CSD Outstanding Alumni Award

The CSD Outstanding Alumni Award is given annually to our alumni who have shown outstanding achievement in the professions of speech-language pathology and audiology. Nomination letters should detail the nominee's qualifications for the award and include their curriculum vita. Additional letters of support are optional, but appreciated. Submit nominations to csd@wichita.edu by October 1.

List of Previous Award Recipients

2007: Noel Matkin, PhD

Noel Matkin, PhD, CCC-ADr. Matkin earned his baccalaureate from WSU and is a professor emeritus in the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at The University of Arizona. His presentation entitled Lessons Learned Over A Long, Rewarding Career was held on April 20, 2007. Additionally, Dr. Matkin hosted a continuing education workshop on April 21, 2007.

Session Abstracts:

"The Challenges and Pitfalls in Providing Family Centered Services" by Noel Matkin, PhD, CCC-A.
The focus of this presentation will be upon common barriers to establishing effective communication with families. After briefly reviewing the history of changing attitudes with respect to the involvement of families in both diagnosis and intervention, the challenge of defining "family" in today's changing culture will be considered. Three key questions will then be posed for consideration: 1) What expectations do we as clinicians have of families and conversely, what expectations do families have of their child's clinician? 2) How can clinicians integrate the key concepts of family-centered services in a busy clinical practice? and, 3) What beliefs, attitudes and biases do we as clinicians bring to our interactions with families that may well result in a communication breakdown? A nested model relative to culture, family systems and personality typology will be considered with respected to these questions.

"Getting to Know You: Supporting Social Cognitive Development in Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing Children" by Mary Pat Moeller, PhD, CCC-A (Director, Center for Childhood Deafness, Boys Town National Research Hospital).
Recent studies in Cognitive Psychology reveal how children grow in their understanding of other people, including their thoughts and feelings. As children's social understanding increases, they are better able to understand why people act the way they do. Astington (1993) explains that children's discovery that other people have thoughts and feelings enables them to understand many aspects of human social life, such as surprises, secrets, tricks, mistakes and lies. Social understanding (sometimes referred to as Theory of Mind) is important for pragmatic communication, narrative development and reading comprehension. This presentation will provide an overview of major stages in social cognitive development and the key role language plays in those attainments. Following this discussion, the literature on deaf and hard-of-hearing will be summarized. Practical strategies for intervention, including techniques for guiding family communication, will be provided.

"Kitchen Table Wisdom: Life's Lessons on Personal Growth and Interpersonal Communication" by John Beranek (Intersections Consulting, Sioux Falls, SD).
Stories told and retold to us by our family are a primary way in which people begin personal growth and build interpersonal communication. In this fast-paced society, we've often lost our ability to tell these stories to each other. This humorous, enlightening, and sometimes touching presentation blends stories, group discussions and hands-on activities that can benefit professionals' personal growth and interpersonal communication in their clinics, classrooms, offices, interdisciplinary teams, and personal lives.