MONTEVALLO—Four faculty members at the University of Montevallo are featured in the cover article in Advance, a nationally recognized publication for speech-language pathologists and audiologists.
The article, titled Uniting in EI, speaks to the value of teaching the transdisciplinary approach between social work and speech-language pathology in order to better prepare pre-professionals to treat very young children who are at risk for or are diagnosed with developmental delays. Early Intervention (EI) is recommended by both disciplines in these cases, and the article encourages teamwork in order to deliver the best treatment plan to the families of these children.
Drs. Claire Edwards and Danielle Waldrep Rich are assistant professors of communication science and disorders at the University of Montevallo, and Drs. Laurel Hitchcock and Jason Newell are assistant professors of social work there. Hitchcock is the director of the social work program at UM. The four collaborated in writing the cover-story, and they agree that the team approach produces greater progress, increased communication between clients/families and therapists and other benefits. They recommend a practice experience in both speech-language pathology and social work that would team students from both disciplines for a community-based project.