Fontbonne University Course Syllabus

Spring 2008

CDS 526 SEMINAR IN FLUENCY DISORDERS

Section 10, 3 credit hours

Instructor: Lynne Shields

Class meeting time: Thursday, 4:30 – 7:00

Class location: East 103

Instructor office: East 210, 889-1464

Office Hours:  Tues. 12:30-1:30, Wed. 9:30-11:30 or by appointment

e-mail: lshields@fontbonne.edu

COURSE DESCRIPTION: A review of terminology and theories related to the onset and development of fluency disorders followed by in depth coverage of assessment and treatment methods for children and adults.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:  [ ] = ASHA certification standards

The learning activities, assignments, and exams in the course assess your mastery of the following learning outcomes. The student will be able to:

1) explain onset and development of stuttering and related theories. [III-C]

2) demonstrate comprehension of current assessment and intervention methods for fluency disorders in children and adults. [III-D] 

3) demonstrate comprehension of current issues in the treatment of stuttering. [III-G]

4) apply knowledge concerning attitudes and emotions and its impact on stuttering to the assessment and treatment of stuttering. [IV-G 1; IV-G 3]

5) demonstrate developing-level skill in the following areas:

a. assessment methods, including percentage of disfluent

syllables, identification of types of disfluencies, identification

of secondary features, identification of attitudes and emotions

related to stuttering

     b. pseudostuttering and its use in intervention

c. selected fluency shaping techniques

d. selected stuttering modification techniques

[IV-G 1; IV-G 2; IV-G 3]

7) demonstrate knowledge of specialty recognition and the ASHA code of ethics as it applies to the management of fluency disorders. [III-E; III-H]

TEXTS:

Chmela, K. A., & Reardon, N. (2001). The school-age child who stutters:  Working effectively with attitudes and emotionsäA workbook. Memphis, TN: Stuttering Foundation of America.

Jezer, M. (1997). Stuttering: A life bound up in words. Brattleboro, Vermont: Small Pond Press.

Manning, W. H.  (2001).  Clinical decision making in fluency disorders, 2^nd Ed.  Vancouver, Canada:  Singular/Thompson Learning.

COURSE OUTLINE:

Date Topic Reading Assignment

1/17 Overview       terms & theories, clinician competencies    

1/24 Review of Characteristics  Ch. 1, 2, 3 M  begin PS

assgn. and Definitions    ASHA guidelines

1/31 Theories: Etiology   Jezer Ch. 1-8  Jezer reflections #1

Onset & Development   

2/7 Mini-Exam    Ch. 4 & 5 M    Assessment  

2/14 Assessment (cont.)   Jezer Ch. 9-17  Jezer refl. #2  

2/21 Treatment    Ch. 6 M   Pseudostuttering Journal, Pt. 1 2/28 Mini-Exam

Counseling Strategies   Ch. 7 M                 

3/6 Treating Adults and Adolescents  Ch. 8 M        

3/13, 20 Spring Break – No Class

3/27 Adults & Adolescents (cont.)  Jezer Ch 18-26  

Jezer-reflection & summary  

4/3 Mini-Exam

Adults and Adolescents (cont.) 

4/10 Guest Speaker

4/17 Treating Preschool   Ch. 9 M   ISAD paper     

& School-age Children    

4/24 Preschool & School-age Children SFA Wkbk

Ch 1-4      Mini-Exam

5/1 Preschool & School-age Children    PS #2 due        

5/8 Indicators of Progress in Therapy Ch. 10 & 11 M       

Progress Following Treatment   

FINAL EXAM – take home; due Monday, May 12th by 3:00 p.m.

INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS: A seminar is defined as "a group of advanced students studying under a professor with each doing original research and all exchanging results through reports and discussions" (Merriam-Webster, 2002). Therefore, it is assumed that all students will come to each class having read materials appropriate to the topic of the class, and being prepared to discuss the information gathered. While some lecture will be incorporated into the class, it is expected that students will participate regularly through in-class discussion, as well as by bringing resources obtained from their independent research.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

Students are expected to be present for all class meetings. Participation is expected in class discussions.  Therefore, students are to come to class having read assigned material and with any pertinent material resulting from student research outside of class on the topic(s). Periodic quizzes will be given, and assignments will include group and individual written work and/or projects.  All written work will be evaluated on grammar, organization and spelling, in addition to content. Points will be deducted for late assignments at the rate of 10 percent per day/class after the due date.

