College faculty, students, and clinicians
enhance the lives of diverse populations
OUTREACH SPOTLIGHT
Speaking with intent
UGA Speech and Hearing Clinic gives a voice to patients with Parkinson’s disease
UGA Speech and Hearing Clinic staff.
UGA Speech and Hearing Clinic staff.
Once a week in the UGA Speech and Hearing Clinic, a small group of patients engage in a series of voice exercises, ranging from a recital of “may-me-my-mo-moos” to a resounding declaration of “ahhhhhhhhs.”
These voice exercises make up only a small portion of the services and activities offered to members of the clinic’s Parkinson LOUD Crowd Support Group.
In 2021, Nina Santus, a clinical assistant professor in the College’s Department of Communication Sciences and Special Education, applied for and received a grant from the Parkinson Voice Project to begin SPEAK OUT!, an evidence-based protocol that consists of 12 individual voice therapy sessions.
The Parkinson LOUD Crowd—which serves as an extension of the clinic’s SPEAK OUT! program—is entering its third year of combining education with speech therapy and daily home practice for patients with Parkinson’s disease.
The SPEAK OUT! program focuses on helping patients regain their speech skills individually, while the LOUD Crowd helps those same patients retain those skills in a group setting after they complete SPEAK OUT!
“The goal of the Parkinson’s support group is twofold,” says Santus. “Research shows that support groups are beneficial and that relationships are important, especially when you have medical diagnoses. But it's also about training our clinicians who get to work with the geriatric population.”
Charis Barnett (B.S.Ed. ’21, M.Ed. ’24) (second from left) with fellow graduate clinicians and clinic patients.
Charis Barnett (B.S.Ed. ’21, M.Ed. ’24) (second from left) with fellow graduate clinicians and clinic patients.
Parkinson’s disease is a brain disorder that causes unintended or uncontrollable movements, such as shaking, stiffness, and difficulty with balance and coordination. Other symptoms may include decreased vocal volume, imprecise articulation, difficulty with swallowing, writing changes, as well as overall slowed movement.
The Parkinson LOUD Crowd Support Group currently supports six members across the state of Georgia, as well as members in the northeast who join the group online via Zoom.
Together, patients work on a range of exercises and activities, including vocal warm-ups, cognitive exercises like crossword puzzles, engaging in casual conversations with other members or clinicians, dry swallow exercises, and more.
“Our patients learn strategies individually, and then we keep practicing those strategies, so they maintain their skills,” says T.J. Ragan, clinical associate professor and director of the Speech and Hearing Clinic. “So, this is a way to add some motivation and social pressure like, ‘Did you do your voice strategy work last week?’”
Earlier this year, Santus and Ragan received UGA’s Bobbi Meeler Sahm Service and Outreach Award in recognition of their work with another local Parkinson’s support group in Athens.
With funds from the award, the clinic plans to hold a seminar on April 5, 2024, at the Hilton Garden Inn in Athens, Georgia, to bring together researchers, speech-language pathologists, neurologists, and community members for discussions and presentations.
At the event, graduate students will also engage in experiential learning by screening participants for cognition, voice, speech, and swallow function—one of many real-world learning opportunities for students studying communication sciences and disorders in the College.
Students ‘speak out’ and learn from experience
Every semester, the SPEAK OUT! and LOUD Crowd programs prepare graduate students in communication sciences and disorders to work with patients with Parkinson’s disease.
For several students, this service-learning experience carved out an entirely new career path, including master’s student Charis Barnett (B.S.Ed. ’21, M.Ed. ’24), who worked as a graduate clinician for the Speech and Hearing Clinic last year.
“LOUD Crowd completely changed the trajectory of my career,” says Barnett. “I was excited to earn some clock hours and experience in adult voice therapy, but I never imagined the immeasurable impact that the LOUD Crowd group would have on me, both personally and professionally.”
Before working with the Parkinson’s support group, Barnett was set on pursuing a career in pediatrics. She never imagined her aspirations would shift after spending a summer helping adults with neurological disorders work on a wide variety of speech-language skills, including articulation, phonology, language, literacy, fluency, and more.
Barnett later applied what she learned working with more advanced patients in the support group to another clinical position at Augusta University Health Center, where she worked with patients who were just beginning their Parkinson’s journey.
“My clients taught me so much about perseverance and grit,” says Barnett. “Speech therapy is not easy. I know voice and cognitive exercises are challenging because I’m doing them alongside the patients every day. I really appreciate our clients showing up with a positive attitude each week and exerting their maximum effort. This motivated me to work harder too.”
Through her experience working with the LOUD Crowd group, Barnett—who now plans to work in an acute-care hospital or rehabilitation clinic for adults with Parkinson’s disease or other neurological disorders—gained more than just the clinical skills needed to assess and treat patients.
