Each May, the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association (ASHA) and its 140,000 plus
members spread a hopeful, positive message about communication disorders—and the important role
of the professionals who treat them. An estimated 40 million Americans have some type of
communication disorder, costing the United States approximately $154 to $186 billion annually due to
lost work productivity, special education, and medical treatment.
Therefore, Idaho State University’s Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders is pleased to
join with all of the citizens of Idaho in celebrating May Is Better Hearing and Speech Month. During this
annual observance, we should focus our attention on the needs of our citizens who have some form of
hearing, speech, or language impairment to ensure that everyone has access to the audiology and
speech-language pathology treatment that will help them lead full and productive lives.
With ASHA’s 2014 theme of “Communication Disorders are Treatable,” The Identify the Signs campaign
is front and center in ASHA’s 2014 efforts. Launched in the fall of 2013, the campaign focuses on how to
recognize the signs of speech, language and hearing disorders—and stresses the importance of early
detection.
Identify the Signs of Communication Disorders
8%–9% of Children Suffer From Speech Disorders,
Many Parents Wait Too Long to Seek Treatment
May 1, 2014—With 8%–9% of young children suffering from speech disorders, May’s Better Hearing and
Speech Month is the perfect time for parents to learn how to recognize the early signs of these
disorders. Idaho State University speech-language pathologists and audiologists are encouraging parents
to educate themselves through the Identify the Signs campaign, a national effort of the American
Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). The campaign is designed to combat an overall lack of
awareness about communication disorders—a major barrier to treatment for the more than 40 million
total Americans who suffer.
Speech, language, and hearing disorders are among the most common disabilities in the United States.
However, unlike many other disabilities, these disorders often are reversible and even preventable with
early intervention. Unfortunately, many parents do not recognize the first signs of these disorders. In
young children, early treatment can help prevent them from falling behind academically, socially, and in
other key areas at a critical time in their development.
While it is certainly never too late to seek help, treatment is most successful, less expensive, and takes
the shortest amount of time when a parent or loved one is able to pick up on the earliest signs of these
disorders. As May is Better Hearing and Speech Month, we suggest all parents familiarize themselves
with these signs at IdentifytheSigns.org and seek an assessment from a certified speech-language
pathologist or audiologist if they have any questions. One should not assume a child will ‘outgrow’
speech or language difficulties. There is never harm in seeking an assessment, whether it results in
putting a parent’s mind at ease or identifying a potential issue in a child that can be treated.
In children, parents should watch for the following signs of speech and language disorders:
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Does not interact socially (infancy and older)
Does not follow or understand what you say (starting at 1 year)
Says only a few sounds or words or makes only a few gestures (18 months to 2 years)
Says words that are not easily understood (18 months to 2 years)
Does not combine words (starting at 2 years)
Struggles to say sounds or words (3 to 4 years)
In adults, signs of speech, language, and cognitive disorders include:
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Repeats words or parts of words (stuttering)
Struggles with finding words and/or understanding others (aphasia)
Has difficulty imitating speech sounds, or mixes up sounds in speech (apraxia)
Speaks at a slow rate (apraxia, dysarthria, aphasia)
Produces slurred speech (dysarthria)
Has difficulty with short term memory, attention, and/or problem solving for daily activities
Voice and swallowing disorders are also addressed by SLPs.
For more signs, treatment information, and other resources, visit http://identifythesigns.org.
Visit www.asha.org/bhsm for the latest.
CONTACT: Idaho State University’s Speech, Language and Hearing Clinic (ISU-SLHC)
Pocatello, ID:(208) 282-3495, slpaudio@isu.edu
Meridian, ID: (208) 373-1725, csdmeridian@isu.edu
ISU:
The Idaho State University Speech & Language Clinic provides collaborative clinical training for graduate
students in a supportive, honest and respectful environment. Serving students and the community
through outreach, education and evidence-based practice is our aim. The clinic includes a variety of
specialty programs, group therapy opportunities, as well as individual therapy for adults and children.
