Health and Human Services News

Working on words

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During COVID-19 lockdowns in March 2020, Missouri State University offered a “virtual friend” program for international students who were unable to travel back to their home countries.

The program piqued the interest of Deborah Cron, clinical professor of speech-language pathology in the communication sciences and disorders department. She volunteered and formed a friendship with an international student from China.

Then she had an idea.

Practicing pronunciation

Many international students arrive at Missouri State wanting to improve their English speaking. This was no different for Cron’s virtual friend.

In summer 2020, Cron and Jinzi Fan, China programs specialist, developed a program for SLP graduate students to meet virtually with international students to practice pronunciation techniques.

“When COVID hit, the Chinese students I work with were suddenly isolated,” Fan said. “But they were still eager to learn. This program is an opportunity for them to improve their English beyond their classes.”

The virtual program continued via zoom after campus reopened in fall 2020 and is now a flourishing partnership between SLP and International Programs.

Staying connected through culture

For SLP graduate students Monica Ballay, Hanah Braden, Ashton Doza and Brendyn Petty, the program gave them a different perspective of culture.

“We learn a lot about the international students’ cultures working with them,” Braden said. “But we also learn about our own culture, as we explain the context of certain terms and their pronunciations.”

Yidan Ge, an international student from China who participates in the program, echoes that sentiment. Ge appreciated learning important aspects of American culture, while also making progress with her English.

“I’ve only been in the States for a year,” Ge said. “So, it’s been really nice to stay connected with this group and be able to practice during the weirdness of COVID.”

The goal of the pronunciation sessions is to help them produce speech sounds that non-native English speakers  use in their mother language. The students also  learn context, vocal inflection and sentence structure.

“We never want to erase someone’s native accent,” Cron said. “The goal is to make their English understandable.”

Ge says English slang, vowel sounds and plural pronunciations are what she struggles with most.

“Take ‘clothes,’ for example,” she said. “I used to pronounce it like ‘clothe-is.’ But this group has helped me work on those plural pronunciations.”

How to participate

Students, faculty, staff, alumni, even community members coming from any language background can sign up for upcoming sessions by sending an email to Deborah Cron.

Include “English Pronunciation Groups” in the email subject line.

Spring 2020 graduate spotlight: Hannah and Julie Anderson

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The timing was perfect for mother-daughter duo Julie and Hannah Anderson to study speech-language pathology. 

After working in the preschool setting for 13 years, Julie decided it was time to get her degree. At the same time, Hannah was transferring schools and changing her field of study.  

“Mom was researching speech-language pathology as a potential major, and her research is what got me interested,” Hannah said.  

That’s when the fun began.  

Back to school with a built-in study buddy 

Hannah and Julie both started at Missouri State in the communication sciences and disorders program in fall 2017. They graduated together in spring 2020, completing the speech-language pathology track. 

Since they started and finished at the same time, they had most classes together.  

“I really enjoyed having a built–in study buddy,” Julie said. “I had to start studying material quickly when we entered the program, because it had been so long since I was in school. It helped to always have someone there learning the same things as me.”  

Julie also never felt out of place as a nontraditional student.  

“Everyone in my classes, from students to professors, were welcoming and I felt like I fit in,” Julie said. “I even got invited to a classmate’s 21st birthday party.”  

Both give high praise to faculty and staff in the communication sciences and disorders department—Jennifer Pratt, Hillary Mayes, Dr. Shurita Thomas-Tate and Dr. Alana Mantie-Kozlowski.  

“They’re super smart women who are really passionate about what they do,” Hannah said. “And when a professional in the field is passionate, it makes you more passionate about what you’re learning.”  

Two women facing away from the camera
Hannah (left) and Julie (right) don their decorated mortarboards.

Post-graduate life: Julie 

After graduation, Julie started work as a speech-language pathology assistant in the Marshfield R-1 school district. She meets weekly with around 50 students who have language or articulation disorders.  

“We do what is called drill and play, which is a back and forth between an engaging game, like Uno, and the speech drills,” Julie said. “I love helping those kids and watching them improve week by week.”  

She cites experiences at MSU that paved the way for her career.  

“We took a clinical observation class where I got to watch how SLPs treat many different disorders, and I got to assist a graduate student with her child client who had an articulation disorder,” Julie said. “Those experiences prepared me to be a teacher of children with these disorders.”  

After achieving her goal of getting a degree, Julie is thankful to be in the position she is in now.  

