Communication Sciences and Disorders
Course Descriptions

CSD-652. Health Promotion and Prevention. This course serves as an Introduction to Healthy People 2010, a comprehensive nationwide plan focusing on promoting health and preventing disease in the United States, and discusses national and state health indicators, as well as important topics related to the prevention of communication disorders. Prerequisites: None. 1 s.h. Required.

CSD-501, CSD-502, CSD-503, CSD-604 and CSD-606. Clinical Education I-V. These courses provide students with supervised clinical practice in essential competency areas: articulation, fluency, voice, language, hearing, swallowing, cognition, pragmatics, and communication modalities. Progression to each subsequent course in the sequence depends on satisfactory academic standing, safe and effective clinical skills, and professional development. 2 s.h. each. Required.

CSD-520. Motor Speech Disorders. This course describes adult neurologically-based motor speech disorders (dysarthria, apraxia). The focus of this course is on neurological correlates of motor control, perceptual speech abnormalities, differential diagnosis, and speech rehabilitation. Prerequisites: CSD-629, CSD-634, RS-701. 2 s.h. Required.

CSD-531, CSD-639 and CSD-641. Clinical Affiliation. These courses provide supervised clinical practice in communication disorders (531 and 639 are required; 641 is remedial). Each 8-week placement is outside Charleston (with rare exceptions). An interview or other criteria might be required by the clinical affiliate.  Students select from existing clinical affiliation contracts; new contracts are established at the discretion of the Director of Clinical Education in collaboration with university counsel. Prerequisites include minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA, and satisfactory completion of comprehensive examinations and professional development requirements. 8 s.h. Required.

CSD-533. Phonetics. This course describes the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) and applies it to American English. The course involves the identification, discrimination, and notation of vowels, diphthongs, and consonants, and speech transcription. Prerequisites: None. 2 s.h. Required.

CSD-535. Stroke Syndromes. This course describes both theoretical and practice issues pertaining to acquired communicative disorders resulting from “focal” brain lesions: aphasia due to dominant language hemisphere damage, and neglect and communication disorders associated with nondominant hemisphere damage. Prerequisites: CSD-629, CSD-634, RS-701. 3 s.h. Required.

CSD-540. Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders. This course addresses current research, theory and practice in swallowing, and associated problems. Attention is devoted to neurogenic and post-surgical cases. Students are instructed in principles of evaluation and management. Prerequisites: CSD-614, CSD-629, CSD-634, RS-701.3 s.h. Required.

CSD-545. Dementia and Trauma. This course describes disorders associated with “non-focal” or diffuse brain damage: traumatic brain injury and dementing illness. Cognitive and language changes associated with normal aging will also be addressed. Prerequisites CSD-629, CSD-634, RS-701. 2 s.h.  Required.

CSD-610. Voice/Resonance Disorders. This course introduces students to etiologic factors and methodology for diagnosis and treatment of functional and organic pitch, loudness, and quality disorders of voice. Prerequisites: CSD-614, CSD-629, CSD-634, RS-701. 3 s.h. Required.

CSD-614. Speech and Hearing Science. This course is designed to provide students with a comprehensive knowledge of the scientific basis of speech and hearing. Students study the act of speaking (neurology, respiration, phonation, and articulation), the acoustic nature of speech and it’s measurement, and the various theories of speech perception. CSD-533, CSD-629, CSD-634. 3 s.h. Required.

CSD-615, CSD-616, CSD-617, CSD-618. Advanced Topics I-IV. These courses address contemporary issues relevant to the theory and practice of speech-language pathology. They are designed to provide students with knowledge and skills for specialized areas of practice. Prerequisites: None. 1-4 s.h. Required at the discretion of the faculty.

CSD-622. Language Acquisition. This course explains linguistic concepts (phonology, morphosyntax, and lexical-semantics), the major theories of language acquisition, and the relationship of these theories to the diagnosis of child language disorders. Prerequisites: CSD-533, CSD-629, CSD-634, CSD-635. 3 s.h. Required.

CSD-623. Childhood Language Disorders. This course addresses the identification, assessment and differential diagnosis of pediatric language disorders, explains administration and interpretation of tests and protocols used with infants, children and adolescents, and describes intervention methods. Prerequisites: CSD-533, CSD-629, CSD-634, CSD-635. 3 s.h. Required.

CSD-625. Multicultural Issues in Communication Disorders.  This course describes cross-linguistic and cross-cultural communication in multicultural populations, and explores the complex relationships that characterize language, society, and communication disorders. Prerequisites: CSD-622,CSD-629, CSD-634, CSD-635, None. 1 s.h. Required. 

