CommD Grant to Address Critical Shortage of Specialists

Utah State University’s Department of Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education has received a $750,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education to address the nationwide lack of well-trained pediatric audiologists and speech-language pathologists who have the skills to provide services to infants, toddlers and preschoolers with hearing loss.

The USU project will establish a model of interdisciplinary training and alleviate critical personnel shortages — not only in Utah but throughout the western United States.

 

“Today, due to early identification and use of digital hearing aids and cochlear implants, more children with significant hearing loss have the opportunity to learn to listen and talk,” said Todd Houston, lead investigator, assistant professor and director of the graduate program in Auditory Learning and Spoken Language at USU. “Through this unique training program, Utah State University will produce the next generation of speech-language pathologists and pediatric audiologists who can appropriately serve these children and their families.”

 

The grant will be used to set up a program to train graduate students in speech-language pathology and audiology in auditory learning and spoken language approaches for children with hearing loss.

 

“This new funding will provide additional support to enhance the innovative training we’re providing for our graduate students in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology,” said Beth Foley, department head of Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education.

 

Due to vast improvements in universal newborn hearing screening, an infant with hearing loss can be screened, diagnosed and fitted with amplification and referred for early intervention services within a few weeks of age, Houston said. Research has demonstrated that if this process is successful, most children with even severe and profound hearing loss can begin kindergarten or first grade with language levels comparable to their hearing peers.

 

While this scenario is possible for an increasing number of children, there is a nationwide shortage of well-trained professionals who can address their concerns.

 

“The greatest barrier to success for these children is the lack of well-trained and highly qualified pediatric audiologists and speech-language pathologists who have the knowledge and skills to provide appropriate family-centered services to infants, toddlers and preschoolers with hearing loss,” Houston said.

 

Furthermore, advances in hearing technology, such as digital hearing aids and cochlear implants, have further complicated the situation, he said. Data from some states indicate that parents are increasingly obtaining this advanced technology for their children with hearing loss, and they also are pursuing auditory-based intervention and education programs that will allow their children to develop spoken language.

 

Houston said USU has recognized these issues within the fields of early intervention, speech-language pathology and audiology, and the proposed program will provide a specialization of coursework and practicum experiences that allow 37 students (20 in speech-language pathology and 17 in audiology) to develop specific competencies in auditory learning and spoken language during their pre-service training.

 

Students will receive a significant portion of their training through Sound Beginnings, an early intervention program and preschool for children with hearing loss who are learning to listen and talk that is housed in the Edith Bowen Laboratory School on the USU campus.

 

Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services
 

Writer: Tim Vitale, 435-797-1356, tim.vitale@usu.edu
Contact: Todd Houston: 435-797-0434, todd.houston@usu.edu