Early literacy experiences are critical for the development of oral language and later academic success. This course explores why & how early intervention providers in all disciplines need to facilitate these experiences by incorporating literacy into their therapy.

This course offers an overview of issues related to assessment and intervention of speech sound disorders (SSD) in children, including the articulation-phonology distinction, interpretation of speech acquisition norms, and the Phonological Intervention Taxonomy. It will also discuss using parents as therapy extenders and the impact of SSD on children’s activities and participation.

The course provides an overview of influences on early language development, with particular emphasis on pragmatics and semantics. Resources are provided for the speech-language pathologist to use in clinical practice.

The course will provide the learner with effective counseling strategies in helping clients manage their feelings. Information is provided on referral practice and continuing education opportunities.

This course is designed to provide an exploration into current topics in the clinical management of speech sound disorders. Considerations for target selection and intervention strategies are discussed.

Children with speech and resonance disorders (hypernasality, hyponasality, and cul-de-sac resonance) and/or nasal emission present challenges for speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in all settings. This article will help participants to recognize resonance disorders and the characteristics of velopharyngeal dysfunction, and provide appropriate management.

This course describes the characteristics of Velo-cardio-facial syndrome that are of the greatest relevance to SLPs: those that affect feeding, speech and language. Best practice for intervention is also explained.

This course is designed for speech-language pathologists to develop advanced knowledge in adolescent language disorders, particularly expository texts, discourse tools, and the application of evidence-based practice in the schools. Participants will learn how to select, and immediately apply, intervention strategies for adolescents who require targeted therapy in syntax, semantics, and academic language.

This course will describe the changes in diagnostic criteria and practices from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) criteria that were published in 1994, through the publication of DSM-5 in 2013. This historical perspective will enable speech-language pathologists to gain a deeper understanding of how autism has evolved through the decades.

This course will describe the changes in diagnostic criteria and practices from the time autism was first described by Leo Kanner in 1943 until the DSM IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - Fourth Edition) criteria were published in 1994. This historical perspective will enable speech-language pathologists to gain a deeper understanding of how autism has evolved through the decades.