The faculty and staff of Western Michigan University's Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences are committed to educating the next generation of speech, language and hearing professionals through unique academic, research and clinical opportunities. Through this program, students enhance their knowledge and develop essential skills and competencies in evaluation, diagnosis, rehabilitation and prevention, as well as research, education and administration. Our graduates are maximally effective in providing clinical services to individuals of all ages with speech, language and hearing impairments.
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DEPARTMENT Events
Fall Research Colloquium
Friday, December 6 from 3 to 5 p.m. | CHHS room 2073
Refreshments will follow presentations from faculty members:
Dr. Jing Shen - The Influences of Hearing and Cognitive Abilities on Older Adults’ Speech Perception under Challenging Conditions
Dr. Hope Gerlach - First Disclosure Experiences, Motivations, and Outcomes among Adults who Stutter
Dr. Robin Criter - Subjective Hearing Difficulty and Risk of Falls
DEPARTMENT News
Shannon Robinson
Student to participate in scholars in linguistics program
SLHS undergraduate student Shannon Robinson has been selected for the UC-HBCU National Science Foundation scholars in linguistics program. This program supports participation in an on-line linguistic course and mentoring community, paired with a summer research opportunity.
We are proud to have Shannon representing WMU and excited for her to share her knowledge and experience with us as well.
WMU presents at ASHA 2019
A number of our faculty presented at the 2019 ASHA convention held in Orlando, Florida in November. Below is a list of presentations and when they were available at the convention.
| Author | Title of Presentation | Session # | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laura DeThorne* | Autism & Neurodiversity: Reimagining the strengths of the Human Spectrum Reimagining Strategies to Facilitate Peer Interaction for Students on the Autism Spectrum Using Supports-Based Approaches | 1312 1977 | Friday Saturday | 7:30am 5:00pm |
| Yvette Hyter | Parents & Teachers as Informants About Pragmatic & Social Language Abilities | 9083 | Saturday | 8:00am |
| Hope Gerlach* | Stuttering and the Psychosocial Consequences of Managing a Concealable Stigmatized Identity: Research and Clinical Implications Anticipation of Stuttering: A Panel Discussion on Theory, Research, and Clinical Implications | 1372 1773 | Friday Saturday | 10:00am 9:00am |
| Steve Tasko | Unleashing the Power of Praat Analysis: An Introduction to Scripting | 8685 | Friday | 11:00am |
| Ann Tyler* | Educational Frameworks of Related Professions: Is there Something We Can Learn? | 1485 | Friday | 2:00pm |
| Jing Shen* | Cognitive Screening in the Audiology Clinic (Short Course) | SC07 | Thursday | 2:00pm |
| Nicki Nelson | When Tests Disagree: Resolving Contradictions with Evidence Case Studies of Concussion Recovery in Student Athletes (not presenting) Assessment of Concussion in Collegiate Athletes using Story Retell (not presenting) | 1553 9198 4670 | Friday Saturday Saturday | 3:30pm 11:00am 2:30pm |
| Linda Shuster | Case Studies of Concussion Recovery in Student Athletes (Not Presenting) Assessment of Concussion in Collegiate Athletes using Story Retell (Not presenting) | 9198 4670 | Saturday Saturday | 11:00am 2:30am |
* will be in attendance
Alumna receives the Fellowship of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)
Dr. Sarah Wallace, a 2005 graduate of the Master's program in speech-language pathology, received the Fellowship of ASHA at the 2019 ASHA Annual Convention in Orlando. The Fellowship is one of the highest honors awarded by ASHA. Dr. Wallace, who also completed a certificate in gerontology while at Western, is an Associate Professor at Duquesne University. Congratulations, Sarah!!
2019 Newsletter
In early May, we published our 2019 newsletter. It includes updates from the department and information about what's going on with our faculty, students and alumni.
Employment opportunities
Open positions
The department currently has two open faculty specialist positions. Click below for more information about the postings.
- Faculty Specialist II - Clinical Specialist- Speech-Language Pathology
- Faculty Specialist I/II - Lecturer - American Sign Language (ASL)