University of Arkansas Speech and Hearing Clinic
The University of Arkansas Speech and Hearing Clinic is a university-affiliated practice that has been offering comprehensive speech, language and audiology services for individuals and families in the greater northwest Arkansas area since 1960. The clinic serves as a clinical training and research laboratory for undergraduate and graduate students and is designated as a RiteCare clinic of the Scottish Rite Orient of Arkansas. The clinic has faculty with a wide range of experience who provide intervention to individuals with communication disorders while also teaching and supervising graduate and undergraduate students.
|
Speech and Hearing Clinic Fax: 479-575-4507 |
8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday Appointments and information |
New Referrals
Medical, educational and self-referrals are accepted. Select the ‘Request An Appointment’ button above, or email spclinic@uark.edu to start the referral process.
Who can receive services at the clinic?
- Open to the public, faculty, staff and students
- Services available for all ages
Patient parking is available at no charge in the designated spaces in the lot north of the building.
What types of services are available?
The U of A Speech and Hearing Clinic provides free screenings and consultations for the following conditions:
- Thinking skills screening and consultation following a concussion or acquired brain injury
- Voice screenings and consultation
- Swallowing screening and consultation
The U of A Speech and Hearing Clinic also provides comprehensive evaluation and therapeutic services to adults and children for speech, language and hearing problems. Please see a more detailed description of each service below.
Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Services
The University of Arkansas Speech and Hearing Clinic offers hearing health care services to adult residents of Northwest Arkansas and throughout the state. We treat a wide range of adult hearing related disorders, which include hearing evaluations, evaluation for hearing aids, and follow-up services for adults with hearing aids. The clinic provides free hearing screenings for children upon request.
The University of Arkansas Speech and Hearing clinic offers specialized services for individuals with hearing loss. We address deficits in articulation, language, and/or auditory skills that often accompany childhood hearing loss. These services require family participation and interaction throughout the evaluation and intervention process.
The Speech and Hearing Clinic is pleased to offer speech-language services focusing on accent modification/reduction. All speakers exhibit some type of accent. It is important to understand ASHA's position statement that "no dialectal variety of English is a disorder or a pathological form of speech or language." However, many speakers with strong regional or foreign accents seek services to reduce his/her accent in order to improve overall communication. We tailor services to meet the unique needs of many professionals including business executives, university professors, graduate teaching assistants, medical personnel, or others who wish to improve oral English pronunciation. More information about accent modification can be found at the Accent Modification page of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury that can effect cognitive skills. Cognition, otherwise known as thinking skills, can also be effected by more severe forms of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Difficulty with thinking skills can impact success in academic coursework and the ability to successfully return to work.
The Speech and Hearing Clinic offers cognitive evaluation and treatment to individuals who suffer from side effects of TBI, such as:
- Reduced attention and concentration skills
- Difficulty remembering what you read
- Difficulty planning and organizing job responsibilities and school work
- Difficulty managing time
We offer evaluation and treatment services for pediatric articulation, or speech sound production needs.
Articulation problems may include the inability to clearly produce the sounds of speech. This makes it difficult for the listener to understand the speaker. Speech sound production disorders may include articulation problems, phonology problems, and/or apraxia of speech.
Speech sound therapy, otherwise known as articulation therapy, focuses on the proper pronunciation and correct placement of oral structures used to produce speech.
Language and literacy are connected. The skills that a child develops in spoken language are interconnected with written language. If you have concerns about your child's reading or writing abilities, a speech-language pathologist is trained to provide assessment and intervention services to address these needs. More information can be found at the Emergent Literacy page of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association or the Dyslexia page of Scottish Rite for Children .
We offer evaluation and treatment services for pediatric language needs.
Difficulty in the ability to understand or express ideas in one's communication system may include difficulty understanding sounds, words, meanings, grammar and social use of language.
The Typical Speech and Language Development page of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association provides a description of communication skill development.
Early detection and intervention to address delays in speech-language development is crucial so problems do not persist or worsen, potentially affecting later developing skills such as reading, writing, academics or the ability to negotiate friendships.
Language therapy often focuses on verbal expression, listening comprehension, vocabulary, literacy skills, and strategies to use language in more successful social interactions.
We offer evaluation and treatment services for pediatric social communication skill needs.
Social communication therapy focuses increasing interaction and social skills.
The Speech and Hearing Clinic provides diagnostic and treatment services to adults with difficulties swallowing.
Dysphagia, or difficulty swallowing, is a symptom that accompanies a multitude of medical conditions, including neurological conditions such as stroke, traumatic brain injury and Parkinson’s disease. Difficulties can range from coughing while drinking, choking at meal times, unintentional weight loss, increased risk of respiratory infection, difficulty maintaining adequate hydration, and total inability to produce a swallow.