She also learned how to be a curious learner and an authentic source of encouragement for her patients.
“It was unnatural to hear my own voice at 75 decibels gliding up and down the scales,” says Barnett. “But the UGA LOUD Crowd is a safe space to learn new things. My biggest takeaway is that nobody needs to walk through a medical diagnosis such as Parkinson’s disease alone. I would encourage that if anybody or their loved one has received this diagnosis to get involved with a support group.”’
—Kathryn Kao
Nina Santus, clinical assistant professor, Department of Communication Sciences and Special Education
Nina Santus, clinical assistant professor, Department of Communication Sciences and Special Education
T.J. Ragan, director of UGA Speech and Hearing Clinic and clinical associate professor, Department of Communication Sciences and Special Education
T.J. Ragan, director of UGA Speech and Hearing Clinic and clinical associate professor, Department of Communication Sciences and Special Education
OUTREACH SPOTLIGHT
Speaking with intent
UGA Speech and Hearing Clinic gives a voice to patients with Parkinson’s disease
Once a week in the UGA Speech and Hearing Clinic, a small group of patients engage in a series of voice exercises, ranging from a recital of “may-me-my-mo-moos” to a resounding declaration of “ahhhhhhhhs.”
These voice exercises make up only a small portion of the services and activities offered to members of the clinic’s Parkinson LOUD Crowd Support Group.
In 2021, Nina Santus, a clinical assistant professor in the College’s Department of Communication Sciences and Special Education, applied for and received a grant from the Parkinson Voice Project to begin SPEAK OUT!, an evidence-based protocol that consists of 12 individual voice therapy sessions.
The Parkinson LOUD Crowd—which serves as an extension of the clinic’s SPEAK OUT! program—is entering its third year of combining education with speech therapy and daily home practice for patients with Parkinson’s disease.
The SPEAK OUT! program focuses on helping patients regain their speech skills individually, while the LOUD Crowd helps those same patients retain those skills in a group setting after they complete SPEAK OUT!
“The goal of the Parkinson’s support group is twofold,” says Santus. “Research shows that support groups are beneficial and that relationships are important, especially when you have medical diagnoses. But it's also about training our clinicians who get to work with the geriatric population.”
Parkinson’s disease is a brain disorder that causes unintended or uncontrollable movements, such as shaking, stiffness, and difficulty with balance and coordination. Other symptoms may include decreased vocal volume, imprecise articulation, difficulty with swallowing, writing changes, as well as overall slowed movement.
The Parkinson LOUD Crowd Support Group currently supports six members across the state of Georgia, as well as members in the northeast who join the group online via Zoom.
Together, patients work on a range of exercises and activities, including vocal warm-ups, cognitive exercises like crossword puzzles, engaging in casual conversations with other members or clinicians, dry swallow exercises, and more.
“Our patients learn strategies individually, and then we keep practicing those strategies, so they maintain their skills,” says T.J. Ragan, clinical associate professor and director of the Speech and Hearing Clinic. “So, this is a way to add some motivation and social pressure like, ‘Did you do your voice strategy work last week?’”
Earlier this year, Santus and Ragan received UGA’s Bobbi Meeler Sahm Service and Outreach Award in recognition of their work with another local Parkinson’s support group in Athens.
With funds from the award, the clinic plans to hold a seminar on April 5, 2024, at the Hilton Garden Inn in Athens, Georgia, to bring together researchers, speech-language pathologists, neurologists, and community members for discussions and presentations.
At the event, graduate students will also engage in experiential learning by screening participants for cognition, voice, speech, and swallow function—one of many real-world learning opportunities for students studying communication sciences and disorders in the College.
Students ‘speak out’ and learn from experience
Every semester, the SPEAK OUT! and LOUD Crowd programs prepare graduate students in communication sciences and disorders to work with patients with Parkinson’s disease.
For several students, this service-learning experience carved out an entirely new career path, including master’s student Charis Barnett (B.S.Ed. ’21, M.Ed. ’24), who worked as a graduate clinician for the Speech and Hearing Clinic last year.
“LOUD Crowd completely changed the trajectory of my career,” says Barnett. “I was excited to earn some clock hours and experience in adult voice therapy, but I never imagined the immeasurable impact that the LOUD Crowd group would have on me, both personally and professionally.”
Before working with the Parkinson’s support group, Barnett was set on pursuing a career in pediatrics. She never imagined her aspirations would shift after spending a summer helping adults with neurological disorders work on a wide variety of speech-language skills, including articulation, phonology, language, literacy, fluency and more.
Barnett later applied what she learned working with more advanced patients in the support group to another clinical position at Augusta University Health Center, where she worked with patients who were just beginning their Parkinson’s journey.
