The Kid's Speech: Summer Camp Focuses on Improving Communication Skills

One in six Americans including many children has a hearing, speech or language problem, according to the Texas Speech-Language Hearing Association. These conditions can make it difficult to communicate with others, and if left untreated, can limit a child's development.

Defining a Disorder

Speech and language disorders can affect the way children talk, understand, analyze or process information. Speech disorders can affect the clarity, voice quality and fluency of a child's spoken words. Language disorders include a child's ability to hold meaningful conversations, understand others, problem solve, read and comprehend and express thoughts through spoken or written words.

Carolyn Perry, M.S., CCC-SLP, clinical instructor in the Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences in the School of Allied Health Sciences, said trained speech-language pathologists and audiologists can help children with speech impairments.

“We help people connect with other people across the lifespan — like I tell my students — from birth to earth,” Perry said. “Communication is a fast, complex and dynamic process.”

Speech-language pathologists assess the environments that an individual is expected to communicate within to determine what demands are being made on expression, comprehension and the cognitive capacity to regulate the process.

"We determine where the breakdown in the process occurs, what skills each individual brings to the process, and then provide specific supports to facilitate improved communication in those environments," Perry said.

Audiologists assess how people hear and provide a variety of solutions.

"Early identification of a hearing impairment is crucial for optimal outcomes," Perry said. "If we catch the hearing loss early and get the appropriate amplification and therapy speech and language skills are dramatically improved."

Help is Here

The Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences will host speech and language summer camps for preschool and school-age children June 6 through July 14 at TTUHSC, 3601 Fourth St., and at All Saints Episcopal School, 3222 103rd St.

The programs are designed for children ages 3 to 12 with various types of speech, language and learning disabilities. Children will participate in individual and group speech-language therapy activities while enjoying field trips, socialization, and hands-on crafts, projects and experiments.

Camps will be coordinated and supervised by faculty speech-language pathologists in the Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences. Speech and language therapy will be provided by current first- and second-year graduate students in the department.

Camp programs include preschool speech and language skills, language and literacy skills, pragmatic and affective language skills and listening and auditory processing skills.

Registration for all camps is $45 per day. Discounted rates of 20 percent apply for total registration fees collected in advance. Any HMO/PPO patients must pay their copay in advance. Cost for all camps must be paid in full by the initial session. Installment payments will be possible as long as the final payment is made by the initial session.

For more information or to register, email Perry or Brittany Hall or call (806) 743-5660.

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