CSDS 1220 Fall 2010 1

Armstrong Atlantic State University

Course: Introduction to Communication Disorders
Course #: CSDS 1220
Semester: Fall 2010
Time: Variable
Place: Online and Savannah Mall Clinic
Instructor: April Garrity, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Office: Savannah Mall #314
Telephone: 912.344.2864
Email: April.Garrity@armstrong.edu
Office hours: MW, 10:30 – 1
TR, 12 – 2:30

Course Description
This course is designed as a survey of a very broad area of study, communication sciences and disorders, and is geared toward
individuals interested in a career in the fields of speech-language pathology and audiology. This course presents information
about the professions of speech-language pathology and audiology as outlined by the American Speech Language Hearing
Association (ASHA), as well as about the processes of speech, language, hearing, and impairments of these processes. Other
topics include culture and communication, normal speech-language development, and the biological and physiological aspects
of communication.

This course is heavily web-enhanced and self-guided through various readings, discussion topics, and assignments listed on the
schedule within this syllabus, but some seat-time is required. Students in this course will be participating in the 2011 Common
Read by reading this year’s selected title, Waddie Welcome and the Beloved Community by Tom Kohler and Susan Earl and
participating in sanctioned Common Read events on campus. We will also schedule class meetings flexibly through Doodle.
Dr. Garrity will email links to Doodle scheduler to you through either your AASU email address listed on SHIP or through
VIEW mail for input as to when class meetings can be held.

Texts :

Hedge, M.N. (2001). Introduction to Communicative Disorders. Austin, TX: Pro-Ed. (Required)

Kohler, T., & Earl, S. (2004). Waddie Welcome and the Beloved Community. Toronto: Inclusion Press. (Required)

Cochran, P. (2005). Clinical Computing Competency for Speech Language Pathologists. Baltimore: Brookes. (Recommended)

APA Manual (Recommended)

Academic Integrity Policy

Each student is expected to abide by AASU’s Honor Code as written in the current university catalog. In this class,
assignments must be entirely your work unless specified as a partnered or group activity.

ADA Statement
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, appropriate accommodation will be made for any student with an
identified disability. The student must present the official university notification letter outlining the necessary accommodations
to the course instructor. The letter can be secured from the AASU Office of Disability Services, Memorial Center (MCC),
Room 207.
CSDS 1220 Fall 2010 2

ARMSTRONG ATLANTIC STATE UNIVERSITY

CSDS 1220
ASHA Standards addressed in this course
LEGEND
Standard III-A: The applicant must demonstrate knowledge of the principles of biological sciences, physical
sciences, mathematics, and the social/behavioral sciences.

Standard III-B: The applicant must demonstrate knowledge of basic human communication and swallowing
processes, including their biological, neurological, acoustic, psychological, developmental, and linguistic and
cultural bases.

Standard III-C: The applicant must demonstrate knowledge of the nature of speech, language, hearing, and
communication disorders and differences and swallowing disorders, including the etiologies, characteristics,
anatomical/ physiological, acoustic, psychological, developmental, and linguistic and cultural correlates.

Standard III-D: The applicant must possess knowledge of the principles and methods of prevention, assessment,
and intervention for people with communication and swallowing disorders, including consideration of
anatomical/physiological, psychological, developmental, and linguistic and cultural correlates of the disorders.

Standard III-E: The applicant must demonstrate knowledge of standards of ethical conduct.

Standard III-F: The applicant must demonstrate knowledge of processes used in research and the integration of
research principles into evidence-based clinical practice.

Standard III-G: The applicant must demonstrate knowledge of contemporary professional issues.

Standard III-H: The applicant must demonstrate knowledge about certification, specialty recognition, licensure, and
other relevant professional credentials.

Standard IV-B: The applicant must possess skill in oral and written or other forms of communication sufficient for
entry into professional practice.

Standard IV-C: The applicant for certification in speech-language pathology must complete a minimum of 400
clock hours of supervised clinical experience in the practice of speech-language pathology. Twenty-five hours must
be spent in clinical observation and 375 hours must be spent in direct client/patient contact.

