Indiana University South Bend grad students provide free speech and language services to community
The university’s Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology program launched in 2021 and has seen two cohorts of graduate students provide free services to the community, including speech therapy for children and routine screenings.
Indiana University South Bend’s Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology graduate students are continuing to make a difference in the community by providing free services to individuals in need of certain speech or language services, such as screenings to evaluate need for further services. There is a current shortage of speech-language pathologists that is leading to months-long waitlists for these services, so the graduate students are providing a valuable to South Bend residents, completely free of charge, and under the supervision of a licensed speech language pathologist.
According to an article on Indiana University South Bend’s website, Jennifer Essig, who is the speech language pathology program director and a clinical associate professor, explained the benefits of the program and the work students do. Essig is quoted as saying, “Students get the educational training and practice they need to become clinicians in the community. It gives them investment in their local community, shows them what the needs are locally, and exposes them to different populations so they can learn to navigate challenges they may face.”
The IUSB Elkhart Speech-Language Clinic is the main location at which the graduate students provide these services, though they also go to various community locations to offer screenings. The population they are serving is primarily children, including preschoolers and elementary schoolers, though adults with conditions like dementia, Long Covid, and those who have suffered a stroke also utilize speech language pathology.
Jerin Burch, who serves as the graduate program clinical director and a clinical assistant professor, said, “In the fall semester when we conduct hearing screenings or speech language screenings, each student gets the experience of going out to multiple different community sites. In addition to the valuable clinical practice of screening many different children, it gives our graduate students authentic interprofessional practice and networking opportunities because they’re interacting with community SLPs, principals, school nurses, teachers, and others at the sites.”
In the Fall 2024 semester, the students provided approximately 1,200 free screenings.
For more information about Indiana University South Bend, visit the school’s website.