“Health literacy surveys have revealed that 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. has difficulty understanding basic health information,� Zraick says.

Zraick is a leading expert and advocate for health literacy in the discipline of communication sciences and disorders. In one of his research mentoring classes this fall, he and his students in the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders are exploring whether the artificial intelligence (AI) website ChatGPT can improve how healthcare information is created, conveyed and understood.

This is one of many projects at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ that is unlocking the future of AI. Explore more Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ AI initiatives here.

The group is gathering existing materials from key websites that address common medical conditions faced by patients with communications disorders — information ranging from hearing loss to swallowing challenges to voice disorders. The content of this material is then entered into ChatGPT using prompts — text-based input, such as a question or instruction. Students develop and refine prompts that seek to simplify the language and apply readability formulas to assess if the new text is more readable — or not.

Upon completion of the project, the team will have evaluated and revised about three dozen web-based patient education documents.

They plan to submit their findings to a peer-reviewed journal next semester. The goal is to better understand if AI can be an effective tool for simplifying complex medical information and improving health literacy and patient education. Tools like ChatGPT, a large language model developed by OpenAI, may offer healthcare professionals new ways to efficiently deliver patient education materials. The technology may not only streamline the process but also enhance the clarity of information delivered to patients, improving understanding of their own health conditions and treatment plans and ultimately leading to better health outcomes.

One of the most promising applications of ChatGPT in patient education is its ability to simplify medical jargon and make health information more accessible to the public, Zraick says.

“If you give AI, for example ChatGPT, the correct prompt, it will either create, edit or suggest revisions to an existing document that you might be trying to create for a patient, or that exists for a patient or their family.�

This ability could allow healthcare professionals to quickly produce patient-friendly materials that meet readability standards recommended by institutions like the Institute of Medicine, which suggests health information be written at a fifth or sixth grade reading level​.

AI also has clear advantages in terms of speed. “You can ask ChatGPT to give you a script…that somebody with limited health literacy could understand, and it will do that in 20 seconds,â€� Zraick says.

He emphasizes that while AI serves as a helpful starting point, students still need to ensure the information is accurate and apply it in their interactions​. While AI tools like ChatGPT offer efficiency, they are not flawless and Zraick emphasizes that the role of the content expert remains crucial.

“We are the content experts, so I never trust ChatGPT 100%, but it’s a starting point. And then I look at it and review it for content,” he says.

Human review ensures that the information is not only accurate, but also contextually appropriate for the intended audience​.

Beyond simplifying language, AI can assist in evaluating the readability of existing documents.

“There’s no one readability formula that captures all kinds of documents. We usually use more than one formula to get a variety of metrics, and they tend to agree with each other,� Zraick says.

Materials that are easier to understand are also more actionable, increasing the likelihood that patients will follow through with medical advice.

For Kelly Clevenger, a School of Communication Sciences and Disorders senior, the project gave her an opportunity for a deeper dive into AI, something she had only used superficially for things like checking grammar for class assignments. As part of the project, she attended a “prompt engineering� workshop designed to fine tune her ability to leverage ChatGPT’s functionality.

“People kind of think it just runs itself, and I think something that people should realize is that you really need to have a good idea of exactly how you want it to work before you even start prompting,â€� Clevenger says. “If you don’t give it specific enough direction, it won’t give you exactly what you want.â€�

She notes that while the tool isn’t perfect, it significantly cuts down the time required, enabling researchers to focus on higher-level analysis and interpretation.

This is not Zraick’s first foray into the world of exploring the use of AI in health communications. This year, he and colleagues published an article in a journal of  American Speech-Language-Hearing Association examining the use of ChatGPT as a tool to teach students in communication sciences and disorders how to write in plain language. The researchers believe that AI tools hold promise; the tech can enhance students’ abilities as well as offer an interactive environment that encouraged active participation and critical thinking.

AI adds a new element for Zraick, who, for decades, has taught students about health literacy.  Some of his courses include class assignments that have students complete written assignments describing medical concepts using plain language and participate in role playing exercises that stress clear communication. His ongoing research is assessing how effective this work is and whether teaching new graduate clinicians to use plain language will enhance the clarity and actionability of their patient reports.

Students will one day serve different audiences as speech-language pathologists and audiologists, and there’s a difference between writing for professionals and for patients, Zraick says.

