced technology in-
proved communication, Lacy
with limited motor movements
creases the linguistic acquisition
demonstrated the use of one of
or motor difficulties, deaf or
opportunities that may be lim-
the DynaVox® devices.
hard of hearing individuals, or
ited for those without a commu-
She emphasized that “ we iden-
children on the autism spec-
nication device. The presenta-
tify ourselves with our own
trum. Various features can be
tion concluded with Lacy recog-
voices and individuals who are
customized to the individual
nizing how Edinboro University
reliant on these devices also
using the device, such as synthe-
is renowned for its excellence in
identify with a voice produced
sized or digitized speech for
accommodating individuals with
by the device.” The technology
male/female adults and chil-
disabilities.
is adaptable to individuals with
dren.
“Communication is
a quality of life.”
Dr. Patricia Leigh
Assistant Professor
Speech, Language and Hearing
Department
Dialogues Across the Discipline
Natalie Jackson, a first
year graduate student,
participated in the Student Research Symposium sponsored by The
Office of the Provost, The
Graduate School, and The
Highlands Center for Faculty Initiatives. Held in
March, Dialogues Across
the Discipline (DxD) was
an opportunity for a student to partner with another student from a different department to research and present a
positive change in the
community using each
student’s educational
background. The forces
of Natalie Jackson and
Heather Markel (Biology)
proposed the idea of establishing recycling at
local gas stations to help
maintain services for children with dyslexia.
(continued on page 4)
SuE ALEX On The MOVE!
(continued from Cover page)
as well as training 324 SLPS for
the speech-language impaired and
deaf/hard of hearing programs.
“Edinboro prepared
me for the clinical
field . I came out
more prepared than
my colleagues
because my
bachelor’s degree
gave me experience
in all areas of speech
and language.”
-Sue Alex, M.A., CCC/SLP
In the past three years, Sue’s career
has been redirected to focusing on
the administrative aspect of clinical
services versus clinical therapeutic
treatment. Sue has developed and
implemented allocation formulas and
new programs to fit the needs of the
population, managed and implemented federal, state and local legislative changes relative to speech,
language, deaf and hard of hearing
and general special education policies and procedures.
This year marks the 20-year anniversary of Sue’s career as an SLP.
She has had a number of experiences and responsibilities in the
school setting, serving as a member
of an IEP team, educating parents
regarding communication disorders
and professional development for
staff, developing guidelines for communication instruction for mentally
handicapped population and managing contracts and cooperative agreements for the ESE department.
Sue is grateful for her education
from Edinboro University and emphasizes that when she left Edinboro, she
came out more prepared than her colleagues because of the public school
experience acquired during her undergraduate observation classes in the
clinical settings. The Speech, Language Hearing Department proudly
acknowledge Sue’s contributions to
clinical service delivery in the public
school setting, as well as her advocacy
for the communicatively impaired..
Dialogues Across the Discipline
(Continued from page 3)
“On average, 200 customers visit a single
local gas station every day. If each one of
those customers were to recycle one item at
5 cents per recyclable– we could make a
difference for 3 children to improve their
literacy and language skills. “
The intent of their research
proposal was to create awareness of the contributions of The
Scottish Rite Learning Center in
Millcreek Township. Children
diagnosed with dyslexia living
within a 100 mile radius of Erie
have the opportunity to receive
free services at the Learning
Center. Currently the learning
center provides services to 20
children but has the ability to
serve up to 30 children with
additional funding. The Learning Center provides a unique
tutoring service that facilitates
multi-sensory learning through
an intensive one hour session
per week in a 2-3 year pro-
gram. However, the
Learning Center is dependent on contributions
from the community to
provide services. The
proposal is to encourage
the five local gas stations
to provide recycling receptacles in lieu of current
garbage cans that collect
waste and recyclables. As
environmental concerns
and conservation efforts
are gaining center stage,
“there is an opportunity to
introduce a new recycling
practice which would not
only help fund this invaluable cause, but also re-
duce unnecessary waste in
our local landfill.” The proposal is two-fold: conserve
the environment by recycling and donate the funds
to increase the quality of
educational services to
children in need of improving their language and
reading skills for better
quality of life and academic success.
Recognition of Excellence
Last semester at the Alumni Confer-
ship settings. The Speech, Language
and Hearing Department also recognized its outstanding undergraduate
students majoring in Speech and
Hearing Sciences. Graduating
Summa Cum Laude were Teresa
Casey, Kelly Green, and Katie
Vaughn. Meghan McKelvey and
Stephanie Pace graduated Magna
Cum Laude and Amy Corbran and
Katie Ingalls graduated Cum Laude
at the spring commencement May 2,
2009. The Speech, Language and
Hearing Center would like to congratulate these students for their
demonstrated academic excellence.
ence two second year graduate students were presented with scholarships for their demonstrated achievement in academic excellence. This
Spring two graduating MASLP students received departmental awards
for their all around academic and
clinical excellence at the Graduate
Student Reception. The Outstanding
Departmental Graduate Student Award
was presented to Amanita Brazil, who
graduated with Honors. Lauren
McCulley received the Carol Jones
Award, which recognized her exceptional clinical skills in various intern-
Kelly Green will be pursuing a
AUD degree at Missouri State
University. Teresa Casey, Katie
Vaughn, Stephanie Pace, and
Amy Corbran have been accepted into Edinboro’s Speech
Language Pathology Program.
Good luck to all our graduating
seniors!