“My clients taught me so much about perseverance and grit,” says Barnett. “Speech therapy is not easy. I know voice and cognitive exercises are challenging because I’m doing them alongside the patients every day. I really appreciate our clients showing up with a positive attitude each week and exerting their maximum effort. This motivated me to work harder too.”
Through her experience working with the LOUD Crowd group, Barnett—who now plans to work in an acute-care hospital or rehabilitation clinic for adults with Parkinson’s disease or other neurological disorders—gained more than just the clinical skills needed to assess and treat patients.
She also learned how to be a curious learner and an authentic source of encouragement for her patients.
“It was unnatural to hear my own voice at 75 decibels gliding up and down the scales,” says Barnett. “But the UGA LOUD Crowd is a safe space to learn new things. My biggest takeaway is that nobody needs to walk through a medical diagnosis such as Parkinson’s disease alone. I would encourage that if anybody or their loved one has received this diagnosis to get involved with a support group.”’
—Kathryn Kao
Text over media
RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT
Coping with emotional pain
Harmful coping methods prevalent among adolescents who self-injure
Adolescents who have a hard time regulating their emotions often exhibit disruptive behaviors, but those who self-harm are more likely to engage in these behaviors to deal with their emotional pain.
According to a new study out of the Mary Frances Early College of Education, adolescents with a history of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) use negative coping methods, like acting out and focusing on their negative emotions, more than those with no history of NSSI.
NSSI is the act of intentionally harming one’s body without intending to end one’s life and can take on many forms beyond skin cutting, including head-banging, burning, preventing wounds from healing, scratching, imbedding objects under the skin, and pricking the skin with needles or sharp objects.
“If an adolescent is experiencing extreme psychological distress, they may turn to NSSI as a way of regulating their emotions, to change how they feel by stopping bad feelings or finding relief,” says Amanda Giordano, lead author of the study and an associate professor in the Department of Counseling and Human Development Services. “For youth who engage in NSSI, the act is often their best attempt to cope with overwhelming psychological pain.”
Self-injury behaviors differ between females and males
Giordano conducted a survey of 350 adolescents across the United States between the ages of 12 and 17 and found that 25.7% of adolescents reported lifetime NSSI engagement, while 12% reported NSSI in the previous years.
Additionally, the data showed a gender difference in NSSI behaviors among participants, with females engaging in cutting, scratching, preventing wounds from healing, and biting most frequently, and males engaging in scratching, cutting, punching, and head banging most frequently.
“We can't assume NSSI is going to look one way since there are lots of methods, unfortunately, that people can use to injure themselves,” says Giordano. “A lot of times when people hear nonsuicidal self-injury, they think cutting, and while that is the most prevalent form among females, people need to understand that there are gender differences and different types of self-injury.”
Adolescents who do not engage in NSSI rely on adaptive coping methods more than their counterparts and are 31% more likely to use distraction and 27% more likely to use self-care.
In contrast, those who engage in NSSI rely on maladaptive or harmful coping methods more than those who do not engage in NSSI. Specifically, these individuals are 61% more likely to act out and 73% more likely to ruminate or focus on their negative emotions.
While not significant, those who engage in NSSI are 5% more likely to seek social support compared to those who do not engage in NSSI.
“It’s interesting because both groups seem to seek social support at the same rate,” says Giordano. “This may mean that more education is needed to prepare teachers, parents, and caregivers to respond effectively to adolescents seeking support. We can provide more information about the motives behind NSSI, signs that it might be occurring, and how to help foster effective emotion regulation strategies among youth.
Ultimately, it is an encouraging sign that individuals who engage in NSSI are seeking help from others, according to Giordano.
Diverse coping strategies may help adolescents who self-injure
To help prevent adolescents from using harmful coping strategies—such as NSSI, substance abuse, acting out at school or home, harming others, and more—counselors and parents can educate and encourage their children to engage in adaptive coping strategies at an early age.
These strategies include several forms of distraction, such as self-care, breathing exercises, physical activity, changing their interpretation of events, engaging in spiritual practice, taking a warm bath, walking in nature, and more.
Counselors can also examine whether their clients rely more heavily on harmful or positive behaviors when distressed to determine a plan of action, which may include teaching them new coping strategies or helping them modify their beliefs, so they can reevaluate their situation and change their mindset.
“We can't live in a world that's free from distress, and that's why I think equipping children in kindergarten, first-grade and second-grade classes with the skills to self-soothe and cope on their own is important,” says Giordano. “No one's going to be able to provide effective social support every time someone's in distress, so teaching children how to cope with life’s difficulties can set them up for success as they move into adolescence.”