“If a student is writing a report or a treatment update for another healthcare provider, it’s a technical writing exercise,� he says. “But for patients, they need a plain language summary.�

Clevenger also underscores the challenges of using AI in research.

“You can’t just throw any dataset at it and expect good results,â€� she says. “We’ve been working on refining the prompts we use to get better, more accurate outputs from the model. It’s a learning process, but the more we work with it, the better it gets.”

As the use of AI in healthcare continues to expand, the focus will likely shift toward refining these tools to ensure even greater accuracy and relevance, Zraick says.

“Clinicians and educators have more tools to fine-tune skills and expand the skill set of a speech-language pathologist, or an audiologist, beyond the core content knowledge that they have to have,â€� he says. “It’s like practicing for the 22nd century, not just the 21st century.â€�

Fox is one of 32 students ages 6 to 17 participating in , an intensive reading program developed by the to improve reading comprehension, spelling and writing. The four-week summer program just completed its fourth year. It’s become so sought out by parents — some of whom travel from across the country — that the clinic began offering the same specialized, individual therapies by appointment throughout the year.

When Fox arrives at camp, he’ll high five his campmates, drop off his backpack and scamper to the side of the room where his hearing technology will be tested, and a student clinician will affix a tiny remote microphone on her collar to be sure it’s transmitting correctly to his cochlear implants.

Fox, who was born with hearing loss in both ears, is one of four children in this summer’s iHEAR program (part of iREAD) who have atypical hearing. Three campers have hearing loss, and a fourth has an auditory processing deficit which causes a breakdown in how the central auditory nervous system efficiently processes speech information, particularly in noisy listening situations. The iHEAR participants learn alongside other campers with typical hearing, but who are there to gain additional help with reading and language development. Their camp fees are waived, thanks to the generous support of Manish Hirapara ’98 and Vieng Hirapara ’99 who created an endowed fund, the Hirapara Enriching Audiology Resources (HEAR) at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½, to help people with hearing loss.

According to the American Speech-Language Hearing Association, hearing loss in children causes delays in the development of speech and language, which leads to learning problems that can result in reduced academic achievement, as well as social isolation and low self-confidence. Reading is particularly an area of difficulty for children with hearing loss, and the earlier a problem is identified and intervention begins, the less serious the ultimate impact.

Like Fox, some of the children in iHEAR have their own hearing aids and accessory technology they’re still learning and adjusting to. Other campers are outfitted with ear level hearing technology and remote microphone assistive technology by the camp: a chance to test out a new device or even use one for the first time. Faculty clinicians partner with multiple hearing manufacturers (Sonova, Cochlear Americas and Oticon) who offer access to a variety of products and technologies as well as financial support for the camp.

Other communities have reading programs for children and others may offer reading programs for the deaf and hard of hearing, but the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ program is unique in that it combines the two, says Associate Lecturer Janel Cosby ’04 PhD, an audiologist and one of the iHEAR coordinators. “We have the expertise to develop children’s literacy and language skills and we have the expertise to match children with the right technology, specific to that child’s auditory system deficit.â€�

Cosby works hand in hand with Clinical Instructor Whitney Haas, who is a speech language pathologist and listening and spoken language specialist. Her certifications focus on helping children and families of individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing.

For the children in iHEAR, their days will involve a series of one-on-one speech therapy sessions, group sessions and hands on activities, all carefully structured to target speech and language development. The program is based on the science of reading and uses evidence-based strategies largely centered around multi-sensory, physically engaging activities.

“We’ve seen what works well with typically hearing children to enhance their literacy abilities,� Haas says. “So, we’ve taken that approach and applied it to children who are deaf and hard of hearing, because it supports their development from an auditory standpoint, as well.�

Camp iHEAR also serves as a training opportunity for the more than two dozen graduate students in the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders who provide the therapy sessions in the camp under the supervision of faculty clinicians.

“As future clinicians who will be working with deaf and hard of hearing individuals, our students need to learn how to manipulate the technology, know when it’s working, know when it’s not working, and know where the proper placement of the microphones should be so that that brings in the best auditory signal for the patient,â€� Cosby says. “In addition to earning the clinical hours required to graduate, they’re learning how to better serve the needs of this special population.â€�

“It’s so wonderful to be able to modify, not change, but just add in extra things that we know our kids that are deaf and hard of hearing need,� Haas says. “It gives them the opportunity to work alongside typically hearing peers, have that connection, and to have fun while learning and to have the experience of applying what they’ve learned with other kids. It makes my heart so happy.�

It’s graduation day. But not for the students.

