Curricula

Objective

The purpose of the course is to add equality by providing basic knowledge of the interactional needs of people with speech impairments and neuropsychiatric challenges and the tools to communicate with them.

After completing the course, you will be able to identify the communication challenges of people with speech impairments and neuropsychiatric challenges. By the end of the course, you will know the most common alternative and digital communication methods and will have diversified your skills in their use and will know concrete ways to engage in dialogue with clients with communication challenges. You will also know what information accessibility means and what kind of interprofessional services and assistive devices are available for people with speech impairments and be able to guide clients in accessing them.

Content

The course covers the communication challenges of people with speech impairment and neuropsychiatric challenges. Among the alternative methods of communication, the course will look at gesture and object communication, picture, and symbol communication, drawing communication and easy language. The principles of social stories and cartoon conversation will also be explored, as well as structured communication to support executive functions. The course will also introduce the services available to people with speech impairments.

Assessment criteria, approved/failed

The student knows the special features of communication of people with speech impairment and neuropsychiatric challenges. The student can identify the most common alternative communication methods and their usefulness from the point of view of the client's support needs. The student can use the knowledge gained in the course to understand the client's perspective and to innovate an alternative communication product. Student knows services and devices for people with speech impairments.