AREAS MEASUREMENT
1. Articulation 1. Tests
2. Fluency 2. Research papers
3. Voice & Resonance 3. Critical thinking/Analysis papers
4. Receptive & Expressive Language 4. Performance Evaluation
5. Hearing 5. Presentations
6. Swallowing 6. Demonstrations
7. Cognitive Aspects of Communication 7. Case Studies
8. Social Aspects of Communication 8. Journal/Research Article critiques
9. Communication Modalities 9. Classroom/Online Discussions
 CSDS 1220 Fall 2010 3

Objectives – The student will: Standards* Areas* Measure*

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the professions of speech-language pathology III-E, III-G, III-H, All 3, 9
and audiology. IV-C
2. Describe the normal/typical aspects of communication processes. III-B, III-C All 3, 9
3. Identify major types of communication disorders throughout a person’s III-C, III-D All 3, 9
lifespan.
4. Demonstrate knowledge of the biological and physiological aspects of III-B, III-C All 3, 9
communication.
5. Discuss multicultural influences on communication and perception of III-D, III-F, IV-B All 3, 9
communication disorders.
6. Demonstrate understanding of current research in the field. III-D, III-F, III-G, All 8, 9
IV-B
* see Legend

Course Requirements: To meet these objectives, the following assignments must be completed:

1. Online discussions (8 @ 25 points each) 200 points

2. Article summaries (2 @ 50 points each) 100 points
3. Essay for CommonRead competition 100 points

Total possible 400 points

Grading Scale (8 point scale): The final grade for this course will be calculated as follows:
A = 368 to 400 points (92 – 100%)
B = 336 to 367 points (84 – 91%)
C = 304 to 335points (76 – 83%)
D = 272 to 303 points (68 – 75%)
F = 271 points and below (74% or below)

Policies:
All assignments are turned on the due dates provided by the professor. A LATE ASSIGNMENT WILL RESULT IN A ZERO
FOR THAT ASSIGNMENT.

Organization of material, grammar, spelling, use of APA format, and punctuation will be considered in the evaluation of ALL
written assignments. Written assignments must be in a Word (or similar word processing program) document in Arial or
Times New Roman 10 – 12 point font. Failure to demonstrate adherence to assignment parameters will result in an automatic
grade reduction by one letter grade.

Please silence cell phones and other devices. Refrain from using the internet for personal reasons during the class
session. Be courteous to your fellow classmates and your professor.

It is to your advantage to check your AASU email as well as the Pirates’ VIEW page on a regular basis. Assignments and/or
the course schedule may be modified as needed at the discretion of the instructor.

Proposed Outline of Course Content

In preparation Class Material/Readings/Meetings Graded Assignments
for the week of

August 16 Log on to Pirates’ VIEW and familiarize yourself with course syllabus

Begin reading Waddie Welcome and the Beloved Community; you will
need to begin identifying a theme for your essay

Thurs, August 18: Initial class meeting at noon (Room 105, Savannah
Mall Clinic)
CSDS 1220 Fall 2010 4

August 23 Weds, August 25: Attend 1st NSSLHA meeting @ 10:15 a.m. (Savannah Discussion #1 opens 8/23
Mall Clinic)

Explore the websites listed on the Web Links tab on Pirates’ VIEW;
Hegde Chapter 12

August 30 Weds, September 1: Attend CommonRead multi-media presentation @ Discussion #2 opens 8/30
NOON (Ogeechee Theatre, Student Union)

September 6 September 6: LABOR DAY HOLIDAY

Hegde Chapters 1 & 2

September 13 Hegde Chapter 3 Discussion #3 opens 9/13

September 20 Hegde Chapter 4 Discussion #4 opens 9/20

September 27 Hegde Chapter 5

October 4 Hegde Chapter 6

October 11 October 11-12: FALL BREAK

October 18 Mon, October 18: Attend CommonRead pizza and movie night @ 7 p.m.
(Ogeechee Theatre, Student Union); Guidelines for the essay contest will
be announced at this event

