Speech Difficulties

Spoken and Written Language

This module focuses on the nature of spoken and written language development and difficulties. The relationship between speech, language and literacy is explored. Topics include speech and literacy development, phonological awareness, reading and reading comprehension, writing, spelling and cross-linguistic issues. Theoretical models and practical applications to supporting literacy development in pre and school age children will be studied. Students can choose to either follow introductory units in phonetics and speech development if new to these topics or extend their existing knowledge of phonetics and examine connected speech and prosody.

15 credits

Developing an Evidence Base for Practice

This module develops knowledge, understanding and skills for the promotion of evidence based practice for practitioners in education, health and social welfare contexts. Students will be introduced to levels and types of evidence, develop skills in framing questions about their practice, searching and reading the literature, and in critical analysis. Students will develop skills in evaluating their own practice.

15 credits

Speech Difficulties 1: Nature and Investigation

This module offers a study of the nature of developmental speech difficulties (speech sound disorders) from a range of perspectives: historical, medical, developmental, linguistic/cross-linguistic, phonetic, acoustic, psycholinguistic and educational. It examines how developmental speech difficulties can be investigated and assessed drawing on knowledge and skills from each of these perspectives. These investigations include qualitative analysis of speech data, psychometric testing and instrumental applications. Students will study current research into both theoretical aspects of the nature of speech difficulties and application to practice in a range of contexts.

15 credits

Speech Difficulties 2: Intervention and Management

This module draws on current research into the management of clients with developmental speech difficulties (speech sound disorders) in a range of contexts (e.g. schools, clinic, units) and situations. It adopts a range of perspectives (e.g. historical, medical, developmental, linguistic/cross-linguistic, psycholinguistic, and biopsychosocial) in order to plan intervention programmes for children, adolescents and adults with developmental speech and associated literacy and psychosocial difficulties. Evidence for a range of intervention programmes is examined by applying critical analysis skills to the research methodologies adopted. Issues associated with service delivery are explored. Different approaches to management, e.g. hands-on intervention, consultative role, working through others (e.g. parents/carers and assistants) are explored.

15 credits

Core modules:

Research Methods in Human Communication A

This module will develop students' knowledge, understanding and skills of the range of research methodologies used in human communication sciences, education and health. The main aim of the module is to allow students to become competent consumers and producers of scientific evidence. Topics will include the qualitative and quantitative research cycle (eg study design, development of research questions), concepts of statistical analysis (eg descriptive statistics, presenting data, selected inferential statistics), qualitative research methods (eg interviews) and case study designs.

15 credits

Research Methods in Human Communication B

This module will expand students' knowledge, understanding and skills of the range of research methodologies used in human communication sciences, education and health. It will further develop their competencies in interpreting and producing scientific evidence. The main aim of the module is to allow students to design and conduct a methodologically and statistically sound research project. Topics will include inferential statistics (parametric and non-parametric statistical tests, effect sizes and strength of relationships, regression), psychometrics (concepts, derived scores and confidence intervals) and qualitative research methods (eg interviews) and qualitative data analysis.

15 credits

Examples of optional modules include:

Communication Diversity & Difficulties: A

This module allows students to select up to three topics in the field of children's language and communication for more detailed study. Topics may include the following: autism spectrum disorders, language and communication in the early years, literacy difficulties, developmental language disorders (DLD), language and behaviour, language and communication in adolescence, and multilingualism. Theoretical perspectives and research findings within each topic are evaluated. Implications for practice are explored. Course content is delivered across a continuum to allow students to develop from their own level of existing knowledge and understanding.

15 credits

Methods in Clinical Linguistics

Students will receive a grounding in methods relevant to the linguistic study of communication disorders. (1) Introduction to clinical phonetics and linguistics. (2) Analysing atypical speech, including: instrumental techniques for the analysis of speech production (eg accoustic analysis, electropalatography); transcription of atypical speech; normal and atypical prosodic systems; speech perception; phonological interpretation; speech processing models. (3) Analysing atypical language: Conversation Analysis and pragmatics; grammatical and semantic analysis. Students will focus on analytical methods relevant to their own research and will be encouraged to reflect on the theoretical assumptions underlying the methods in question, and to be aware of alternative approaches.

15 credits

Literacy : Difficulties and Intervention

This module is designed to provide students with the opportunity to explore how and why individuals struggle to learn to read and write with fluency and confidence. It will take a developmental perspective and examine pre-cursors to reading difficulties, issues in the early years, as well as the types of difficulty that persist into secondary school and beyond. We will cover both widely-discussed diagnoses such as dyslexia, as well as reading difficulties that do not fit so neatly into a single category. The module will discuss the behaviour associated with literacy difficulties, as well as what we know about evidence-based intervention.

15 credits

Research Project

Dissertation. This unit is designed to give students the opportunity to design, conduct and write-up a research study under the supervision of a member of staff. Students will attend seminars or similar distance learning based activities to supplement supervision. These seminars will cover project guidelines and related research methods. Students will refine their research skills in experimental design, data analysis and reporting. Ethics applications and drafts of work in progess are required.

60 credits