Accented Speech Workshop
Last week Robert Serianni, CCC-SLP, interim director of the University's Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) program, gave a presentation at the Abington Free Library on accented speech and the accent modification services provided by the Salus University Speech-Language Institute (SLI).
The program was the brainchild of Elizabeth Sperling, the library's literacy coordinator, who contacted Salus. The audience for the presentation was more than 30 volunteer English as s Second Language (ESL) tutors who work in the Adult Literacy Program at the library. Ms Sperling had realized the increased need of the program's ESL students who attend weekly one on one tutoring and group conversation classes.
The two-hour interprofessional education and practice workshop highlighted how collaborating ESL tutors and speech pathologists can ensure non-native English speakers maximize their pronunciation skills. The tutors were provided with case samples and online resources to assist them in the identification of students who should be referred for a formal assessment. According to Mr. Serianni, the feedback from the tutors was positive and he heard from several who expect to refer several of their current students to the Speech-Language Institute for speech services.