—Kathryn Kao
Amanda Giordano, associate professor, Department of Counseling and Human Development Services
Amanda Giordano, associate professor, Department of Counseling and Human Development Services
More from Giordano
Sexting, pornography common among adolescents
Among 12-17 year olds, about 15% have sent a sext to someone, according to a study by Giordano.
Almost one in four adolescents says they’d ever received a sext. About one in four reported ever being asked to send a sext. And over 12% say they felt pressured by someone to send a sext in the past year
Sexting is when a person sends a nude or seminude photo of themselves to another person via text or social media. It has been a trend among teens and young adults for years, says Giordano, and something we need to be prepared to address.
“The prevalence rates we found in this study suggest that school counselors must be prepared to talk about sexting and pornography use with students and to change the narrative about these behaviors,” Giordano says. “It’s important that students know that sending a sext is not a new requirement for romantic relationships and that pornography does not reflect expectations for sexual activity.”
The study also found that the average age of being exposed to pornography for the first time is 11.5. American students are typically in the sixth grade at that age.
That’s a bit younger than previous studies have suggested.
Things like increased smartphone access among teens and the ease of finding free internet pornography likely drove that age drop, Giordano says.
Study links social media, gaming addiction to emotions
Social media scrolling and gaming can be addictive, but these two behaviors are particularly habit-forming for kids who have trouble regulating their emotions.
Giordano’s study found that nearly 80% of adolescents from 12 to 17 reported checking social media every day, with TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat being the most popular platforms among adolescents. And 100% of the students surveyed said they had a social media account.
While less common than social media use, internet gaming is on the rise with 86% of the sample reporting experience with gaming at some point in their lives, without much gender variation.
Although many adolescents can use social media or gaming without issues, they can become problematic and compulsive for some. For those affected, the addictive behavior tends to split down traditional gender lines, with girls more likely to be addicted to social media, and boys to gaming.
“Across the globe, a small subset of people who game and use social media can lose control over that behavior, and they can start to see a lot of negative consequences,” says Giordano. “When these behaviors become their primary means of regulating their emotions, that’s where we can start to see this dependence develop over time.”
Among adolescents who say they game:
Among those who game:
Of those who game every day:
Study links social media, gaming addiction to emotions
Social media scrolling and gaming can be addictive, but these two behaviors are particularly habit-forming for kids who have trouble regulating their emotions.
Giordano’s study found that nearly 80% of adolescents from 12 to 17 reported checking social media every day, with TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat being the most popular platforms among adolescents. And 100% of the students surveyed said they had a social media account.
While less common than social media use, internet gaming is on the rise with 86% of the sample reporting experience with gaming at some point in their lives, without much gender variation.
Although many adolescents can use social media or gaming without issues, they can become problematic and compulsive for some. For those affected, the addictive behavior tends to split down traditional gender lines, with girls more likely to be addicted to social media, and boys to gaming.
“Across the globe, a small subset of people who game and use social media can lose control over that behavior, and they can start to see a lot of negative consequences,” says Giordano. “When these behaviors become their primary means of regulating their emotions, that’s where we can start to see this dependence develop over time.”
Among adolescents who say they game:
Among those who game:
Of those who game every day:
Bernadette Heckman, professor, Department of Counseling and Human Development Services
Bernadette Heckman, professor, Department of Counseling and Human Development Services
GRANT SPOTLIGHT
Diversifying the mental health workforce
$4.7 million grant to train school-based mental health providers in rural Georgia
A new project in the Mary Frances Early College of Education aims to increase the number and diversity of mental health providers in five high-need schools in rural northern Georgia.
Funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, the project will provide a diverse group of students with experiential training to administer evidence-based mental and behavioral health services to K-12 students with a focus on race and ethnicity, culture, language, and sexual self-identity.
Led by principal investigator and professor Bernadette Heckman, the project’s primary goals are to:
- Increase the number and diversity of students trained and placed in high-need local educational agencies and schools
- Increase the number and diversity of trainees hired by high-need local educational agencies and schools
- Increase the number and diversity of students and families served
- Equip trainees with the skills and knowledge to provide culturally contextualized treatments to students from diverse groups
This four-year partnership will focus on five schools in Madison County, Georgia, including three elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. All are economically impoverished, with high participation rates in free or reduced school lunch programs and zero mental health professionals on staff.
Across the participating schools, the grant has the potential to impact up to 4,200 K-12 students and will train 50 graduate students in the College’s school counseling program and school psychology program.
Heckman and her co-principal investigators, including associate professor Sycarah Fisher, clinical associate professor George McMahon, and professor Timothy Heckman in the College of Public Health, will mentor all student trainees so that they can obtain employment as mental health professionals in high-need schools or educational agencies after graduation.
Built with Shorthand