It’s a commencement ceremony for their patients. In this case, four adults with aphasia — a communication disorder that can occur suddenly following a stroke or head injury but may also develop slowly from a brain tumor or a progressive neurological disease. June is Aphasia Awareness Month.

One of these four patients is Kyle Burke, a constantly smiling 25-year-old who seemingly knows everyone in the room.

He arrives at the ceremony in an orange Clemson University T-shirt. In May 2020, he was enrolled as a student and celebrating the completion of final exams and making the dean’s list when the pandemic brought him back home. It was there that a skateboarding accident would leave him with a traumatic brain injury and an inability to speak, write or understand language.

His family found the — one of just a few of its kind in the country and known for its intensive and highly-personalized treatment.

“Kyle’s a young guy and I just thought, ‘what a perfect environment,’ â€� . “This is what he needs. He needs to be out with a bunch of people in a college environment. And he was excited.â€�

In October of 2021, Burke began his first delivery of the six-week program at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½.

On April 21, 2023, he’s completed the program for what marks his eighth and final time.

Thriving Through Therapy

“Kyle came to us with severe expressive and receptive language deficits making understanding what people said to him in speech and in writing severely impaired, as well as being severely impaired in his ability to express himself,� says Angela Ziegler, an instructor in communication sciences and disorders and licensed clinical aphasia educator. “He initially didn’t know many of the errors he made while trying to communicate because he couldn’t hear his own errors.�

Burke’s treatment plan called for working on expressive and receptive language, making sure he could accurately understand what people say to him and easily formulate into words what he wants to say to others. His program consisted of individual therapy administered four hours a day, four days a week for six weeks. His therapists: a team of trained student clinicians —aspiring speech language pathologists, operating under the close supervision of a faculty clinician and themselves approaching graduation from Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½.

Communication sciences and disorders graduate student Nathalie Espinal ’21 served as Burke’s clinician in the summer of 2022 and then again in the fall. She focused heavily on conversation-based therapy treatments.

“Originally, he didn’t know any of his clinicians’ names,� Espinal says. “He would recognize us, of course, and we had a relationship, but he had trouble with that recall. By the second semester, he knew all the names and was able to get our attention and engage in more verbal conversation.�

By design, therapy was conducted in settings Burke would expect to be in naturally, like cooking, playing games and socializing with peers. Espinal coached Burke in Response Elaboration Training, or RET, a therapy technique that allows a patient to make a simple statement, and with a therapist’s assistance, expand on the original statement into something much richer and deeper.

“We did a lot of therapy in open areas interacting with other people,� Espinal says. “He would have a conversation and say a few words that were maybe not grammatically correct, but we would build on that sentence and add more details to it.�

Progress was steady, says Espinal, who personally worked with Burke up to seven hours a week over a 12-week period and drew from common interests in therapy sessions.  Conversations covered movies, music and pop culture. Espinal also helped Burke improve his ability to use his phone to communicate with his friends.

“Initially, I worked with him on some ways to help him with texting some friends,� says Espinal. “He was using Snapchat a lot. We worked on spelling for texts and building his vocabulary on certain topics and areas of interest.�

“It genuinely felt like it was becoming a friendship,� Espinal says. “He was so adamant about working. He would ask about my life and my family, and we definitely bonded a lot.�

A Graduation Speech

The tradition at Aphasia House graduation is for the students to make speeches, sharing reflections on the progress of their clients and personal words of hope and encouragement.

On his graduation day, Burke also made a speech. He is the only one in his cohort of four to do so.

Since arriving, he has changed out of his Clemson T-shirt into a black polo shirt — the same one worn by student clinicians. It’s a graduation gift and a souvenir of his time at the Aphasia House.

His parents look on. The room is silent.

“Hi, I am Kyle. I have a brain injury. And I’m….I’m….phasia. I went to Clemson University, and I am from Greer, South Carolina.�

His speech is slow and deliberate. He uses his finger as a guide along the words of the paper.

“I love that Clemson won a bunch of football ACC championships.�

The room erupts in laughter.

He goes on to discuss his time at the Aphasia House. At times pausing. Sometimes reversing words. But the communication is clear.

