The Department of Speech and Language Therapy is part of a new and exciting development in Health Sciences at the University of Limerick. The department provides innovative opportunities for graduates from a range of disciplines wishing to further their career in health, education, social and community settings as a Speech and Language Therapist. Currently offered is a Master of Science in Speech and Language Therapy (Professional Qualification) as well as Continuing Professional Development opportunities, including research, for practising Speech and Language Therapists. A new Postgraduate Diploma/MSc in Clinical Therapists (Speech and Language Therapy) for qualified Speech and Language Therapists began in September 2006. Led by Professor Sue Franklin, the department has academic, practice education and shared support staff with specialist input from other academic departments within the University and from Visiting Lecturers.
Current teaching expertise and research interests include:
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Preschool and school age developmental language disorders
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Specific language impairment
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Developmental speech disorders
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Cleft palate
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Aphasia
What is Speech and Language Therapy?
Speech and language therapists assess, diagnose and treat people with communication difficulty. Communication difficulties include problems with speech, with understanding and using language, fluency, voice and with the social uses of language. Speech and language therapists also help people with swallowing and feeding difficulties.
Speech and language therapists work in a variety of settings, such as hospitals, community clinics, schools, nursing homes and peoples' homes. They take on a variety of roles; direct management, advice to parents, training of care staff, running groups, providing resources and information and acting as advocates for people with communication difficulty. Therapists often work in multi-disciplinary teams.
Here are some examples of Speech and Language Therapists' work:
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Working with a child in clinic to produce age-appropriate speech
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Running group sessions in a hospital for a group of people whose communication has been affected by a stroke
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Helping a young actor who develops a hoarse voice while working in the theatre
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Giving advice on feeding to parents of a child with a cleft palate
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Devising programmes for a classroom assistant to carry out with a child with a specific language disorder
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In a rehabilitation hospital, assessing the swallowing ability of a young woman who has been involved in a road traffic accident
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Working as part of a multi-disciplinary team (e.g. physiotherapist, paediatrician, psychologist, social worker) to produce a care plan for a young child with cerebral palsy who is attending a nursery
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Training nursing staff on a dementia ward to maximise possibilities for conversation with patients
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Working with a teenager who stammers