CSD-626. Audiology. A study of the elements of acoustics necessary to understand the quantitative aspects of speech and hearing science, speech-language pathology and audiology. Includes a review of the basic physics of sound and measurement of hearing. Introduction to pathologies associated with hearing loss. Medical and/or rehabilitative strategies are also presented. Prerequisites: None.CSD-533, CSD-614, CSD-634. 3 s.h. Required.

CSD-629. Introduction to the Medical Setting. This course explains interdisciplinary roles and practices including topics such as infectious disease precautions, diagnostic and surgical procedures, hospital policies, and documentation, and includes a medical terminology module. Prerequisites: None. 3 s.h. Required.  

CSD-631. Diagnostic and Treatment Methods.  This course explains assessment and treatment of communication disorders, team management concepts, determination of patient strengths and limitations, documentation requirements, therapy planning, and short-term and long-term goal formulation. Prerequisites: CSD-533, CSD-622, CSD-629. 2 s.h. Required.

CSD-632 Tracheostomy and Ventilator Dependency. This course describes the surgical technique of tracheotomy, types of tracheostomy tubes, and types of mechanical ventilation, and explains communication options and management of the tracheostomized patient. Prerequisites: CSD-629, CSD-634. 2 s.h. Required.

CSD-633. Craniofacial Disorders. This three credit hour course introduces the graduate student to genetic inheritance and embryonic development and genetic syndromes involving the craniofacial complex. Craniofacial anomalies (with emphasis on clefts of the lip and palate) and the impact of such anomalies on speech-language development and functioning are discussed.  The specialized role of the speech-language pathologist in instrumental and clinical assessment and management of these disorders is covered. Pertinaent hteories m,philosophies, and current research literature in the are of oral-facial anomalies is reviewed. 1 s.h. Required.

CSD-634. Anatomy and Physiology of Head, Neck, and Thorax.  This course is provides a detailed examination of the anatomic structures and physiologic processes involved with speech, language, and hearing. Prerequisites: Undergraduate human anatomy, or anatomy of speech, language and hearing. 3 s.h. Required.

CSD-635. Phonological and Articulation Disorders. This course describes disorders of perception and the production of speech sounds. Theories of phonological development, phonologic processes, and etiologic bases of functional and organic articulation disorders are used as a rationale for the development of individualized diagnostic and therapeutic plans. Concurrent with CSD-533 Phonetics. 3 s.h. Required.

CSD-640. Aural Rehabilitation I. This course supplements CSD-626 Audiology by providing training in a manual modality. May be exempted upon presentation of transcript or certificate showing equivalent training. Prerequisite: CSD-626. 1 s.h.

CSD-642. Aural Rehabilitation II. This course supplements CSD-626 Audiology by providing training in treatment for hearing-impaired individuals. May be exempted upon presentation of transcript or certificate showing equivalent training. Prerequisite: CSD-626.  1 s.h.

CSD-645. Independent Study. Students engage in guided study of communication sciences and disorders, or topics involving professional or interdisciplinary healthcare issues. Topic is established in collaboration with a faculty mentor. Prerequisite: RS-535. 1-3 s.h. Elective.

CSD-651. Professional Issues in CSD. This course addresses a range of topics pertinent to students entering practice including general health laws and regulations, anti-discrimination law, standards of professional practice, and application of the code of ethics to realistic situations. Prerequisites: None. 1 s.h. Required.

CSD-799. Thesis. This is an elective experience. Requirements include completion of a directed research proposal, collection and analysis of pilot data, and completion of a thesis in an area of clinical, survey, or historical research.  Prerequisites: Undergraduate statistics, and RS-535, RS-555. 1-6 s.h.  By application.

Comprehensive examination: Oral and written examination of anatomy/physiology and speech science, audiology, pediatric speech/language disorders, and adult speech/language disorders; one opportunity to remediate; prerequisite to external clinical affiliation in 6^th semester. Satisfactory performance is a condition for graduation from the program.

See Department of Rehabilitation Sciences section of the Bulletin for other courses in the CSD curriculum: RS-515 Research Seminar (required); RS-535 Introduction to Evidence-Based Practice (required); RS-555 Quantitative Research Approaches to Evidence-Based Practice (required); RS-560 Qualitative Research Approaches to Evidence-Based Practice (required); RS-565 Single System Research Approaches to Evidence-Based Practice(required); RS-695 Community-Based Experiences – Camp Communication Vacation (required); RS-695 Community-Based Experiences – Other experiences (elective), and RS-699 Research Practicum (elective).

Approved by the College of Health Professions Curriculum Committee March, 2007