| CODE | CMT1105 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Clinical Analysis of Speech, Language and Communication | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 01 - Year 1 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Human Communication Sciences and Disorders | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit covers fundamental methods employed in the assessment of speech, spoken and written language as well as communication in children and adults. It familiarises students with assessment instruments and procedures that enable the evaluation of speech, language and communication skills, in clinical and research settings, and encourages them to reflect on assessment in real-life situations. Methods for analysing assessment data and respective measures that may be derived are also introduced. Study-unit Aims: - To introduce students to the main methods, instruments and procedures employed in the assessment of speech, spoken and written language as well as communication for clinical and research purposes; - To enable students to make links between the speech, language and communication skills expected across childhood and adulthood, and the methods and means that allow related impairments to be identified; - To encourage students to understand the rationale behind assessment of specific skills; - To familiarise students with assessment instruments developed purposely for use in the Maltese linguistic and cultural context; - To familiarise students with analytical methods and measures that may be employed to evaluate speech, language and communication data collected through assessment; - To prompt students to source everyday materials to build their own informal assessment portfolio, paving the way for collation of a more elaborate assessment toolkit over the subsequent years of the course programme; - To stimulate students to reflect on which skills might be assessed using available assessment materials and how; - To engage students in assessment planning for fictitious cases; - To provide a basis for further theoretical and practical content related to assessment and diagnosis in the subsequent years of the B.Sc. (Hons) Communication Therapy programme. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - describe methods used in the assessment of speech, language (spoken and written) and communication skills in children and adults; - describe instruments that may be employed to implement specific assessment methods; - define formal and informal assessment; - identify specific assessment instruments as formal or informal; - name analytical methods employed with speech, language and communication data; - recognise measures generated through the analysis of speech, language and communication data; - list everyday items that may be used for informal assessment purposes; - recognise the theoretical rationale underlying specific assessment goals. 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - categorise specific assessment methods according to their focus on speech, spoken language, written language and communication skills; - differentiate between assessment methods used with children and adults; - distinguish between formal and informal assessment instruments; - create a portfolio of informal assessment materials; - demonstrate the ability to select assessment procedures indicated for specific impairments using available materials; - consolidate the selection of assessment materials and procedures with theoretical justifications; - propose analytical methods and measures that may be employed with specific categories of speech, language and communication data. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main texts: - Brookshire, R. H. & McNeil, M. R. (2015). Introduction to Neurogenic Communication Disorders (8th ed.). St. Louis: Elsevier 鈥� Health Sciences Division. - McLeod, S. & Baker, E. (2017). Children's Speech: An evidence-based approach to assessment and intervention. Pearson. - Shipley, K., & McAfee, J. (2021). Assessment in Speech-Language Pathology (6th ed.). San Diego: Plural Publishing. - Williams, D. (2022). Working with Children鈥檚 Language: A practical resource for early years professionals (2nd ed.). Routledge. Supplementary texts: - Cooke, J. & Williams, D. (1991). Working with Children鈥檚 Language. Speechmark. - Dollaghan, C. A. (2007). The Handbook for Evidence-Based Practice in Communication Disorders. Brookes. - Kamhi, A. G., Masterson, J., & Apel, K. (Eds.). (2007). Clinical decision making in developmental language disorders. Brookes. - Manasco, M. H. (2020). Introduction to Neurogenic Communication Disorders. (3rd ed.) Jones and Bartlett. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Group Learning, Independent Study & Lectures | ||||||||||||
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| LECTURER/S | Rachael Agius Martina Galdes Daniela R. Gatt Ritienne Grima |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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