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Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
46
Clinical speech and
language studies
COURSE CODE:
PLACES 2011:
POINTS 2010:
DEGREE AWARDED:
TR007
34
525
B.Sc. (Clin. Lang.)
Special Entry Requirements:
Leaving Certificate
OD3/HD3 Mathematics
In addition:
HC3
In one of English,
French, German,
Irish, Italian,
Russian or
Spanish
HC3
In one of
mathematics,
applied
mathematics,
physics,
chemistry, biology,
physics/chemistry
or agricultural
science
GCSE
Grade C Mathematics
In addition:
Either
GCSE
Grade B In one of physics,
chemistry, biology,
mathematics
Advanced GCE (A-Level)
Grade C In one of English,
French, German,
Irish, Italian,
Russian or
Spanish
Or
GCSE
Grade B In one of English,
French, German,
Irish, Italian,
Russian or
Spanish
Advanced GCE (A-Level)
Grade C In one of physics,
chemistry, biology
or mathematics
See Precautions against infectious diseases, page 202.
Garda Vetting:
Students will be required to undergo Garda vetting.
See page 27 for further details.
What is Clinical speech and
language studies?
Speech and language therapists work with people who have
communication difficulties, helping them to find ways to
maximise their speech, language and communication skills.
They also assess, diagnose and treat people with swallowing
difficulties.
Communication difficulties can occur at any stage in a person’s
life and they happen for a variety of reasons. Some are present
at birth, others are due to accidents or illness later in life.
Speech and language therapists commonly work with children
who are delayed in their early language development and/or
development of speech sounds. They also work with people
who have had a stroke, people with physical impairments
(e.g., cerebral palsy), learning difficulties (e.g., intellectual
impairment, autism), people who stutter or have problems
with their voice, people with written language problems (e.g.,
dyslexia) and people with mental health disorders. They often
work as part of a multidisciplinary team that may include a
teacher, psychologist, doctor, occupational therapist, nurse and
social worker among others. Therapists may work in hospitals,
in community settings such as primary and continuing care
clinics, in schools and/or day care centres or may be situated
within specialist clinics.
Is this the right course for you?
Do you enjoy working with people? Do you have a questioning
approach to learning? Are you flexible and adaptable? As a
speech and language therapist, you will come into contact with
people of all ages and will work in a range of settings, including
schools, community clinics, specialist clinics and hospitals.
In almost all instances, you will also find yourself dealing
with parents and/or families. While an interest in science and
language is important, it is critical that you are people-oriented,
adaptable and enjoy collaborative problem-solving.
Course overview
This course is for students who enjoy learning by doing. At all
stages in the course, you will be involved in solving problems
that mirror the problems people encounter in a clinical situation.
Clinical placements are an important learning context right from
the start. We have access to a wide range of clinical settings, to
ensure that students get a broad range of experience, as well as
an on-site clinic where you may be involved in clinical research
projects.
This is a four-year degree and can only be taken as a full-time
option. It is recognised and accredited by the Irish Association
of Speech and Language Therapists. Over the four years,
you will be expected to develop an in-depth understanding of
communication development and disorders, so that you are well
placed to assist those who have communication and swallowing
difficulties to manage those difficulties effectively. Linguistics,
psychology and biomedical sciences are major components of
the course. You will also gain experience in research techniques,
so that you can continue developing your knowledge base.
There are approximately twenty-four teaching hours per week
in the Junior Freshman (first) year (including clinical visits).
The component courses are grouped under two headings:
Theory and Clinical practice.