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By Julie Rausch

In the new offices of WSU’s Speech Language-Hearing Clinic in the Hughes Metropolitan Complex, there’s the smell of fresh paint and new wood trim, and the new carpets are stain-free. Whirring drills and pounding hammers can be heard amidst this hustling, bustling center which provides diagnostic and therapy services for people with speech, language, voice, stuttering or hearing difficulties.

When the move from Hubbard Hall was discussed about two years ago, clinic director Trisha Self was nearly speechless when she realized the clinic would double its space to 10,000 square feet. The clinic had been housed in Hubbard Hall’s basement for 25 years.

Several of the complex amenities seem almost custom-made for the community clinic – a big parking lot, highly visible access in the southwest corner of the building, a built-in preschool, and an outdoor playground.

Music students lead an interactive activity with the children ages 2 1/2 to 5 years in the new preschool housed in the Hughes Metropolitan Complex.

Clinic services include speech and language evaluations, speech disorders assessment and therapy, hearing testing, assessment and intervention and hearing aid evaluations, fitting and maintenance.

With the move, the clinic opened a new preschool called Kaleidoscope. The licensed preschool focuses on language development with a mix of typically developing children, those who have speech-language difficulties, and children who speak English as a second language.

WSU students majoring in early childhood special education, graduate students in speech-language pathology and special education music, and some students from Newman University work and play at the preschool under the direction of WSU faculty.

During one recent morning, a boy, about 3 years old, offered to show his toy to two WSU students through an open observation window at the preschool.

"We are waiting for the new one-way observation mirror to come in," explained Self.

"That child," Self said, nodding toward the boy making sounds at the window, "has come a long way. Before he came here, he was non-verbal; he only communicated through gestures."

A WSU student read a book to the children ages 2 1/2 to 5 years about picking pumpkins and apples. Each child got to hold an apple or a miniature pumpkin. When the children heard the word "apple," they would repeat the word while holding up their apple.

Self said the clinic is developing parent support groups for training and transitional skills at home. They plan to have a parent resource center, too, she said.

Other special programs the clinic offers include accent modification for foreign-born individuals; group screenings of speech, language and hearing for preschools, day-care centers and health care facilities; adult auditory rehabilitation services; and consumer education in speech-language and hearing disorders and services.

The clinic plans some new and expanded programs, as well, such as:

• a language/literacy program for children and adults. The children’s program is currently enrolling students through middle school in an after-school tutoring program. Call Jill Lathen, ext. 3256, for more information. The department of communicative disorders and sciences, which works in partnership with the clinic, coordinates the adult program. The contact is Linda Swank, ext. 3240.

• school outreach at St. Francis of Assisi School in west Wichita twice a week

• expanded autism services. The clinic has provided services for autistic adults and children for about three years. One of the major problems for people with autism is communication and language skills.

The clinic staff currently works with 17 clients diagnosed in the autism spectrum. Previously much of the autism therapy was done one-on-one. With more space, the clinic is planning support groups for autistic clients to work on group communication, pragmatic and social skills.

For additional information about the Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic, contact Self at ext. 3289.