“In the hospital, I cannot really speak or understand anything. Now I am…can talk and understanding the news, sports and TVs. I can read and understand song lyrics.�

“The students and I play mini basketball together. Watching movies…reading…talking and listening to songs is fun. Also, we had community outings such as bowling.�

He carefully acknowledges his parents, the students, their supervisors and — ever playful — his dog.

“Thank you for everyone helped me.�

Burke’s graduation speech is four minutes long.

Moving Forward

Research has shown that people with aphasia have higher rates of recovery when therapy is intensive, and at the Aphasia House, therapy spaces are designed to evoke a sense of home and belonging. The rooms are themed to help remind patients of favorite things: a garden room, a music room, a game room, and a garage room. Patients, students and faculty gather together in a working kitchen and a cozy living room.

“Our personal hope for Kyle is that he finds his way in this world that allows him to live well following a TBI and aphasia in whatever manner ‘living well’ feels for him,� Ziegler says.

Burke has set his sights on one day returning to school and driving a car.

“I want him to feel independent and successful,� Espinal says. “It’s so clear that he’s willing to put in so much work to get there. It’s only a matter of time before that ends up happening for him.�

The iREAD program, within , is a four-week course that addresses phonological and phonemic awareness, spelling, reading fluency and comprehension, written expression, and oral language skills.

An Annie E. Casey Foundation study found an inability to read by third grade is a strong predictor of high school dropout rates. In Orange County Public Schools, 46% of third graders are not reading proficiently; 37% in Seminole and 55% in Osceola counties. Research shows these numbers are highest for students of low socioeconomic backgrounds.

The iREAD program successfully addresses these deficits through hands-on multisensory activities, direct instruction based on clinically based methods and weekly progress monitoring. Participants in the first two years of the iRead program demonstrated gains in reading comprehension and spelling ability.

Orlando Magic Youth Foundation’s support will allow the iREAD program to expand, increasing the number of participants for Summer 2023 from 26 to 51.

The program will move to the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Downtown campus in Orlando’s urban core, blocks from the heart of the Holden/Parramore neighborhood. In this neighborhood, the 2022 Florida Standards Assessment (FSA) test showed that 78% of third-grade students are not able to read proficiently – significantly higher than the local averages for the public schools in Orange, Seminole and Osceola counties.

The Orlando Magic Youth Foundation’s investment in the iREAD program has the potential to change the futures of students and help improve high school graduation rates.

The iREAD program is supported by 35 graduate student clinicians from education and communication sciences and disorders programs at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ who will help deliver services alongside faculty members as part of their graduate program. At least half of these students are expected to work in local schools after graduation, where they’ll continue to create a positive impact on the learning and future academic success of children in the community.

Some 140 researchers and practitioners from across the United States and Canada came to discuss ways to serve individuals who have aphasia, a condition caused by a stroke or brain injury that affects two million Americans. Their focus was the “life-participation approach to aphasia� to help clients regain their speech and meet their personal needs and goals.

AphasiaAccess, a Moorestown, N.J.-based nonprofit that promotes the approach, sponsored the 2017 Leadership Summit March 17-18 at FAIRWINDS Alumni Center.

“The life-participation approach is a paradigm shift in how we think about the kind of life a person with aphasia can have,� said AphasiaAccess President Kathryn Shelley. She learned of the approach after her father had a stroke and she was desperate to find a way to help him.

“A lot of people who have had strokes and have aphasia are sitting at home,â€� said Janet Whiteside, director and founder of Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½’s in the Communication Disorders Clinic and an inaugural member of AphasiaAccess. “We believe it’s possible for people with aphasia to fully participate in life.â€�

Aphasia House was a perfect setting for the summit’s welcome reception March 16. The Central Florida Research Park facility offers therapy for clients with aphasia in a setting that simulates a home. Clients participate in therapy sessions in a comfortable living room, a spacious kitchen and thematically decorated rooms that evoke times in their lives and encourage communication.

For many of the summit participants it was the first opportunity to see Aphasia House in person.

“From the moment I walked in the front door, I was greeted with warmth and immediately recognized that the ‘house’ was welcoming, comfortable and perfectly appropriate for people with aphasia,� said Abbe Simon, a speech-language pathologist with Triangle Aphasia Project, a nonprofit in Cary, N.C.

“It’s thrilling to see it in living color,� said Elizabeth Hoover, clinical associate professor and clinical director of Aphasia Resource Center at Boston University. “Janet’s vision has been inspirational. You can’t exaggerate the influence she and this program have had on the aphasia therapy community.�

The summit participants also had an opportunity to meet Mark McEwen, a well-known CBS reporter who had a stroke and acquired aphasia in 2005. McEwen went through extensive speech, physical and occupational therapy to regain his speech and life. In recent years he’s spoken to clients at Aphasia House.