Interviewing an International Student
Before attending Edinboro University, I
had believed that my dream to become a
Speech Language Pathologist was unattainable. Although I am from Canada
and it borders the United States, the
opportunities to qualify for a postsecondary Speech Language Pathology
major are limited and competitive. Currently, there are nine universities in
Canada that offer a Master’s degree in
Speech Language Pathology, three of
which are offered in French. According
to the CASLPA website, it is difficult to
find clinical placements through the
universities due to competition,
Mark your Calendars!
Mark your calendars for the
21st Annual Alumni Speech,
Language and Hearing Conference to be held on October 2,
2009, at Edinboro University.
Alumni on the Move Award
recipient Sue Alex willattend
and receive this award for her
dedication to providing excellent clinical services for 20
years. Alumni will have the
Location, and financial support. When I
graduated with my Bachelor’s degree in
Linguistics and Applied Language Studies from Carleton University in Ottawa,
I traveled and taught English as a Second Language abroad. While I was in
my 2nd year in South Korea (SK) teaching, Nancianne Sewell, who had also
taught in SK with me my during my
first year, wrote to me telling me how
she was enrolled in the SLH undergraduate program at Edinboro University. I decided to investigate what the
program had to offer and decided to apply for the program. I was excited with
www.edinboro.edu
the idea of being back in school
and pursuing a career that I
never believed was possible. The
Speech, Language & Hearing Department has provided me with
an enriched educational experience both in the classroom and
the clinical field. Varied field
placements provide students with
the opportunity to decide which
areas of the discipline they want
to pursue I have enjoyed every
moment I have been here—it was
one of the best decisions I have
made.
Mark Your Calendars!
opportunity to see the development of the new $5 million Human Services Building scheduled
for use Fall 2010.
Guest speakers, Joesph Murray,
Ph.D., CCC-SLP and David Hammer, M.S., CCC-SLP have been
invited to present on adult and
pediatric tracks: Accuracy of
Dysphagia Assessment and
Childhood Apraxia of Speech.
Further details of
the Conference can
be obtained on the
Department webpage:
http://www.edinbo
ro.edu/department
s/speech/alumni_co
nference_2009/
Human Services Building
Construction underway early
March 2009.
1st Year Graduate Students’ LTC Internships
Allison Bush
Forest View
Erie, PA
Laura Hum
Each summer graduate
Potoker and Hoehn
Ashley PalmerHudson
Friendship Ridge
Timothy Prichard
St. Mary’s East
Erie, PA
Natalie Jackson
The Cochlear
Connection
students are placed at
varying internship sites to
gain experience in longterm care nursing homes.
The class is divided into
two sections which helps
to maximize the opportunity for students to be
placed at some wonderful
local sites. While half of
the students intern during the initial part of the
summer, the other group
writes research papers
with Dr. Char Molrine in
Research Methods in Communicative Disorders.
Then each group of students exchanges places
during the second half of
the summer. The following chart provides a list of
graduates and their internship sites.
Holly Adams
Marla Cox
Brevillier Village
Erie, PA
Mary Rinderle
Erie PA
Rolling Fields
Golden Living
Erie, PA
Bethany Fritz
Edinboro Manor
Corry, PA
Sameeksha Dixit
Heartland Health Care
Edinboro, PA
Lacy Karosic
Sarah Reed
Pittsburgh, PA
Nicole Kesselak
Edinboro Manor
Erie, PA
Kathleen McHugh
Edinboro, PA
Amy LaFuria
Twinbrook Medical
Center
Presque Isle Rehab
Erie, PA
Barb Sala
Conneautville, PA
Corry Manor
Beaver, PA
Presque Isle Rehab
Erie, PA
Jeanine Mizikar
Friendship Ridge
Beaver, PA
Erie, PA
Amanda Mihalik
Crawford County Care
Center
Kristen Myers
St. Anne Home
Greensburg, PA
Saegertown, PA
Julie Ann Trimarco
Golden Living
Marissa Weiford
Erie, PA
Golden Living
Cambridge Springs,
PA
More Student Scholarly Activity
In April, Lacy Karosic also
participated in the Student
Research Symposium at the
Pogue University Center
on the campus of Edinboro
University by presenting a
poster Relationship-Based
Practice in Speech Language
Pathology: Evaluating Current Practices. The research
was collected via an anonymous Likert–scale survey,
which asked speechlanguage pathology alumni
and professional attendees
at the 20 annual Alumni Confer- speech and language services.
ence to evaluate their feelings
The results will be used to perand attitudes toward relation0- form a comparative analysis
learning opportunities to facilitate
based practice. The results suggested that speech-language
pathologists believe that they
are implementing relationshipbased therapy principles, yet
stimulation booklets for the Chil-
preliminary findings suggested
they did not feel they were supported by administration.
A seconds survey is planned that
will be distributed to obtain
parents’ feelings and attitudes
toward relationship-based therapy for children receiving
between the two surveys.
Lacy also helped write a proposal for a community service
grant in conjunction with Dr.
Leigh, an advisor for the Na-
children’s speech and language
with their families. Language
dren’s Museum would be developed by undergraduate students.
Lacy’s accomplishments have
demonstrated that the graduate
tional Student Speech Language research assistantship has provided
and Hearing Association
her opportunities to increase her
(NSSHLA) chapter, to provide
professional development..
support for he expERIEnce Children’s Museum. The intent is
bridge education and the community by providing maximal
opportunity for incidental/