“I feel like I’m finally doing what I was meant to do,” she said.  

woman sitting at table in classroom
Julie in her Marshfield classroom.

Post-graduate life: Hannah 

Hannah started in the speech-language pathology graduate program in summer 2020. She plans to work with children as an SLP.  

“The good thing about this field is that I can work in a lot of different settings,” Hannah said. “But right now, my heart is set on helping kids.”  

woman standing against a wall
Hannah in her SLP graduate school scrubs.

COVID-19 altered her graduate school experience, but she still sees the value in what she’s learning.  

“We are working with clients over teletherapy, which is a COVID alteration,” Hannah said. “But, I am applying all the information I learned during undergrad, and I feel like I’m really preparing for my career.”  

She does miss going to school with her mom, but found a way to continue intertwining their experiences.  

“I come home and tell her about what I’m learning in class, knowing that she can take that knowledge and use it in her classroom,” Hannah said. “And when I have a child client, I can go to her for advice. We’re still learning from each other every day.”  

Speech, Language and Hearing Clinic clocks successful summer online

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March 17, 2020 is a day many MSU students and faculty won’t soon forget. In the middle of spring break, the university moved the remaining semester fully online because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

For the Speech, Language and Hearing Clinic, online instruction meant in-person therapy sessions with clients wasn’t an option.

So, they got to work.

Sign outside door that reads "Speech-language-hearing clinic"
The Communication Sciences and Disorders Clinic in the Professional Building provides evaluation and treatment for all ages in the areas of Speech-Language Pathology, Audiology and early intervention for children who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Finishing spring 2020

Many speech-language pathology (SLP) graduate students clock clinical hours here. Practice in a real environment with actual clients, as opposed to simulated labs, accounts for more than 75% of their hours.

It was imperative, for students and patients, the clinic resumed operation as soon as possible.

“We wanted to be able to provide that community again,” said Lauren Jones, director of the Speech, Language and Hearing Clinic.

For the remainder of the semester, students used their limited simulation allowance to clock clinical hours, while faculty and staff ran the race to restructure the clinic for the summer.

Transitioning online

The move to a fully online clinic was multi-faceted.

The transition included switching student logins to multi-factor authentication to protect patient files accessed from outside the university. It was not an easy task.

“The team in information security helped push that through,” Jones said. “They advocated for us, and that was huge.”

After licensing Zoom accounts, securing information and making it accessible from home, the clinic logged on for teletherapy.

Close up of hands instructing on a piece of paper
Before COVID-19, students in the Speech, Language and Hearing Clinic worked with patients one-on-one.

Summer 2020

For Jennifer Pratt, clinical associate professor of communication sciences and disorders, moving online worried her at first. She works primarily with stroke patients who have difficulty processing new information.

“I couldn’t envision how it was going to work without being right there with them,” Pratt said.

But Pratt’s meetings went better than she hoped.

“The clients adapted. They were comfortable in their homes. They were very productive with their work on the sessions,” Pratt said. “There were so many positive aspects of it, and it opened my eyes to a different way of delivering services and teaching our students.”

Students reinforce the success of the summer semester.

Before moving to teletherapy, students worked with patients one-on-one, with a supervisor watching from another room. On Zoom, they lead sessions in small groups.

Amber Holko, an SLP graduate student, loved the newfound collaboration with her peers.

“It was the most positive and constructive group assignment I’ve ever done,” Holko said. “We all gave 110% because we knew our assignment had a direct effect on our patients.”

Changes for the better

While group therapy is a temporary change for the clinic in the age of COVID-19, some changes may stick around.

Teletherapy is increasing in demand. Jones hopes the clinic can continue to offer the experience to students and patients, even after COVID-19.

“This situation opened our eyes to the importance of meeting the needs of our patients,” Jones said. “When the COVID situation improves, we’ll bring people back on site, but we are looking at offering more hybrid models in the future.”

Overall, the experience and the changes pair often with one word: positive.

“My takeaway from this time is asking, ‘Would we have done this if we hadn’t been forced?’” Pratt said. “It’s exciting to think about our opportunities for the future, and to see something good come out of this.”

Early intervention, unique instruction

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Students studying communication sciences and disorders at Missouri State have many options to complete their clinical training through the Speech, Language and Hearing Clinic.

One service the clinic offers is a private preschool for deaf and hard of hearing children. The preschool encourages early intervention for children with hearing impairments.

Tara Oetting, clinical professor of communication sciences and disorders, and graduate students work with visual and audio techniques in the preschool program.

Read more about the preschool