“You have to have someone say it’s going to be okay, that there’s hope,� McEwen said. “I want them to come away thinking, ‘If he can do it, I can do it.’ But you have to be stubborn and you have to stay focused.�

The reception launched two days of keynote presentations, breakout gatherings and poster sessions. Among the keynote topics were service operations and evaluation, client motivation in therapy, and using the media to influence communities. Seventeen roundtable discussions, 16 “share and care� sessions, and 39 poster presentations offered forums for the participants to present and learn about the latest strategies and activities that support life-participation therapy.

The schedule was effectively packed with content, but it also provided space for participants to build friendships and just be together, Shelley said.

Whiteside said she thought the summit was “synergistic.�

“It allowed researcher and practitioner to share collective thoughts to spawn new ideas,� she said. “It both energized and applauded the work of those who care for people with aphasia.�

Top two photos by Tim Berry/AphasiaAccess

Kent-Walsh studies the use of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) by individuals with severe speech problems to express their thoughts, needs, wants and ideas. More than 4 million Americans, including many young children with developmental disabilities, rely on AAC aids and devices to supplement their natural speech.

In her new project, Kent-Walsh will evaluate the impact of an AAC intervention program for preschool children with severe speech disabilities that combines tablet technology with language-learning techniques.

The tablet technology is an iPad with an AAC application that displays an array of single-meaning graphic symbols on the screen that a child can select. Mass marketing of tablet technology has prompted an increasing number of families and clinicians to turn to tablets with AAC apps for young children with significant speech disorders.

However, simply providing a young child with an iPad with an AAC app will not lead to functional communication skills, according to Kent-Walsh, who directs the in Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s Communication Disorders Clinic.

Earlier AAC research suggested it may be very difficult for children to learn to combine graphic symbols to communicate grammatically correct sentences. But more recent studies, including a pilot project led by Kent-Walsh and funded by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation, have revealed more encouraging results.

“We’ve found that even very young children with significant speech disabilities have the potential to learn to produce grammatically correct sentences using AAC when we implement short targeted interventions,� said Kent-Walsh.

In particular, interventions focused on early language and literacy can effect dramatic changes in children’s sentence production using AAC, she said.

The new project will enable Kent-Walsh and her team to conduct a larger investigation of an AAC intervention program with techniques informed by studies of child language disorders. They will teach young children the rules governing language structure and grammar so the children can generate multi-symbol phrases and sentences. Learning the rules will teach the children that each word in a sentence is important ― and that the word order is equally important ― to clearly convey a message.

Kent-Walsh and her collaborators believe these findings on language-focused interventions have the potential to impact AAC clinical practice in the years ahead.

“Without intervention services, the educational, social and employment outcomes for these children are not nearly as favorable,� she said.

In addition to advancing scientific knowledge of how children can use AAC to communicate, the study will help prepare a new generation of speech-language pathologists with expertise in the field. Undergraduate and graduate students studying communication sciences and disorders at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ will participate in all aspects of the study, including working with Kent-Walsh and her colleagues Nancy Harrington, instructor of communication sciences and disorders at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½; Cathy Binger, associate professor of speech and hearing services at the University of New Mexico; and Lesley Olswang, professor emeritus of speech and hearing services at the University of Washington.

“AAC technologies and services can supplement or completely replace natural speech in individuals with severe communication disabilities,� Kent-Walsh said. “We are eager to develop new interventions so speech-language pathologists can take full advantage of AAC to help these individuals express themselves as early in life as possible.�

Kent-Walsh is the lead author of one of just eight invited papers recently published in the 30th anniversary issues of Augmentative and Alternative Communication, a highly ranked rehabilitation publication and the official journal of the International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication. Her article, “Effects of Communication Partner Instruction on the Communication of Individuals using AAC: A Meta-Analysis,� appears in the journal’s most recent issue.

The facility houses the largest clinical education program for speech-language pathology students in the United States, so residents in Central Florida will be able to take advantage of a breadth of services for children and adults with speech, language and hearing issues. As part of the open house celebration, the clinic will offer free hearing screenings.

