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Breakthrough moments are celebrated at the BW Speech Clinic, where individuals diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease find hope and heartfelt assistance.
It is a place where smiles abound for accomplishments that may have taken weeks or months to achieve. For students and clients alike, the clinic is more than a therapy site — it is a community where care goes hand in hand with professional services that meet an individual's cognitive, communication and social needs.
Parkinson's disease is a neurological movement disorder that can affect adults. Although it is chronic, progressive and systemic, therapies can help individuals maintain neuromuscular control of important motor functions such as walking, talking and swallowing.
At the BW Speech Clinic, students, under the direction of licensed speech-language pathologists, work with clients on cognition, speech, breath support and swallowing safety.
Hands-on learning is at the heart of the BW Speech Clinic. Students in the undergraduate communication sciences & disorders major and the two-year master of science in speech-language pathology (SLP) program gain professional experience in therapy, providing outstanding career preparation.
Beyond the professional benefits, students enjoy the intrinsic rewards of knowing their work is making a difference in someone's life.
Due to a limited number of visits for private insurance and therapy caps for Medicare coverage, many individuals cannot afford consistent therapy services. The BW Speech Clinic can fill the void. An added bonus is that services in the clinic are free.
Clients in the Parkinson's Clinic also have access to additional interventions. They can participate in an interdisciplinary collaboration between BW speech students and students in Allied Health, Sport and Wellness, advised by Dr. Amy Jo Sutterluety.
Because movement improves overall symptoms and people often move while they speak, clients with Parkinson's disease can benefit from therapeutic activities that combine verbal and physical movement.
Within a group session, a client can receive therapy from both a speech student and a student majoring in exercise science or pre-physical therapy/pre-allied health. The dual support can help clients feel more confident in their abilities to interact with others in functional settings.
The Baldwin Wallace Speech Clinic provides speech, language and hearing services to adults and children in the community. Student clinicians provide services customized to match an individual's needs based on a free-standing treatment plan or as a supplement to an existing one.
Students work under the supervision of licensed speech-language pathologists who are certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and licensed by the Ohio Board of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology. Sessions are generally scheduled on a weekly basis and are offered year-round, including summer.
