SLP 567 – Medical Speech-Language Pathology

Spring, 2008

 

Schedule:             Tuesday & Thursday, 8:00-9:40 am

Level:                  Graduate

Credits:               2 semester hours

Instructor:           Paul A. Dagenais, Ph.D.

Address:              UCOM 2517

Phone:                  380-2608

Office Hours:      1:00-3:00 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday or as arranged.

Email:                  pdagenais@usouthal.edu

Website:              www.southalabama.edu/speechandhearing/Dagenais.htm

 

Prerequisites:  Admission to the graduate speech-language pathology program in the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology.

 

Text:

Suggested: Gillis, R. J. (1996). Traumatic Brain Injury. Rehabilitation for Speech-Language Pathologists. Boston, MA: Butterworth-Heinemann.

Suggested: Davis, G. A. (2007). Aphasiology: Disorders and Clinical Practice (2nd edition). Boston, MA: Pearson Allyn & Bacon .

Additional readings from chapters in Chapey, R. (2001). Language intervention strategies in aphasia and related neurogenic communication disorders (4th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.  

Students with Disabilities: If you have a specific disability that qualifies you for academic accommodations, please notify the instructor and provide certification from Disability Services in the Office of Special Student Services. The Office of Special Student Services is located in Room 270 of the Student Center (460-7212).

 

Course Objectives/Goals:

Through successful completion of examinations, students will indicate a working knowledge of the following:

  1. Understanding the nature of traumatic brain injury with emphasis on the cognitive and linguistic deficits that may affect communication.
  2. Gain knowledge in the evaluation and treatment of cognitive and linguistic deficits associated with traumatic brain injury.
  3. Gain knowledge in the area of medical center procedures, report writing, documentation, ethics, multicultural considerations and universal precautions.

Behaviorally defined objectives for student knowledge and skill:

Each of the objectives below describes the behavior to be achieved and the mechanism for evaluation.

 

1.      The student will demonstrate knowledge of the nature of traumatic brain injury (TBI) including causes, types of neurological damage associated with TBI, and the behaviors associated with the disorder. This knowledge will be evaluated by the instructor via formal testing (addresses ASHA standard III-C, III-D, III-E).

2.      The student will demonstrate knowledge of the ethical assessment, diagnosis, and prognosis for recovery form TBI. This skill will be evaluated by formal testing graded by the instructor (addresses ASHA standard III-D, III-E, III-F and III-G).

3.      The student will demonstrate knowledge of the various instruments and procedures for the ethical treatment of neurogenic language and cognitive disorders associated with TBI. This skill will be evaluated by formal testing graded by the instructor (addresses ASHA standards III-D, III-E, IIIF).

4.      The student will integrate the TBI information from lecture, class discussion, and reading of the text and apply this information by producing two clinically relevant SOAP notes. SOAP notes will be submitted individually; one for evaluation and one for treatment. The written product and oral presentation of the information will be evaluated and graded by the instructor (addresses ASHA III-A, III-D, III-E, III-F, III-G, III-H).

5.      The student will demonstrate knowledge of common Medical Center procedures and issues surrounding patient care. Assessment of this knowledge will be evaluated by formal testing graded by the instructor (addresses ASHA standards III-A, III-D, III-F, III-G, III-H, III-I).

 

Course Content:

1. Introductory Remarks

Gillis, chapter 1

2. Mechanisms of TBI

Gillis, chapter 3

3. Medical Management

Gillis, chapter 4

4. Nature of Cognitive and Language Impairments in TBI

Gillis, chapter 5

5. Framework for Cognitive and Psychosocial Intervention

Chapey, chapter 33

6. Acute/Postacute Rehabilitation

Gillis, chapter 7,8, Chapey, Chapter 33

8. Invited speakers

 

 

Evaluation: Grades for this class will be determined from an assignment involving the use of a selected TBI evaluation for high functioning patients (RBANS or FAVRES). The evaluation will involve comments as both test administrator and the person examined. Comments pertaining to the speaker presentations will also be collected but not necessarily contribute to the final grade.

Grades for this course are applied as follows:

       Grade A: 90 - 100%

       Grade B: 80 -  89%

       Grade C: 75 -  79%

       Grade D: 68 -  74%

       Fail: below 68%

Students should be advised that they are required to maintain a 3.0 GPA in order to continue in the masters’ degree program.

 

Plans for Record Keeping, Feedback to Students, Faculty, Supervisors, & Student Remediation: Grades for assignments are kept on a spreadsheet by the instructor. Completed assignments are returned to the students with instructor feedback. Students may want to maintain assignments for their portfolio. Students who perform poorly on the tests/exams are required to rewrite portions to demonstrate knowledge and skill acquisition to instructor’s satisfaction.

Statement on Changes in Course Assignments: Any changes in the course assignments will be made in a timely manner and students will be notified of the changes during class meetings.

 

Attendance Policy: Graduate level study is the final preparation before students enter the profession.  As such, students should consider class attendance to be similar to attendance in a professional setting.  It is mandatory.  Students will be allowed one unexcused absence during the lecture series.  Subsequent unexcused absences will be penalized by a drop of one letter grade per absence.  Absences during exam periods or during the class presentations must be accounted for by appropriate documentation such as a doctor’s notice of illness. Students are advised that they are allowed only one grade of C before being dismissed from the program.

Students with disabilities:  If you have a specific disability that qualifies you for academic accommodations, please notify me and provide certification from Disability Services in the Office of Special Student Services. The Office of Special Student Services is located in the Student Center, Room 270, phone 460-7212.

 

PAD

January 2008