Our goal is to provide collaborative clinical training for graduate students in an atmosphere of
respect, support and education for the purpose of providing specialized service to the community.
Clinical instructors have Master’s degrees in Speech-Language Pathology, certification by the American
Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA), and licensure in the state of Idaho. Graduate clinicians
receive one-on-one training from instructors with over 65 years combined clinical experience in the
community and graduate level instruction.
Student opportunities:
Joni Loftin: Graduate Speech-Language Pathology students enrolled in a newly offered elective course,
Orofacial Myology, taught by Joni Loftin, Clinical Professor, teamed up with Dental Hygiene Students
enrolled in a Leadership course, taught by Ellen Rogo, Associate Professor, for an inter-professional
learning event in April. The event centered on an interdisciplinary protocol for the evaluation of the
stomatognathic system. Each student read a journal article and answered focused questions on the
protocol prior to attending the event. At the event, students worked in small interdisciplinary groups to
discuss these questions and to administer the protocol on one another. A full group discussion on the
merits and pitfalls of the specific protocol, the potential for utilizing it in each profession, and the value
of the two professions collaborating followed. The event fostered an exhilarating exchange of teaching
and learning between SLP and Dental Hygiene students about orofacial myology concepts, dentition,
tooth eruption, and other oral tenets.
The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders has collaboratively offered an
undergraduate course on interdisciplinary evaluations for the past two decades. This course is being
developed for larger offerings for students in additional health sciences departments.
FRIENDS of People who Stutter one-day workshop
FRIENDS is a national non-profit, volunteer organization created to provide support and education for
children and teenagers who stutter, their families, and the professionals who work with them. The
Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders is co-sponsoring a FRIENDS one-day workshop on
August 16th, 2014, in the Boise Metro Area. This workshop is for individuals who stutter, their families
and offers continuing education for Speech Pathologists. For more information please visit
(www.northwestfluency.org) or e-mail Dan Hudock at hudock@isu.edu.
Clinical opportunities at ISU:
Advancing Adventures in Communicating Camp
ISU- Meridian Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders is partnering with St. Luke’s/Elks
Childrens Rehab - Meridian, and the Idaho Assistive Technology Program to sponsor an annual
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Camp for school-age children who use speechgenerating devices to communicate. The Camp is one-week long, with daily sessions. Graduate student
clinicians in speech-language pathology from ISU are each assigned one camper with whom they will
work all week. Professional SLPs participate as counselors to increase their continuing education about
AAC. Campers and their families come from all over the US and Canada to work on communicating more
often and more completely with their AAC devices. Activities include drama, computer lab, arts & crafts,
dance, music, field trips (e.g. swimming, hippotherapy [horses]), and science. Campers and counselors
are supervised by professional SLPs from ISU and St. Luke’s/Elks Rehab. St. Luke’s also provides an
occupational therapist for the week. Anne Kuhlmeier, MA, CCC-SLP is Lead SLP at St. Luke’s/Elks and is
the AAC Camp Director; Jeanne M. Johnson, PhD, CCC-SLP, is the ISU Coordinator for Camp; Kathy Griffin
and Dan Dyer from IATP run the computer lab.
Meridian Intensive Adult Program
Amy Hardy, Beth Guryan and Darcey Kennedy will be implementing the Meridian Intensive Adult
Program (MIAP) for June of 2014 at the Meridian Health Sciences Building, ISU-Meridian. MIAP is a
two-week summer intensive communication treatment program especially designed to assist people
diagnosed with aphasia or other communication disorders, and their families, to improve their life
participation.
Toddler Early Language Learning (TELL)
TELL is a preschool program that provides a structured environment that fosters speech/language skills,
as well as social-emotional, intellectual, and creative growth with developmentally appropriate
activities. Children participate in group and individual sessions tailored to their specific needs during a
two-hour period.
