The Western Michigan University Charles Van Riper Language, Speech and Hearing clinic has provided quality services to people living with aphasia for many years and has long been in the forefront of offering group therapy for enhancing communication abilities.
Therapy is provided by WMU graduate student clinicians from the Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences supervised by experienced speech-language pathologists who hold a certificate of clinical competence from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
The current aphasia program incorporates best-practice research on improving the ability of the person with aphasia to participate in activities, with the overall goal of improved quality of life. The ongoing concerns and needs of caregivers are also recognized and addressed through peer support and group programming.
In January, 2022, both in-person sessions and ZOOM sessions are being provided. Our program is further described in this Dec 2021 newsletter.
Services
- Augmentative and alternative communication evaluations
- Caregiver support groups
- Evaluation of current communication status
- Group therapy programs directed toward:
- Building strategies and alternative methods for communication
- Improving communication abilities
- Participating in social activities
- Peer support groups
- Individual therapy to support and augment communication
- Virtual treatment
Who can benefit?
- Family members or caregivers of individuals with aphasia
- Individuals with aphasia
Aphasia Awareness
National Aphasia Association http://www.aphasia.org/
Faces of Aphasia http://www.facesofaphasia.com/
Getting started
For more information about the Aphasia Communication Enhancement Program, please call (269) 387-7059.