DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.
Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders
            CSD 2810: Observation Skills in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology 
3 Semester Credits Fall 2012 Patrick R. Walden, PhD, CCC-SLP Course Syllabus
Office: Dasilva 339 Course Times: Online/Distance Learning Email: waldenp@stjohns.edu Phone: 718-390-4121
Bulletin Description: This course will address the objective identification and written evaluation of elements of assessment and treatment processes in speech/language therapy, audiology and aural rehabilitation. Of the various factors affecting service delivery, social implications of the therapeutic process will be emphasized.
Prerequisites: CSD 1710, CSD 1720, CSD 1730 & CSD 1740 Corequisites: None
Observation Hours: Please read the following VERY carefully. You will earn ALL of your 25 hours of required observation in the area of Speech-Language Pathology through completion of this course. As I am not an Audiologist, I cannot sign off on Audiology hours. Therefore, all but 7 hours of observation are in Speech-Language Pathology for the course offering this term. I will provide you with your signed hours at the completion of the course. For those on the Queens campus, you will get them from Mrs. Donovan in the department. For those on the Staten Island campus, you will pick up your hours from DaSilva Academic Center 3rd floor front desk at the end of the term.
PLEASE NOTE: Seven of the 25 required hours in this course will be observation hours in Audiology. You must locate an audiologist in your area who will allow you to observe his/her work and who will sign off on your 7 hours. The audiologist you choose MUST HAVE A CCC- A credential. Not all audiologists carry this credential now that they have moved to an AuD as their clinical degree. But in order to get course credit (and credit from the American Speech- Language-Hearing Association) the audiologist you are observing MUST HAVE THE CCC-A. All you have to do is ask the audiologist about his/her certification PRIOR to initiating any observations. All ASHA-certified audiologists are also searchable on the ASHA website (www.asha.org).
Required Texts:
Goldberg, S.A. (1997). Clinical Skills for Speech-Language Pathologists. Clifton Park, NY:
Delmar Cengage Learning.
Vinson, B.P. (2001). Essentials for Speech-Language Pathologists. San Diego: Singular.
Course Goals:
I. The student will be introduced to basic social principles of family and disability and their impact on the therapeutic and rapport-building process.
Learning Outcomes:
1. The student will define and compare/contrast empathy, sympathy and compassion. 2. The student will discuss social implications of disability and the role of family in
habilitation/rehabilitation.
3. The student will discuss the use of empathy and compassion in the therapeutic process.
II. The student will be introduced to the assessment and treatment process in speech/language therapy, audiology and aural rehabilitation through online or in-class viewing and evaluation of assessment and treatment procedures in home/community, clinic/medical and school-based settings.
Learning Outcomes:
  1. The student will identify discernable portions of clinical evaluation and treatment sessions including greeting, introduction of tasks, performance of tasks, feedback, behavior management, client/family education and termination of sessions for both adult and child clients.
  2. The student will evaluate discernable portions of clinical evaluation and treatment sessions including greeting, introduction of tasks, performance of tasks, feedback, behavior management, client/family education and termination of sessions for both adult and child clients.
  3. The student will identify and describe the assessment goal(s) and treatment goal(s) from online or in-class viewing and evaluation of assessment and treatment procedures.
III. The student will become adept at objectively describing client, clinician, and familial/caregiver behaviors which may impact therapy.
Learning Outcomes:
  1. The student will objectively describe, in narrative form, adult and/or child client behavior, including nonverbal (non-oral) communication and response to treatment during therapy and assessment procedures which are viewed online or in-class.
  2. The student will objectively describe, in narrative form, clinician behavior, including nonverbal (non-oral) communication, during therapy and assessment procedures with adult and child clients viewed online or in-class.
  3. The student will objectively describe, in narrative form, familial/caregiver behavior, including nonverbal (non-oral) communication, during therapy and assessment procedures which are viewed online or in-class.
IV. The student will develop professional report writing skills to communicate behaviors observed in assessment and treatment procedures.
Learning Outcomes:
  1. The student will complete observation short forms (checklists) while viewing assessment and treatment procedures online or in-class.
  2. The student will write objective behavioral accounts, in narrative form, of assessment and treatment procedures viewed online or in-class which are appropriate for professional use in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology.
Units of Instruction:
I. Introduction to Disability and Family
A. Five-stage Reference model for reaction to crisis
B. SociologicalTheoriesoffamilyanddisability
C. WorldHealthOrganization’sdefinitionsofHealthConditionsandContextualFactors D. Familial/Caregiver roles in habilitation/rehabilitation
E. Rapportbuildingintheclinicalinteraction
II. Introduction to Clinical Interactions in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology
  1. Settings in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology (home/community, clinic and school-based)
  2. Partsoftheclinicalinteractionforadults(greeting,introductionoftasks,performanceof tasks, feedback, behavior management, client/family education and termination of sessions)
  3. Parts of the clinical interaction for children (greeting, introduction of tasks, performance of tasks, feedback, behavior management, client/family education and termination of sessions)
  4. NonverbalCommunication
  5. Objectivedescriptionsofbehavior
  6. Subjectivedescriptionsofbehavior
  7. Use of objective descriptions of behavior to describe clinical interactions in treatment and
    evaluation.
III. Professional report writing
A. Formatofclinicalreports
B. TerminologyinSpeech-LanguagePathologyandAudiology
C. Narrativecommunicationofobjectiveobservationsofclinicalsessions
DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.