Core Courses
HESP 150: Introduction to Language Science or HESP 300: Psycholinguistics
  • What is linguistics? What is psycholinguistics? What is language?
  • Tools of science (How do you ask research questions? What’s an experiment?)
  • Acoustics/speech perception/phonetics (phonemes, lack of acoustic invariance, etc.)
  • Words (lexical access for form, meaning/semantics, morphology/building blocks, basic terminology as to parts of speech/roles that words play)
  • Sentences (syntax, parsing, garden-paths/revision)
  • Pragmatics (Grice’s rules, inference, anaphora and pronoun interpretation)
  • Relationship between language processing and domain-general cognitive processes (some subset of memory, cognitive control, categorization)
  • Biological foundations of language (lateralization/localization, common imaging techniques, aphasia)
  • Production (words, sentences, priming, fluency)
  • Sources of normal variation (sociolinguistics, dialects)
  • Bilingualism (word recognition, bilingual advantage)
  • Early acquisition (language preferences, prerequisites, theories)

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HESP 305: Anatomy and Physiology of the Speech Mechanism or HESP 309: Anatomy & Physiology of Speech & Hearing*
  • Develop a thorough working knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of parts of the head, oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, neck, chest, trunk, and nervous system that contribute to the speech and swallowing mechanisms.
  • Develop a strong understanding of the normal anatomy and physiology of speech production as a foundation for the study of speech, language, and swallowing disorders.
  • Recognize the anatomical names of structures associated with the processes of respiration, phonation, articulation/resonance, and swallowing.
  • Understand the function (physiology) of each portion of the speech mechanism and how it contributes to the processes of respiration, phonation, articulation/ resonance, and swallowing.
  • Describe the processes of respiration, phonation, articulation/resonance, and swallowing.
  • Learn mechanisms of speech motor control through the study of central and peripheral neuroanatomy and neurophysiology.

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HESP 311: Anatomy and Physiology of the Hearing Mechanism or HESP 309: Anatomy & Physiology of Speech & Hearing*
  • Develop a thorough understanding of the gross and fine anatomy of the auditory system at five levels: external ear, middle ear, inner ear, eighth nerve, and central auditory nervous system.
  • Understand the function (physiology) of each portion of the auditory system, and how it contributes to hearing.
  • Develop a thorough understanding of different pathological conditions that affect the auditory system, including etiology, progression, effect on auditory function, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis.
  • Learn how to interpret hearing test results in order to understand the effects of auditory pathology on hearing abilities.
  • Develop an appreciation of the field of audiology and the importance of preventing and treating hearing loss in today's society.

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HESP 400: Speech and Language Development in Children 
  • Topics:
    • Theories of Language Development, and debates such as Nature vs. Nurture and Critical periods
    • Building blocks of language: Infant cognitive & communicative underpinnings (Piagetian theory, joint attention) 
    • Early speech perception abilities
    • Early production (babbling into first words)
    • Pronunciation/Phonological Development (when sounds can be produced, phonological errors, cluster reduction) 
    • First words and word combinations; word-learning
    • Morphology (Brown's morphemes, calculating MLU) 
    • Syntactic Development (word order, passives vs. actives, embedded clauses, parts of speech)
    • Pragmatics & communicative competence (egocentrism/perspective taking, inferences)
    • Reading & Writing (alphabetic systems, phonics, sight reading, phonological awareness)
    • Individual differences (various sources of differences, including input, SES, style...) 
    • Bilingualism
  • Ages:
    • Infancy 
    • Toddlers 
    • Preschoolers
    • School-aged
    • Adult/Adolescent 
  • Hands-on Skill Sets:
    • MLU Calculations & Language Sample Analysis 
    • Speech sound analysis
    • Identification of: parts of speech, word order (SVO), morpheme types, phonological error types

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HESP 303: Phonetic Transcription or HESP 403: Introduction to Phonetic Science 
  • Understand the nature of human's production of speech.
  • Transcribe speech.
  • Detect patterns of error in speech.
  • Communicate with others about the science of phonetics and its importance to linguistics and the clinical fields of speech-language pathology and audiology.
  • Learn about the features of sounds in human speech and the ways we describe and classify those sounds.
  • Understand potential difficulties of several populations relevant to clinicians and linguists.

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HESP 407: Bases of Hearing Science
  • Know the physical, temporal, and spectral properties of acoustic signals (tones, noise, and other complex sounds, including speech signals).
  • Understand basic concepts of signals and systems. 
  • Understand basics of sound processing by the auditory system. 
  • Be familiar with psychophysical methods used to examine human hearing in the laboratory. 
  • Be familiar with the elements of auditory psychophysics, such as auditory sensitivity and discrimination, masking, loudness, pitch, sound localization, auditory scene analysis, and their applications to everyday listening situations. 

