Speech and Hearing Center
The University of Texas at Austin Speech and Hearing Center provides services to individuals with communication problems and serves as a training site for students in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders.
The Center began in 1937 as the first speech and hearing clinic in the state of Texas. It was located on the 25th floor of the University Tower, as part of the Department of Public Speaking. In 1946, clinical activities expanded when the Department moved into an army barracks near the Engineering Building. Audiology services were offered beginning in 1954; by then the Center was housed in the old Speech Building near the Tower. In 1974, the Center moved into its current facilities in the Jesse Jones Communication Complex. Numerous therapy rooms, research laboratories, a fully-equipped multi-booth audiological suite, materials center, and an on-site technical workshop offer a full range of facilities for research and clinical practice. A remote video recording system and observation corridor with one-way glass and headphones for sound offer flexibility and comfort for observation of therapy sessions by supervisors, students, and families when appropriate.
The research laboratories include space and equipment specialized for work in clinical audiology, speech science, and electrophysiology, as well as facilities for videotaping for child language development research. Each semester approximately 100 clients are seen for speech and language assessment, 250 for speech/language/hearing screenings, and 500 hearing tests are administered. In addition, an average of 100 clients receive therapy services for communication disorders related to aphasia, developmental language disorders, hearing impairment, head injury, laryngectomy, cerebral palsy, learning disability, autism, cleft palate, stuttering, and other problems.
Parent groups are offered for those who want to learn how to facilitate their children's language development at home. A support group is offered for clients with aphasia and their spouses. Therapy and testing services are offered in both English and Spanish. Client services at the Speech and Hearing Center are provided by CSD Department students and their clinical supervisors. The Center's staff includes certified and licensed speech-language pathologists and audiologists.
Learn more about speech development in children here.
