GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Multiple studies show that some babies born during and shortly after the start of the pandemic are experiencing a delayed development of speech and social skills.
Children were also less likely to get the services they need during the shutdown, and a graduate program at Calvin University is working to address the need of speech pathology services in the community.
"We get experience that a lot of other grad students don't get," Grace Rheinheimer, a speech pathology graduate student, says.
She and her fellow graduate students get firsthand practice as speech pathologists. Under supervision, they provide services to patients who are uninsured or under-insured.
"I think it's really cool how we're both benefiting on each side," Rheinheimer says.
The donation-based clinic runs four days a week, and it's free of charge for patients.
"There are clients here who wouldn't receive services if we didn't have this opportunity for them," Rheinheimer says. "There are clients who are years and years post stroke, who probably wouldn't be getting services, but they are still able to improve because they are able to come to this clinic."
Along with stroke survivors, about 30 students work with adults who have down syndrome, aphasia and other cognitive deficits.
"They all have three to five clinical assignments every week, and so anywhere from 100 to 150 clients every week come on to campus," Jill Bates, the clinic's director, says.
The students also work with children in need of speech pathology services.
"They do all the hard work, they do the heavy lifting," Bates says. "They do the therapy, and then we watch them from another room so that they can really step up and be the therapist."
With the kids, they play a lot of hands-on games and lead activities to get the learning done, or they use virtual platforms like Boom Learning.
"A lot of kids enjoy this because it's like a computer game, but it's still helping them work on their speech and language," Rheinheimer says.
The CEO of Boom Learning, Mary Oemig, says this is a time where speech pathology services are greatly needed.
"We're looking at (the) doubling of speech and social development problems in kids who were really young during the pandemic, or born, because they just didn't have enough connection," Oemig says. "Providing that for free in a donation-based clinic to help out kids who need that little extra to succeed in school is so important. We're happy to help in any way we can. And we love seeing what they're doing."
Boom Learning is used in classrooms nationwide, and Oemig says they offer their subscription free to all teachers and therapists in training. Those interested in applying are encouraged to email the platform.
"We make a platform, that's the thing. And then teachers and therapists actually make the activities, and they're so amazingly inventive," she says. "They've done things from escape rooms, to little adventures you can go on."
Applications to join the waitlist are now open for the clinic's summer session.
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