“One out of eight people have difficulty communicating because of speech, language or hearing impairments,â€� said Richard Zraick, chair of the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, which oversees the clinic. “The open house will give the public an opportunity to tour our facilities, meet our clinical educators and students, and learn more about how we can help them.â€�

Visitors can go on a tour to visit several centers and specialty programs housed at the clinic, including an expanded Aphasia House.

Aphasia House offers outpatient therapy in a home-like setting for individuals with aphasia. The disorder, an impairment of comprehending words, results from stroke or other trauma to parts of the brain that control language and speech. The new facility is the largest of its kind in the nation and the only to offer year-round intensive, comprehensive therapy sessions in a university setting.

Visitors can see the Florida Alliance for Assistive Services and Technology demonstration center at the clinic. Experts at the center demonstrate the latest assistive technology devices available for clients who use aids to supplement or replace their speech. They also evaluate client needs, provide treatment and help people acquire devices.

Guests can also visit the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Listening Center. The colorful, child-friendly facility assists families with children up to 3 years old with hearing loss. Experts there offer the latest in listening and spoken-language services, as well as connect families with a network of other services.

The new location includes an audiology suite, where a licensed audiologist will offer the free hearing screenings. The clinic’s audiologist evaluates and treats children and adults experiencing hearing loss, ringing in the ears and increased sensitivity to loud sounds. She also fits and dispenses hearing aids and custom ear plugs for hearing protection. Cochlear implant services will be added this fall.

No reservations are needed. The clinic is at 3280 Progress Drive, Suites 300 and 500. Desserts and drinks will be served.

For a complete list of services offered by the clinic, visit .

She treasures the freedom she’s found in America, including freedom of speech. For Mello, that carries greater meaning than it does for many others. A paralyzing stroke at age 27 robbed her of the ability to speak, something she’s finally regained with help from Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s Communication Disorders Clinic.

“It was so frustrating,â€� Mello said about the stroke, which left her partially paralyzed and unable to speak. “I was so angry. I could hear and understand everything the doctors were saying. But they couldn’t understand me. My brain was scrambled. Thank God for Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½. They helped me get my life back.â€�

While non-Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ doctors and physical therapists helped Mello learn to walk again, Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s instructors and graduate students at the clinic helped her with her speech. Mello progressed so well that she was able to pass her U.S. citizenship exam in May. She said this Fourth of July has special meaning to her because she now has the freedom to speak again.

To see a video about this story produced by the Orlando Sentinel click here.

“I always wanted to become a citizen,� she said. “This country is wonderful, so many opportunities. Then with the stroke, I had to fight. It was so hard. Now people can understand me again. I have freedom to be understood. It’s so wonderful. I promise you I make my voice heard at every election until I die.�

Jane Hostetler, the clinical instructor who oversaw Mello’s treatment at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½, said she is in awe of the Orlando resident.

“With aphasia patients, all the information is in their head,� Hostetler said. “But they just can’t access it. They have to relearn how to think and communicate. We worked with her by coming up with strategies to help her speak, read and write. She really is an American hero to me.�

The Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ clinic provides cutting-edge diagnostics and services to people of all ages in the community with communication and hearing challenges. Clients range from preschoolers to seniors and from those learning speech for the first time to those challenged by a loss of speech from disease. Graduate students of the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders work under the supervision of faculty and staff experts to help clients. More than 1,800 patients were helped at the clinic last year.

The clinic staff and those who attend the clinic’s social Friday Club threw Mello a recent surprise Fourth of July party to celebrate her earning her citizenship. Staffers played the song “Hail to the Chief� when Mello walked in, presented her with flowers and led her to an all-American-themed picnic they had prepared.

Mello beamed as staffers and fellow patients showered her with red, white and blue balloons, flowers and streamers. She mouthed a thank you to Hostetler and Michelle Condemarin, the graduate student who modified the therapy sessions to include studying for the citizenship test last semester. Condemarin, who is scheduled to graduate next spring, hopes to work with geriatric patients with degenerative diseases when she graduates.

“She was nervous about the [citizenship] interview portion,� Condemarin said about Mello. “She knew all the answers, but it is stressful. But she did very well. It’s so nice to see someone do so well. It really makes all the work worth it.�

Mello said the team at the clinic changed her life. It was one thing to learn English when she was 15. It was another to relearn to read, write and speak again after her stroke. She plans to go back to school. She’s decided nursing is a bit ambitious at her age, but still wants to help others. So she’s looking at enrolling in a program that will lead her to become a physical therapist assistant.

