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 defines cultural and linguistic competency and related terms, and presents factors that may affect the ability to provide culturally and linguistically competent care. This course addresses the need for self-awareness in culturally and linguistically competent medical care, the differences between disease and illness, and factors that may influence a patient's experience of illness as well as the health beliefs and practices of some cultures. An approach to eliciting a patient’s cultural health beliefs in order to aid delivery of culturally appropriate treatments will be discussed.

This course will review techniques for clear and effective communication as well as verbal and written communication with those from other cultures. This course will also discuss writing and selecting health materials and identifying assessment tools to ensure that clients understand the therapy services provided and have the skills needed to access, understand, and use health information.

This Research Watch Report focuses on some of the most current research in the area of intervention for aphasia; specifically, a modified version of constraint-induced language therapy, and usability and effectiveness of telepractice applications. Three articles are summarized and potential clinical applications of the evidence are discussed.

Like many other discrete skills, student participation in the individualized education program (IEP) process can be taught in a straightforward and systematic way, slowly increasing their participation and independence. This course will focus on keys to a successful student-driven conference, including carefully scaffolding the process in ways that provide support at each stage of the process until the student reaches maximum independence.

This course will review the research on how default roles, burn-out, extra duties, and lack of training on Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) mandates adversely affect service delivery to children with disabilities. This course will discuss key strategies for how SLPs can advocate for students with special needs through professional role empowerment methods.

Self-determination skills are directly related to successful post-secondary living skills for students with disabilities. This course teaches clinicians how to positively impact student self-determination skills from early elementary through high school.

Speech Language Pathologists are often asked to make recommendations for safe swallowing of medications for patients with dysphagia, but have limited information about pharmacodynamics. This course will provide clinicians with the information they need to understand and manage swallowing-related medication effects, identify potential impacts of food and thickener on medication effectiveness, and prevent medication errors in their clients with dysphagia.

This course will outline the new state survey process which was implemented industry-wide in skilled nursing facilities in November of 2017. The importance of interdisciplinary-based team care and person-centered care planning will be discussed.