Communication Sciences and Disorders - Fall 2023 Newsletter

A special congratulations went to Malena Sparidaens, MS, CF-SLP for being named the 2023 Dr. Sonya Wilt Outstanding SLP Graduate Student. This award was established in honor of Dr. Sunny Wilt, the founding CSD faculty member at Thiel College to honor the student who exemplifies overall excellence in each graduate cohort. Upon entering graduate school, Malena was awarded with a merit graduate assistantship. She demonstrated both academic strength and excellent work ethic during all of her clinical, academic, and service endeavors at Thiel College. She performed well above expectations on assignments and examinations and was consistently the top student in all of her classes, graduating with a 4.0 GPA

Malena exemplified grace and maturity, especially when roadblocks were encountered when confirming her final externship placement, something that was completely out of her control. Fortunately, she was able to complete a variety of mini placements to complete the 10-week experience, all while maintaining flexibility and making the most out of her clinical experiences.

Additional honors went to Cheyanne Ross, MS, CF-SLP who was named the 2023 Dr. Nancy Antonino Outstanding Graduate SLP Clinician. This award was established in honor of Dr. Nancy Antonino, the current longest serving CSD faculty member at Thiel College, to honor the student who exemplifies excellence in clinical practice. Chey has a gift for clinical practice. During her first semester, Dr. Billak reported that Chey managed behaviors and promoted a rigorous treatment plan. Chey's notes were amazing and comprehensive. She continued to master cueing hierarchies and performed above expectations in all areas. During her second clinical practicum experience, Dr. Benigas reported that Chey’s interpersonal skills were excellent and noted that her clients responded well to her. Her externship supervisor from her school placement at Stark County ESC also noted that Chey exceeded expectations. Her externship supervisor from Select Specialty Hospital also noted her excellent clinical skills and ability to relate to her clients.

Graudate students in the MS-SLP program gained clinical practicum experience when they assisted the Thiel Athletic Department in conducing baseline concussion assessments on approximately 200 student athelets prior to the start of the fall sport season. The clinicians administered the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT -5) which provides cognitive and neurological baseline measures in areas such as orientation, memory, and balance. This exam along with the computerized IMPACT test are useful for interpreting post-injury test scores. Professor Julie Kobak supervised the graduate clinicians and is a member of the multidisciplinary Concussion Management Team that she organized at Thiel College in 2022.

Approximately 1 out of 75 college students is expected to experience a concussion per academic year. Most symptoms resolve within 2-4 weeks with only 10-15% of students experiencing persistent problems. The Concussion Management Team at Thiel works collaboratively to assist students who sustain a concussion by monitoring and managing symptoms for successful return to both play and learning. When needed, students are sometimes referred for additional intervention at the Thiel Center for Speech-Language Services. For more information about the Concussion Management Team, please contact jkobak@thiel.edu.

This past summer Dr. Jeanette Benigas and Megan Berg, M.A., CCC/SLP, the owner of Therapy Insights, released a limited series Podcast entitled Other SLPs’ Pockets. The show is inspired by the podcast Other People’s Pockets and seeks to bring transparency around what SLPs are being paid. Salary stagnation continues to be one of the issues plaguing SLP careers and is worsened by companies preying on new graduates who are unaware of what to expect or how to negotiate an appropriate wage. This podcast seeks to arm SLPs with the knowledge they need to increase their own pay, thus elevating our field as a whole.

You can subscribe or listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Audible, and Amazon Music and follow them on Instagram: @otherslpspockets

Adjunct Professor Linda Collins, MA, CCC-SLP was recognized in The Herald Allied News for the 2023 Reader’s Choice Awards. She was nominated by readers and voted as the Best of the Best for Speech-Language Pathology. In addition to her work as a Clinical Educator in the Thiel Center for Speech-Language Service, Linda is the Speech Pathology Coordinator at Sharon Regional Medical Center. Congratulations Linda!

This year the Bleacher Buddies event will be held September 30^th during Thiel’s Homecoming football game. For this event, SLP students will be paired with a member of St. Paul’s Senior Living Community or the Thiel College Adult Neurological Network (TCANN) group. Yard games, snacks, and custom t-shirts will be provided. This event was a great success the last two events and all are looking forward to a repeat – GO TOMCATS!

The Thiel NSSLHA chapter will also fundraise for Childhood Apraxia of Speech by collecting new and old sneakers September 4^th through October 2^nd. GotSneakers takes used shoes and recycles them to keep out of landfills and reduce waste. In return, NSSLHA will receive and donate money to their cause for every per pair collected. Donation boxes will be setup at the Thiel Center for Speech-Language Services and other locations around campus. The following types of shoes can be donated: athletic sneakers, running, cleats, lifestyle & casual, or hiking. Please round-up your shoes and drop them off today!