About Us
The UTRGV Speech and Hearing Center (formally the UTPA Speech and Hearing Center) was started in 1975. The Center is set up as a services learning laboratory for students to learn. Persons with communication disorders are admitted to the Speech and Hearing Center primarily for the experience that they provide for students in Communication Sciences and Disorders. Assuming that the client meets this initial requirement, admission is then based on such factors as urgency of evaluation or treatment assistance, the absence of alternative facilities for assistance, the availability of clinical space and personnel, and the prognosis for improvement.
The Center is open to the public and provides services at a reduced rate compared to private clinics. The reduced rates reflect the teaching characteristics of the center. Even though students are the primary clinicians, clinical supervisors oversee all aspects of the services provided.
The Speech and Hearing Center is a division of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders within the College of Health Professions at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. The Center serves two distinct functions:
- The primary focus of the Speech and Hearing Center is to serve as a teaching and training facility for graduate students in the Communication Sciences and Disorders Program. The Speech and Hearing Center provides supervised clinical experiences to Communication Sciences and Disorders graduate students. Students enrolled in the program have the opportunity to serve the clients who utilize the Speech and Hearing Center. Although the needs of the clients are of priority, within that framework, every effort is made to accommodate the academic and clinical needs of the students enrolled in the program.
- The Speech and Hearing Center provides speech, language and hearing services to individuals residing in the Rio Grande Valley region and neighboring communities of Mexico. These services may include diagnostics, screenings, intervention and consultation.