Specific assignments include:

1. Each student will participate in a practical assignment during which you will accomplish two goals.  The first is to learn how to pseudostutter, so that you can produce both the core and secondary features of stuttering and gain some experience with stuttering in public.  The second goal is for you to learn how to produce several of the target behaviors that are used in stuttering therapy.  Detailed instructions for this assignment will be provided.  You will keep a journal for the duration of the assignment. The part of your journal pertaining to pseudostuttering will be turned in at the beginning of class on 2/21/08. The second part of your journal, relating to your use of target behaviors, will be turned in on 5/1/08. Each part of this assignment will be graded based on a total of 50 possible points.    [III-C, III-D, IV-G 1, 2 & 3]

2. You will be reading the text, Stuttering: A life bound up in words, over the course of the semester.  You are to turn in a response paper for each of several sections of the book, as indicated on your syllabus on the class outline section, elaborating on what you have learned through your reading. Along with your final response paper, you will turn in an additional response paper, summarizing what you believe are the major aspects about stuttering that you have learned from this book, and how you believe the book will impact you as a future clinician. What do you believe are the most important points to include in a fluency evaluation? What does Jezer say to you about the value/benefit of fluency treatment?

Each 1 page response is worth up to 10 pts.; the summary paper is worth up to 15 pts.

[III-G; IV-G]

3. Students will each select and read six papers from the International Stuttering Awareness Day Conferences 2005, 2006 or 2007. These may be accessed on The Stuttering Homepage at the following URL: http://www.mnsu.edu/comdis/kuster/stutter.html. You may select papers from the areas marked "Research about Stuttering" and "Treatment Information and Issues". If you select "clinical nuggets", then all papers under that heading are considered as a single paper. Write a paper of approximately 3-4 pages. At the beginning, include a list of the six articles selected. Your paper is to address the primary lessons that you learned from these papers, including how you anticipate using these in your practice of speech-language pathology. (20 pts.) [III-G]

4. Individual and/or small group assignments, which may include presentations of information from assigned readings or from your own independent research.  Some of these assignments will be graded, while others will not.

5. Periodic short exams will be scheduled throughout the semester.  A comprehensive final exam will be given at the end of the semester.

EVALUATION AND GRADING: The final grade will be determined based on the percentage of total points accumulated over the semester. The grading scale includes the standard division for plus-minus letter grades ≥A≤ through ≥C≤ (e.g., "A" ranges from 90-100%, "B" from 80-89%, etc.).  Since  there is no ≥D≤ letter grade at the graduate level, an accumulation of less than 70% of the total points will result in a grade of ≥F≤.

KASA Criteria:

Students must receive a grade of C or higher on any assignment or exam which satisfies one or more of the certification standards of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. If a grade of C- or below is earned, the student will need to initiate a remediation process in order to demonstrate acquisition of the skill or knowledge indicator associated with the low grade. The student will work with the course instructor, advisor, program director and/or department chair to address the deficiency. This process is explained in detail in the department manual.

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY:

The university community relies upon academic honesty, which requires that words and ideas that students present as their own truly represent their own work. Plagiarism, defined as using another writer's ideas or expressions without adequate acknowledgment, undermines the very foundation of education, which is a quest for the truth. Often plagiarism occurs because students do not understand the boundaries of legitimate scholarship. In brief, the honest use of research material requires that writers:

1. Use quotation marks around (or indent) words of another writer and cite the source of these words;

2. Cite the source of paraphrased material, even when the paraphrase differs substantially from the original;

3. Attribute to their sources ideas of other writers.

A handbook on writing research papers will provide writers with detailed information on citation of sources. The APA Publication Manual includes examples of plagiarism.

Cheating is a purposeful deception in the preparation and/or submission of papers and assignments and the taking of exams, tests, or quizzes. While individual instructors will set specific policies regarding cheating, in general students can expect to receive a zero on an assignment, exam, test or quiz, and perhaps fail a course when cheating has occurred.

NOTE:  This syllabus is subject to change at the discretion of the instructor to accommodate instructional and/or student needs.  It is the student's responsibility to make note of any announced changes.