Swallowing and Voice Clinic
Diagnostic, treatment, and consultation services are provided for children with difficulties in: feeding,
(includes difficulty sucking, swallowing, and/or chewing); food texture issues; behavioral feeding issues;
and transitioning from tube feeding to oral feeding. Therapy is provided directly by a certified clinician
who specializes in infant and pediatric swallowing disorders. Innovative assessment and treatment of
dysphagia (swallowing difficulties) and voice disorders is also provided. Neuromuscular electrical
stimulation (NMES) treatment is also available by VitalStim certified clinicians.
Northwest Center for Fluency Disorders Interprofessional Intensive Stuttering Clinic (NWCFD-IISC)
Dan Hudock at the ISU-Speech-Learning Health Clinic is offering an intensive stuttering clinic for
adolescents and adults who stutter, from July 26 – August 9th at ISU-Pocatello. This program is a
collaborative effort between the Departments of Communication Sciences and Disorders and Counseling
at ISU and will target the true multidimensionality of the stuttering syndrome using appropriately
trained professionals. For more information please visit (www.northwestfluency.org) or e-mail Dan
Hudock at hudock@isu.edu.
NWCFD School-Aged Day Camp:
Dan Hudock and Beth Guryan will be offering a day camp for school-aged children who stutter from
August 13-15th in Meridian, Idaho. For more information please visit (www.northwestfluency.org) or email Dan Hudock at hudock@isu.edu.
What research some of our faculty have currently going on:
Amy Hardy: Has recently submitted a manuscript entitled: A “Look and Listen” Approach to Pediatric
Dysphagia - Complex pediatric feeding problems involve both biological and behavioral aspects that
mutually interact, thus they both need to be addressed for a child to take part and achieve quality
feedings. A “look and listen” approach suggests that expert clinicians capitalize on our clinical abilities of
looking and listening to the behavioral and biological aspects of feeding between the child and the
feeder. This proposal suggests that with the pediatric population we begin to move to a standard that
can be used within a variety of clinical settings. The approach will also provide a guide for beginning
clinicians by defining what to watch and listen for between a child and feeder.
Dan Hudock: Examines how to effectively and efficiently reduce overt stuttering using behavioral speech
motor alterations and by presenting audio, visual, and audiovisual feedback to individuals who stutter.
He also studies interpersonal communication using biophysiolgocial measures of skin conductance,
heart-rate, surface EMG, high-density EEG and behavioral eye-tracking. Other research includes
collaborations with Nick Altieri using functional neural imaging and neural network modeling to examine
neuroscience components of speech production and perception systems.
Karrie Cummings Hansen: A co-researcher in a project that aims to discover if interdisciplinary care of
patients with head and neck cancer reduces treatment breaks and/or hospitalizations due to radiation
and/or dysphagia related side affects.
Shauna Smith and Amy Hardy: have recently presented their study, "Use of iPad video feedback in the
supervision of SLP student clinicians," at regional an national venues and have been invited to submit a
manuscript to an ASHA special interest group publication.
Tony Seikel: Has been involved in a series of studies involving over 400 subjects that examine the
relationship between tongue thrust and oropharyngeal dysphagia, finding that presence of tongue
thrust in childhood predicts dysphagia in late life. In collaboration with Dan Hudock, Mary Whitaker,
Jenn Holst, Jane Coe Smith and Paula Seikel of ISU, and Jennifer Gans of the University of California at
San Francisco, he has submitted a grant proposal for a study of mindfulness practice as a treatment for
the effects of chronic tinnitus. He is collaborating on a grant proposal with Joni Loftin, Kristin Calley and
Ellen Rogo on a study that is developing a screening tool for oromyofunctional disorders.
Diane Ogiela is currently studying several areas of language comprehension and use in school age
children with specific language impairment (SLI) in the ISU Child Language Lab in Meridian. In one study
she is examining how well children with SLI are able to integrate verb phrase and noun phrase
information to interpret sentences in comparison to children with typical language. In another study,
she is investigating whether different types of standardized tests of language will identify the same
children as having language impairment. She is also investigating grammatical error patterns produced
in narratives by children with SLI.