October 25 Hegde Chapters 7 & 8 Discussion #5 opens 10/25

November 1 Hegde Chapter 9 Discussion #6 opens 11/1

November 8 Mon, November 8: Attend CommonRead Student Panel Discussion Discussion #7 opens 11/8
(details TBA – watch for emails)
Readings from Hedge text*

November 15 Hegde Chapter 10 November 15: Article

summary #1 due by noon

November 22 November 24-26: THANKSGIVING BREAK

November 29 Hegde Chapter 11 Discussion #8 opens 11/29

December 6 December 6: last day of classes for fall semester December 6: Article
summary #2 due by noon

Enjoy Winter Break!

CSDS 1220 Fall 2010 5

Assignments

1. Online discussions:

Log on to the Discussions tab on Pirates’ VIEW according to the course calendar. The week’s topic will be posted by NOON
on Monday and will close Thursday at NOON. Discussion topics will relate to the assigned readings for the week. The rubric
for the discussions will be as follows:

A-level postings (21 – 25 points): Student participates on at least 3 different dates during the week, with a minimum of 5 posts.
Postings at this level . . .
• are made in a timely fashion, giving others an opportunity to respond
• are thoughtful and analyze the content or question asked, rather than providing a summary of content
• make connections to other content and/or real-life situations
• extend discussions already taking place, or pose new possibilities or opinions not previously voiced
• mention at least 4 points from the week’s readings (citing sources, page numbers) – cumulative over the total
number of posts
• demonstrate student’s attention to readings and command of topic at hand

B-level postings (16 – 20 points): Student participates on at least 2 different dates during the week, with a minimum of 4 posts.
Postings at this level . . .
• are made in a timely fashion, giving others an opportunity to respond
• are thoughtful, and analyze the content or question asked, rather than providing a summary of content
• make connections to previous or current content or to real-life situations, but the connections are unclear, not
firmly established, or not obvious
• contain novel ideas, connections, and/or real-world applications, but lack depth, detail, and/or explanation
• mention at least 2 points from the week’s readings (citing sources, page numbers) – cumulative over the total
number of posts

C-level postings (7 – 15 points): Students participates at least 1 date during the week, with a minimum of 2 posts.
Postings at this level . . .
• are usually, but not always, made in a timely fashion
• are generally accurate, but add content that other students have already posted and what class readings clearly
articulate
• make limited, vague connections between class readings and postings by other students
• mention 1 point from the week’s readings (citing source, page number)

D/F-level postings (0 – 6 points): Student participates 1 date during the week, with 1 post.
Postings at this level . . .
• are not made in a timely fashion, if at all, keeping other students from reading and responding
• are superficial, lacking any degree of analysis or critique
• contribute no novel ideas, connections, or real-world applications
• may be completely off topic
• demonstrate student’s lack of reading and/or comprehension of topic at hand
CSDS 1220 Fall 2010 6

2. Article summaries:

Each student should select an article from a refereed journal and summarize the article according to the rubric below. Article
summaries should be no more than 2 pages. Selected articles should focus on a topic covered in this course and/or the readings
for the course (i.e. speech-language pathology, audiology, speech/language/hearing impairments, etc). Scoring rubric for article
summaries:

Area of assessment Points possible Points received

Review of introduction and
purpose/hypothesis: 10
Student describes the authors’
purpose and predictions (if
applicable)
Review of methods: 10
Student describes what was done
Review of results: 10
Student describes what the
authors found
Impressions of discussion: 10
Student discusses the
implications of the findings (the
“take home message” of the
article)
APA format: 10
Student uses APA format in
aspects of writing the summary

TOTAL 50

3. Essay (for CommonRead contest)

Details regarding essay test will follow. Essay will be due to Dr. Garrity in advance of the due date for the contest. Dr. Garrity
will make suggestions for improvement so that your revised piece may be submitted for the actual essay contest. Please see
course calendar for pertinent dates. Guidelines for the essay competition will be announced October 18 at the CommonRead
event scheduled for that evening.