Services and Programs
The Speech-Language Pathology Clinic offers a variety of clinical services, including comprehensive assessment and evaluation, screening, intervention, consultation, and general education. We serve individuals and families across the lifespan with a variety of concerns regarding communication and/or feeding and swallowing.
Services are provided on-site at the Chester Community Clinic, via Telehealth, or via mobile service delivery at one of our community partners, detailed below.
Please see below for a description of our clinical programs:
Pediatrics
We serve children ages 0-18 with a range of concerns related to communication and/or feeding, including– but not limited to– the following:
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Services are available in individual or group format, depending on availability and time of year.
Adults
We serve adults of all ages (18+) with a range of concerns related to communication and/or swallowing, secondary to acquired neurological illness or injury, developmental conditions. Areas we address include, but are not limited to, the following:
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Services are available in individual or group format, depending on availability and time of year.
We are pleased to announce the SPEAK OUT! Therapy Program is now available at the Speech-Language Pathology Clinic!
The SPEAK OUT!® Therapy Program, developed by Parkinson Voice Project®, helps people with Parkinson’s and related neurological disorders regain and retain their speech and swallowing. This highly effective, evidence-based treatment combines education, individual and group speech therapy, daily home practice, and continuous follow-ups. Patients are empowered to “speak with INTENT,” transitioning speech from an automatic function to an intentional act.
About Parkinson Voice Project
Parkinson Voice Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization solely dedicated to helping people with Parkinson’s regain and retain their speech and swallowing. The organization provides SPEAK OUT! Workbooks, online SPEAK OUT! Home Practice Sessions, and a weekly Parkinson’s Sing-Along to complement the speech therapy they will receive at Widener University. The organization is headquartered in Richardson, Texas, and has trained over 10,000 clinicians in more than 40 countries. For information, visit www.ParkinsonVoiceProject.org.
Telehealth
Telehealth services are available to individuals of all ages; in order to be eligible to receive services via Telehealth, clients must be located in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, or New York at the time of service.
Bilingual Services
The Bilingual Diagnostic and Therapy Program offers evaluations and/or therapy services to all bilingual members of the community. At this time, services are offered in Spanish and English; however, other languages may be available pending availability of graduate clinicians and/or clinical faculty. Regardless, all graduate clinicians and clinical faculty are dedicated to providing culturally responsive, appropriate, and ethical care to individuals from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Interested individuals and families are encouraged to contact the Speech-Language Pathology Clinic for more information.
Community Partners
The Institute for Speech-Language Pathology (ISLP) at Widener University is a program dedicated to training clinically competent, ethical, community focused, and culturally respectful speech-language pathologists; community service and civic engagement are at the core of its mission and programmatic vision. In keeping with this mission, the ISLP, and, in turn, the on-campus Speech-Language Pathology Clinic has actively sought to establish partnerships with local facilities to better understand and serve the needs of Chester, PA, and the surrounding communities, while simultaneously identifying diverse and authentic opportunities for clinical education through a service-learning framework.
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- Drexel Neumann Academy: Private school serving students grade Pre-K-12 in Chester, PA.
- Loomis Elementary School: Public school serving students grades K-5 in Broomall, PA.
- Widener Child Development Center: Childcare & Preschool serving diverse students ages 2-5 in Chester, PA.
- Wayne Senior Center: Active community center serving older adults ages 55+ in Wayne, PA.
- Wilmington VA Hospital: Medical center serving veterans in Wilmington, DE.
Loomis Elementary School
Drexel Neuman Academy
Wilmington VA Medical Center
Widener Child Development Center
Wayne Senior Center
Our Model
Individuals and families interested in scheduling a session with the Speech-Language Pathology Clinic should review the information below, for a detailed description of the regular sequence of events:
Referrals
Clients may be referred to the SLP Clinic for assessment and/or therapy services. Referrals may be made through the Chester Community Clinic, physicians, hospitals, nursing homes, schools, or day-care centers; clients may also be self-referred, as we do not require a medical prescription to receive services. Initial contact may be in person, by telephone, e-mail, or by letter. Once interest has been expressed, an intake packet is provided via email.
Scheduling
Clients interested in seeking services through the Speech-Language Pathology Clinic should begin by submitting an intake form to [email protected]. All intakes will be reviewed by our clinical faculty and student Client Relations team.
Once the team receives and reviews an intake form, the Client Relations team will reach out to you for scheduling within the appropriate clinical program.
The SLP Clinic operates during Widener University’s Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters. Services during the Fall and Spring are offered for 10-12 weeks; summer services are offered for 5 weeks. For upcoming semester dates, please refer to Widener University’s Academic Calendar; specific dates of each semester’s clinical program will be provided to interested individuals and families via email.
Due to limited availability each semester, clients may be placed on our wait list until a slot becomes available. When clients are placed on our wait list, they will receive a list of local speech-language pathologists, should they choose to seek services elsewhere in the meantime.
Evaluation
All clients must complete a comprehensive evaluation prior to scheduling intervention services to generate a comprehensive, person-centered plan of care. Each SLP evaluation is conducted by graduate clinicians and led by a clinical supervisor. Following the evaluation, clients may be scheduled for therapy, and/or referred to the Chester Community Clinic for inter professional care.
Continuing clients must complete a comprehensive re-evaluation once per calendar year, or at the discretion of the inter professional care team. Clients may request a comprehensive evaluation at any time.
Intervention
When therapy at the SLP Clinic is recommended and sessions are available in the appropriate program, clients will be assigned to a graduate clinician under the supervision of an ASHA-certified, licensed clinical supervisor. The clinical supervisor then assumes the professional responsibility for the management of that client’s treatment program and will oversee that client’s plan of care until all goals have been met. Graduate clinicians will rotate cases each semester.
Recommendations for intervention dosage and schedule are made following a comprehensive evaluation. Usually, clients are scheduled to receive intervention sessions 1-2x/week during the semester, for sessions lasting between 30-60 minutes. These recommendations vary depending on the client’s diagnosis and areas of need.
Team Conference
Conferences with the client, parent/caregiver, and/or inter professional team are scheduled at least once per semester to review goals and/or progress, exchange information, and address team concerns. Additional conferences may be scheduled as frequently as deemed necessary by the clinical supervisor.
Interested in learning more? Please contact the Speech-Language Pathology Clinic at [email protected], or 610-499-1159.
