Chico State’s Speech Therapy Clinic hosts annual free Speech … – The Orion

Chico State speech pathology students gather for a photo at the annual Speech & Hearing Fair. Photo taken May 6th by Kaitlin Moore.

On May 6th, the Chico State Clinic for Communication Disorders hosted its annual Speech & Hearing Fair, where members of the public got the opportunity to receive free speech, hearing and language screenings. The event served people of all ages, and included food, games, and prizes as well.

For this event, we look at testing peoples speech and hearing. We also test cognition and language using screeners, so its really been an all-hitting event. We really want the community to come in if they have any sort of concerns, as this is a good place to do it, Chantel Bebee, a graduate student in the Speech Language Pathology, or SLP, program said.

The event has been hosted annually for over 20 years at Chico States Clinic for Communication Disorders, and is organized entirely by first year Masters students in the SLP program, who use this as an opportunity to give back to the community, raise awareness on speech and hearing health and also to grow in their own clinical experience.

It gives them an important experience, as theyre going to be practicing clinicians someday, Anita Anderson, one of the clinical supervisors for the SLP program at Chico State, and an alumni of the program, said. Here is a great place for these students to take what theyre learning and put it into practice.

The fair is hosted in May to help promote Better Hearing and Speech Month and bring greater awareness to speech and hearing care. Ivy Gomes, a final year graduate student in the SLP program, offered some helpful advice on maintaining good hearing and voice health.

With hearing, its important to watch the volume levels on what youre listening to, since you dont want anything at too high of a decibel level, she said. For your voice, watch for good vocal hygiene. Drink a lot of water and avoid coughing and clearing your throat as much as you can.

If you would like to learn more about what the Clinic for Communication Disorders offers to the community, please visit their website at http://www.csuchico.edu/cmsd/clinic.shtml or call 530-898-5871.

Kaitlin Moore can be reached at [emailprotected]

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Chico State's Speech Therapy Clinic hosts annual free Speech ... - The Orion