94-04-19 New Arrangement Provides Needed Services to Buckingham County Children

REPORTERS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS:  U.Va. students will help children
with speech problems at Buckingham County schools on April 19, 26
and May 3.  [May is National Better Speech and Hearing Month.]  To
arrange on-site coverage of their visits, contact Linda Swank at
(804) 924-4622, office, or (804) 973-6314, home.

NEW ARRANGEMENT PROVIDES NEEDED SERVICES TO
BUCKINGHAM COUNTY CHILDREN

     CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., April 19 -- About 100 children who have
trouble speaking are receiving help through a new partnership
between the University of Virginia and the Buckingham County school
district.
     Because the need for speech and language therapy is so great,
school officials contracted with the Curry School of Education's
communications disorders program to provide services.  The new
partnership began this academic year.
     Every Tuesday, University graduate students with bachelor's
degrees in speech and language pathology go to four schools in
Buckingham County where they work individually with preschool- to
middle school-age children.  Each graduate student is responsible
for planning and delivering therapy to approximately 12 children.
     The graduate students spend about 40 minutes a week working
with each child.  Through the arrangement, a child with cerebral
palsy has been taught how to use a computer to communicate.
     The graduate students' work supports the efforts of Terri
Ramsey, a speech language pathologist in the county.
     "This has been an ideal arrangement," said Linda K. Swank, an
assistant professor who is supervising the clinical fellowships. 
"It delivers needed services to children and provides training for
students pursuing advanced degrees in communication disorders."
     The graduate students have designed and delivered therapy to
address a number of language problems including use of non-standard
English.  Their training experiences will fulfill required
certification standards.
     Graduates of U.Va.'s communications disorders program should
find jobs easily, Swank said.  According to state Department of
Education estimates, there are currently 400 job openings for
speech and language pathologists.
                               ###
                                                   April 18, 1994
     FOR MORE INFORMATION, contact Swank at (804) 924-4622 or Alvin
Anderson, general supervisor, special education in Buckingham
County, at (804) 969-4212.

Karen A. Castle
University News Office
kac@uva.pcmail.virginia.edu
(804) 924-7116


[Submitted by: Karen A. Castle  (kac@uva.pcmail.virginia.edu)
               Tue, 19 Apr 94 11:04:13 EDT]