McNeill Dysphagia Therapy Program
In addition to traditional treatment methods, our clinic also offers the McNeill Dysphagia
Therapy Program. MDTP is a systematic exercise-based approach to swallowing therapy
in adults with dysphagia. MDTP uses swallowing as an exercise to progressively strengthen and coordinate the swallowing musculature. This program
utilizes a structured hierarchical framework and high frequency of repetitions to
provide individualized and intensive therapy to adult patients with swallowing difficulties.
Please visit the following websites for additional information on feeding and swallowing disorders:
The Speech and Hearing Clinic provides diagnostic and treatment services to adults with conditions affecting vocal quality, vocal loudness and pitch.
SPEAK OUT! and The LOUD Crowd
SPEAK OUT! is a highly effective speech therapy program recommended for individuals
diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and Parkinson-plus syndromes. SPEAK OUT! emphasizes
speaking with intent to strengthen the muscles used for speaking, and to convert speech from an automatic
function to an intentional act.
SPEAK OUT! is the first of a two-part therapy approach. The program consists of 12 individual speech therapy sessions (2-3 sessions per week for 4 weeks). Once participants complete SPEAK OUT!, they transition to the second part of the program called The LOUD Crowd.
Due to the progressive nature of Parkinson’s, continued follow-up and maintenance is necessary. The LOUD Crowd is a FREE group maintenance program, designed to help graduates of SPEAK OUT! maintain the strength of their voices. The LOUD Crowd provides ongoing vocal practice, accountability, and encouragement in a supportive group atmosphere. Get ready to have some fun with The LOUD Crowd!
Please visit the following websites for additional information about SPEAK OUT!, The LOUD Crowd and Parkinson’s disease:
LSVT LOUD
Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT LOUD) is a speech therapy program designed to
improve functional vocal loudness and communication skills in individuals with Parkinson’s
disease. This intense and structured program involves 4 clinic sessions per week for
4 weeks (a total of 16 sessions in 1 month). The treatment also includes daily training
sessions at home with a family member or friend to assist. LSVT LOUD emphasizes "Think Loud" to increase vocal effort and more intelligible communication.
Please visit the following websites for additional information on Parkinson’s disease:
PhoRTE: Therapy for the Aging Voice
PhoRTE (Phonation Resistance Training Exercise) an effective behavioral treatment
for the aging voice (also referred to as presbyphonia). This intervention is for older
adults who are suffering from changes to the voice caused by deconditioning and aging.
PhoRTE uses high vocal intensity exercise to overload the muscles of the vocal mechanism
to improve vocal power and endurance. PhoRTE progressively increases vocal intensity
targets by applying exercise training principles to voice therapy.
Accepted Methods of Payment
- Self-pay/Out-of-pocket — Cash, check, or credit is accepted at the clinic.
- Medicaid — A referral from the client's primary care provider is required.
- Medicare — A referral from the client's primary care provider is required.
- Private insurance — Several insurance plans including
- Blue Cross Blue Shield
- Cigna
- United Health Care
- UMR
- Note: A referral from the client's primary care provider may be required. Please contact the clinic directly to determine what preliminary paperwork is required.
The Speech and Hearing Clinic uses an electronic system to:
- provide timely appointment scheduling
- enable patients quick access to records
- enhance privacy and security of patient information
The Speech and Hearing Clinic Foundation Welcomes Donations
The clinic staff, students and university faculty are committed to providing you with excellent service. We appreciate your loyalty and confidence in our services and look forward to meeting your communication evaluation and intervention needs.
Donate to the Clinic Foundation
Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
The University of Arkansas Speech and Hearing Clinic follows the ASHA Code of Ethics. The clinic is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion in our research, teaching and clinical practice, as well as in our recruitment and retention of students, faculty and staff. We embrace the strength that can be derived from an environment in which diverse identities and experiences work in tandem toward a common goal of improving communication outcomes for all, including those with marginalized identities. We understand that the world will fully reflect diversity, equity and inclusion only when every person has an effective means to communicate. Therefore, we work to complete rigorous research that enhances the knowledge needed to create such a world and prepare speech-language pathologists with the knowledge and skills to contribute to the creation of that world.
This institution and program complies with all applicable laws, regulations and executive orders prohibiting discrimination toward students, faculty, staff and persons served in the program’s clinics. This includes prohibitions on discrimination based on any category prohibited by applicable law but not limited to age, citizenship, disability, ethnicity, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation and veteran status.