2022 ArkSHA Convention
Author: Tiffany Smith | Major: Communication Sciences and Disorders | Semester: Fall 2022
Ever since the pandemic, my interest in the long-term effects the period of isolation and change in communication and interactions is having on children and adolescents grew. When I began my research, my honors mentor Dr. Rachel Glade from the Communication Sciences and Disorders department within the College of Education and Health Professions inquired about my interests and led me to an internship where I was able to shadow the district’s speech-language pathologist, Mrs. Amanda Carter. From September 2021 to March 2022, I completed observations of speech-language therapy sessions two times a week for five hours each day at a local junior high school in northwest Arkansas. I maintained a researcher’s journal, noting things such as the environment, strategies used, materials used, and general performance of students in therapy sessions. While completing the internship portion of this study, I also completed a literature review to evaluate the current research on pragmatics, the school environment during the pandemic, and also the overall technological impact.
The literature review and outside volunteer experiences led to the discovery of the Ron Clark Amazing Shake program. After reviewing this program with the lead SLP at the school district as well as the school counselors, the research team and I initiated a plan to develop and implement a social skills group program adapted from the Ron Clark Amazing Shake program in the Farmington school district. Students ages 12-15 will participate in a social skills club that will contribute to not only learning practical skills such as balancing a checkbook, how to create a budget, and how to change a tire, but also skills more related to communication such as mock interviews, speed-friending, and personal introductions. The meetings have begun to take place in the fall semester of 2022 and will occur weekly for a minimum of twelve sessions.
The program the research team and I created called Cultivating Communicators has been such a wonderful experience thus far. Social skills and interactions between children have significantly declined due to the extended period in isolation and virtual environments due to the pandemic. Therefore, to re-establish healthy relationships within the school environment, I wanted to present my findings to equip speech-language pathologists with a toolbox of research and strategies to use in therapy to improve the course of social skill progression in students. Thanks to the Honors Travel Grant, I was able to present my research at the 2022 annual ArkSHA Convention in Little Rock, Arkansas this past weekend! It was such a fun experience to attend my first conference and share my research with fellow students and professionals at the University of Arkansas and with other individuals within the state.
As I transition into graduate school next year to obtain my master’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders, I hope to continue developing this social skills program and conduct further research on the effectiveness of Cultivating Communicators. I have also welcomed another honors student, Rachel Siemens, onto my research team so she can carry on the research I have started. The honors college has given me such wonderful opportunities thus far to pursue my passions and interests and I am very eager to see where this research will lead me in my future!