Health Literacy: Access, Communication, and Outcomes

2086V - Clinicians as STEMpowered Professionals: Using Speech and Language Science for Community and Career Outreach

ON-DEMAND

Format: 1-Hour Seminar (Virtual)

Audience: Students, Researchers, Related Professionals, Early Career Professionals (under 5 years)

Keywords: career recruitment, community outreach, speech science, language science

Presenting Author(s)

Kathleen E. Oppenheimer, MS, CCC-SLP

PhD Student
University of Maryland, College Park

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Author Only (Not Presenting)(s)

Craig Thorburn

University of Maryland at College Park
Lauren Salig

University of Maryland at College Park
Alexandra Krauska

University of Maryland at College Park
Erika Exton

University of Maryland, College Park
London Dixon

University of Maryland at College Park

SLPs and audiologists are often invited to attend career days at primary or secondary schools, and many existing career recruitment materials focus on the helping aspects of our professions. We suggest an additional tool for outreach to young people: speech and language science. SLPs and audiologists have the teaching skills and the scientific knowledge to teach young learners about the science behind our professions. Young learners benefit from learning about ways to do science they might not otherwise encounter before college, and may also gain descriptive approaches to language variation that contrast the prescriptivism common in formal curricula. This presentation summarizes the rationale for SLP and audiologist involvement in speech and language science outreach and provides concrete suggestions of activities.

Learning Objectives:

Describe one inquiry-based activity that the attendee could implement to teach speech and language sciences to groups of primary or secondary school students.
State three reasons why SLPs and audiologists are well-situated to teach K-12 students about speech, language, and hearing sciences.
List three benefits to K-12 students learning about speech and language sciences