During their senior year, students in the speech-language pathology program at USAO are required to work directly with clients with communication disorders, under the close supervision of ASHA-certified speech-language pathologists. Before the practicum courses can be taken, students must be at senior level, have completed at least 27 hours of specialized course work, and have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0. John A. Morris Speech and Language Clinic is the university-affiliated clinic in which students work with clients during their practicum experiences.
Facilities
The John A. Morris Speech and Language Clinic has operated as a part of USAO since 1972. A practicum site for students of speech-language pathology, the clinic serves clients from the community of Chickasha and the surrounding area. The clinic is named in honor of John A. Morris, who founded of the program in 1945. Since 1995, the clinic has been located in the northeast wing of Gary Hall, Suite 116. The facility includes office space for faculty and clinic supervisors, five therapy rooms with adjoining observation rooms, a waiting room for clients and a well-stocked material/workroom for student clinicians.
Services
Comprehensive speech and language evaluations, and subsequent treatment, are offered by senior-level student clinicians under the direct supervision of two speech-language pathologists certified by the American Speech-language-Hearing Association (ASHA). Clients are scheduled for two half-hour or forty-five minute sessions per week. Parents work closely with their child's student clinician by observing weekly sessions through one-way mirrors, carrying out practice at home, and offering feedback concerning their child's progress. USAO students, children from Jane Brooks School for the Deaf, and USAO's Child Development Lab also are served through the clinic.
Student clinicians and their supervisors are equipped to serve clients with a variety of speech and language disorders including speech sound disorders, childhood language disorders, global developmental delays and autism spectrum disorders. Cost of evaluation is $30, and therapy is $60 for a trimester
Contact
Anyone interested in the speech-language pathology program at USAO or in services from the John A. Morris Speech and Language Clinic, may contact Karen Karner, Clinic Director at (405) 574-1274 or at kkarner@usao.edu.