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HESP 411: Introduction to Audiology
  • Audiology as a profession
  • Introduction to basic hearing assessment battery
    • Preparing for hearing assessment
  • Behavioral testing
    • Pure tone audiometry
    • Speech audiometry
  • Audiometric interpretation
  • Masking
  • Immittance audiometry
    • Tympanometry
    • Acoustic reflexes
  • Electrophysiology
  • Pediatric assessment
    • Optoacoustic emissions (OAEs)
    • Hearing screenings
  • Differential diagnosis
  • Vestibular assessment and management
  • Non-organic hearing loss and appropriate tests/special populations
    • Auditory processing disorders
  • Tinnitus and hearing conservation
  • Intervention
    • Amplification
    • Assistive listening devices (ALDs)
    • Cochlear implants
    • Counseling and aural rehabilitation

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HESP 413: Aural Rehabilitation 
  • Professional roles and responsibilities in the implementation of person-centered service delivery
  • Assessment and diagnosis of hearing related disability
  • Impact of hearing loss on speech perception, speech/language development, academic and vocational achievement and social/emotional development
  • Hearing aids and hearing assistive technology options and their application in treatment/management of hearing loss
  • Development and implementation of person centered aural habilitation/rehabilitation plans for pediatric though geriatric populations
  • Fostering of self-efficacy and self-advocacy for independent management of hearing loss 

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HESP 313, 422, or equivalent: Neurobiology for Speech and Hearing 
  • Cellular anatomy, neural transmission (action potential), neurotransmitters (excitatory, inhibitory)
  • Gross anatomy
    • Cerebral: including lobes, sulci, gyri, insula, blood supply, meninges/ventricles, CSF
    • Primary and secondary cortices: sensorimotor, auditory pathway (8th CN to temporal lobe), visual etc.
    • Subcortical structures, hypothalamus, etc. basal ganglia, thalamus, midbrain, cerebellum, medulla, pons, etc.
    • Peripheral nervous system (cranial and spinal nerves)
    • Gray vs white matter
    • White matter pathways in cortex (corpus callosum, internal capsule, corona radiata, superior longitudinal fasciculus, etc.)
  • Reflexes, reflex arc, normal and pathological reflexes
  • Neural development & aging
  • Neuropathologies
    • Developmental conditions (Down’s syndrome)
    • Acute conditions (TBI, stroke)
    • Progressive (Parkinson’s, ALS, tumor, etc.)
    • Others (neurotoxins, substance abuse, psychiatric conditions)
  • Localization of lesions based on symptoms

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HESP 417: Principles and Methods in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology***
  • Observe and evaluate videotaped speech and language therapy sessions with a focus on the areas of programming, behavior modification, teaching strategies, session design, counseling and data collection.
  • Formulate task hierarchies containing criterion based on behavioral objectives.
  • Collect and interpret performance data using a variety of forms and coding systems.
  • Employ principles of learning theory and positive behavior support to address behavior management and behavior change. 
  • Interpret diagnostic reports to summarize strengths and weaknesses, formulate reasonable baseline measures, and long/short term goals.
  • Identify counseling strategies used in the treatment of communicative disorders.
  • Discuss issues in culturally/linguistically diverse populations when treating and counseling for communication disorders.
  • Judge appropriate professional conduct based on the ASHA Code of Ethics, the ASHA Scope of Practice, and HIPAA guidelines.
  • Understand impact of untreated hearing loss on healthy aging.
  • Be familiar with interprofessional practice (IPP) & Core Competencies (CCs)
  • Understand the shift in health care delivery from a biomedical model to a biophysical model.
  • Know the characteristics and benefits of patient-centered/relationship-centered model of care.
  • Understand the conceptual framework behind the World Health Organization's ICF (International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health) and its application in an interdisciplinary, patient-centered model of health care.
  • Use the Calgary-Cambridge model of integrating process and content in clinical interviewing/case history and understand how this interfaces with interdisciplinary and patient-centered care and the WHO ICF.
  • Interpret otoscopy and identify normal landmarks and gross abnormalities of the external ear, ear canal and tympanic membrane.
  • Relate previous knowledge of anatomy/physiology/pathology of the auditory system to differential diagnosis of site-of-lesion via audiogram and immittance interpretation.
  •  Interpret pure tone and speech audiometric results and acoustic immittance data to identify type, degree, and slope of hearing loss, inter-test reliability, and integrity of the auditory system and acoustic reflex pathways.
  • Determine functional impact of a given hearing loss on communication and use information from the patient interview to collaborate with the patient to determine a treatment plan with respect to amplification/cochlear implants/assistive listening devices, communicative strategies and/or medical referral. 
  • Describe types of amplification options — to include cochlear implants — with respect to the type and degree of the hearing impairment, lifestyle needs, age, and physical limitations of the patient. Describe connectivity options now available with hearing aids and cochlear implants. 

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Last modified
06/06/2017 - 9:19 am