communication disorders

MP3 PLAYER EARBUDS A HEALTH CONCERN

MP3 players are ubiquitous devices, especially on college campuses, but there is a major concern in using the earbuds that come with this innovative technology. This concern revolves around the phenomenon of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss. In a recent survey, 40% of school children reported that they play their MP3 players too loud and 13% play their music “very loud.” The American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA) is trying to get the word out about this danger. To see a national poll as to how students use their MP3s, click HERE. To see how loud music can affect the ear, click HERE. To see ASHA’s “Listen to Your Buds!” campaign, click HERE.

VOICE CLASS ATTENDs SYMPOSIUM AT CEDARS-SINAI MEDICAL CENTER

The Voice & Craniofacial class attended a symposium on November 4 entitled Reflux & the Larynx. This was an excellent opportunity for students to attend a professional conference and hear top speakers and researches in the area of voice and voice disorders.

COMMUNICATION DISORDERS BECOMES ITS OWN DEPARTMENT

On July 1 2006, the Communication Disorders program moved out of the Dept. of Communication Studies and became its own department. The CD program had been a part of Communication Studies since the 1970s, first as an emphasis and then becoming a major in 1997. The CD program has grown considerably in the last 5 years and it was time for the folks in this program to carve out their own identity on campus. In addition to becoming a stand alone department, the CD program also moved divisions in the School of Arts & Sciences from the Fine Arts & Communication division to the Science division with other allied health professions such as pre-OT and pre-PT.

Communication disorders major changing from BA to BS degree

On September 20 2006, Biola’s undergraduate curriculum committee approved a proposal to change the Communication Disorder’s major from a Bachelor of Arts degree to a Bachelor of Science degree. The major change in the requirements involved the number of foreign language units. The BA degree requires 12 units, while he BS degree involves only 4 units. The CD program will use the 8 units from this foreign language requirement for other science related GE classes which fulfill KASA standards from ASHA.

LIBRARY PURCHASES CD DATABASE

ComDisDome, an online database specific to Communication Disorders, is now a part of the library’s database collection. With the addition of the Link+ system for borrowing books from other libraries and interlibrary loan to obtain articles from journals that are not carried by the Biola library, CD students have a powerful research tool at their disposal. To check out the ComDisDome, please click HERE.

ASHA REQUIREMENTS IMPACT BIOLA’S CD PROGRAM

On January 1 2005, the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA) implemented a new set of standards for certification in the field. These new standards are known as the Knowledge & Skills Acquisition or KASA. These new standards are primarily directed at graduate programs, however, they do have repercussions at the undergraduate level. For example, ASHA requires students to have taken at least one course in the following areas: biological sciences, physical sciences, math, social/behavioral science, and research. The CD dept. will be addressing these standards with students during their academic advising appointments. Read more >>>