Graduate Student Open House

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Council on Academic Accreditation Site Visit Meeting

Public meeting to be held on October 7, 2024 from 5:15 to 6 pm in Memorial Hall 208.

Public comments can be made prior to the meeting here https://caa.asha.org/programs/call-for-public-comments/

Join the meeting on Zoom here: https://wiu.zoom.us/j/93560827339

Prospective Students

Schedule a visit to tour our department, or a virtual Q&A session with

Dr. Julie Cox, Graduate Coordinator
Office: 245 Memorial Hall
Phone: (309) 298-1955
Email: JL-Cox3@wiu.edu

Comfort Circle

Our Comfort Circle support group was designed for parents and caregivers of children with special abilities. We meet twice a semester at the beginning of the month. Sessions vary from specialized speakers to open discussions. Please email KS-Hamilton@wiu.edu if you would like to be notified of our next meeting.

SPEAK OUT! ® and The LOUD Crowd ® Clinics for Parkinson's Disease

The Western Illinois University Speech-Language-Hearing is proud to bring an innovative voice treatment for individuals with Parkinson’s Disease to the region. SPEAK OUT! ® and The LOUD Crowd ®, were developed by the Parkinson Voice Project based on principles of the late Dr. Daniel R. Boone. The technique teaches individuals with Parkinson’s Disease to convert speech from an automatic function to an intentional act.

Individuals will begin with an evaluation to determine candidacy for the program. Those who are candidates will participate in approximately 5-6 weeks of individual speech therapy sessions (SPEAK OUT!) two times per week. All sessions will be led by a graduate student clinician and supervised by a speech-language pathologist trained in the techniques. Candidates will also begin attending The LOUD Crowd group sessions that meet once per week. Participants are welcome and encouraged to attend The LOUD Crowd on an ongoing basis in order to maintain their skills.

If you or a loved one is living with Parkinson’s Disease, it is never too early to begin speech therapy. Approximately 90% of those with PD will experience difficulty communicating. The WIU Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic is actively seeking candidates to begin offering SPEAK OUT! and the LOUD Crowd in September 2019.

For more information on SPEAK OUT! or The LOUD Crowd, contact Julie Cox or by calling (309) 298-1955.

Additional links:

• https://www.parkinsonvoiceproject.org
• Download the Flyer"Clinics for Parkinson's Disease"

Fundraisers

Our department is passionate about helping our clients, university and community! Each semester, our Speech & Audiology Clinics participate in a fundraiser that will directly help our students and surrounding areas.

2021: The SPA department raised over $10,500. This money was used to purchase 12 iPads with communication software for students who had no functional means of communication.

2022: The SPA department raised over $4,000 to donate over 100 sensory items to four schools within the McDonough County community.

2023: The SPA department raised over $1,600 to donate to the WIU Counseling Center. The WIU Counseling Center utilized these funds to help support their students within a variety of ways.

If you would like to donate to the next SPA fundraiser, please email Haleigh Ruebush, Hm-Ruebush@wiu.edu