Student Profiles, 2010

Research interest:
Communication in children with autism. The speech-language pathologist (SLP) has a special relation in the life of the child. Usually the doctor only sees the child for a short time and teachers often don’t have as strong a relation with parents, but the SLP has an intense relation both with the child and the family and sees the whole child. The SLP celebrates even the tiniest steps of progress with the family, because they are a big deal.”

Special interests:
Acute Care – NICU/PICU feeding and swallowing; school system”My daughter Alanna was born at 24 weeks and weighed 1 lb. 7 oz. She was in the UNC NICU for an extended period, and we were told she would likely be blind, deaf, and learning disabled. She has worked with speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, and special resources teachers, and she is progressing well and only has a mild language delay. Her situation inspired me to pursue speech and hearing as a profession. As a bonus, I am also able to apply the skills I have learned in the program in helping both Alanna and her 1-year-old brother Joey develop their literacy skills, such as how to read a book, ask questions, and parse words.”

Research interest: Autism – intervention in the classroom and at home

“What I would tell someone thinking of going into speech and hearing is that helping people communicate is a noble thing to do. Interacting with kids and families is the most rewarding aspect; it reminds you why you are doing it. There is a high demand and a high need for speech and hearing professionals.”