“They did so much for me,â€� Mello said. “I love talking and to be understood again; that is freedom. I will always thank the people at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ for that.â€�

Individuals with acquired neurological damage, which may result in aphasia, may receive therapy at Aphasia House in the Communication Disorders Clinic. Aphasia House offers a full range of services for individuals with aphasia, from intensive treatment to traditional delivery (both group and individual therapy), as well as community support groups. Learn more at

“Cade’s mother told me he would have a surprise for me at his last session,� said Tom Ehren, a clinical educator at the clinic. “I anticipated his surprise and came prepared in my own regalia.�

Cade arrived for his last session in a bright red cap and gown. Afterwards he beamed when Ehren formally presented him with a “diploma.�

Ehren said he provides his clients with a “diploma” or “certificate” when it’s appropriate, but he likes to emphasize that achieving better communication skills is a reward in itself.

Cade’s therapy sessions spanned nine semesters at the Communication Disorders Clinic, the training site for Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ graduate students preparing to become certified speech-language pathologists. They were conducted by graduate students supervised by Ehren, a Board Recognized Specialist in Child Language.

This fall, Cade will enter kindergarten with much improved speech and language skills, thanks to the clinic, the support of Cade’s family — and Cade’s own hard work.

Congratulations, Cade!

Children with Down syndrome and limited speech recently received help learning to communicate using an iPad and special “appsâ€� hand-selected by speech experts at the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½.

Fifteen children, ages 3 to 11, and their parents participated in “iCan Communicate� from March 22-24.

The innovative program was offered collaboratively by Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ and the Down Syndrome Foundation of Florida at the Florida Alliance of Assistive Services and Technology (FAAST) Assistive Technology Demonstration Center within Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s Communication Disorders Clinic.

On March 22, the parents took part in an iPad training session led by Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ faculty and staff members and students. The following day, the parents assisted their children in therapy sessions to identify a relevant software application, or “app,â€� for the child’s individual communication needs.

During the sessions, the children tested various “appsâ€� with guidance from Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ graduate students studying speech-language pathology. Three faculty clinicians supervised the graduate students.

Each “app� offers the child colorful keys containing pictures, words, or both pictures and words. When the child presses on a key, a synthesized voice says the selected word or message. By selecting a series of keys, the child can form simple messages up to complex sentences.

Among the children was Brevan Walker, a 7-year-old boy who attentively practiced using an “app� to communicate about a bowling game he played during one therapy session. Associate Professor Jennifer Kent-Walsh, who directs the program and conducts research in the area of augmentative and alternative communication, monitored the session in a nearby room.

On March 24, the children met for a final therapy session at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s Rosen College of Hospitality Management. Afterwards, they practiced using their iPads to communicate while enjoying a “Spring Flingâ€� egg hunt and luncheon at the college. Three-year-old Meredith Griffen used her iPad to communicate about the candy and other surprises she found in the eggs she collected.

At the end of the program, the children received their own iPads to keep loaded with the “app� or “apps� identified by the graduate students and supervising clinicians. The Down Syndrome Foundation of Florida donated both the iPads and “apps.�

When applying to participate in the program, Meredith’s mother shared that she and her husband learned in January that Meredith sustained vocal fold damage subsequent to surgery to repair Meredith’s trachea and esophagus.

“Finding out that your child may not be physically able to speak can be devastating for parents,� Kent-Walsh shared. “We were thrilled to be able to have Meredith participate in this program at such a young age since it is critical to provide all children with the tools they need to continue to develop their language and communication skills. Meredith is a bright child with an effervescent personality. It’s incredible to see her already using her iPad to express herself more fully.�

Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ and the Down Syndrome Foundation of Florida first offered the iCan Communicate program in October 2011 and plans for future programs are underway.

“I can’t think of another program quite like this in the country that provides free equipment and clinical services,� Kent-Walsh noted. “The ability to merge the expertise of our clinical team with the vision and the resources of the Down Syndrome Foundation of Florida has been fantastic.�

Although there has been great interest in providing this type of program for children with other diagnoses who have limited speech, the current collaboration focuses exclusively on children with Down syndrome, she added.

For further information on the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Communication Disorders Clinic and FAAST Assistive Technology Demonstration Center, see .  For further information on “iCan Communicateâ€� and other “iCanâ€� programs for individuals with Down syndrome, contact the Down Syndrome Foundation of Florida at .