Speech and Language Therapy

The current concept of the education of pupils with special educational needs is aimed at an inclusive approach, concerning a complex interdisciplinary approach. Diagnosis, intervention, education, and counselling are provided by special needs teachers not only in the field of education, but also within the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs.

The goal of the bachelor's study program Speech Therapy is to prepare graduates so that they can use in practice procedures for working with the target group of children/pupils/persons with impaired communication ability (special educational needs) and to orient themselves in intervention approaches and in the possibilities of support across age categories in the Ministry of Education, Labor and Social Affairs.

The program is implemented in the forms of full time attendance and combined studies. It is internally divided into two levels of subjects: A Special Educational Diagnostics (in Speech Therapy, for Hearing Impairment, Visual Impairment or Physical Disability), B Communication and Simulation Techniques (in Speech Therapy, for Hearing Impairment, Visual Impairment or Physical Disability) with sufficient hours of diagnostic and interventional practices.

The structure and content of the lectures, seminars and practices in the study program reflects the requirements of the Act No. 563/2004 Coll., On Teaching Staff and its Amendment No. 379/2015 Coll.

The Speech Therapy study program is one of the study programs enabling to become a pedagogical staff, which is included in the fields of education as non-teaching pedagogy, teaching and psychology in the Government Order no. 275/2016 Coll., On the Fields of Study in Higher Education.

After successfully completing his/her studies the graduate is able to:

• to use the general knowledge and skills of special education with a focus on speech therapy and hearing impairments actively
• to use specialized knowledge and skills of special education actively
• to master auxiliary educational and communication knowledge, skills and techniques
• to apply approaches towards education and training of children and pupils with special educational needs (SEN) in their teaching
• to work with children/pupils with special educational needs (SEN) and adults with disabilities focusing on speech therapy and hearing impairments at the level of a teacher assistant (an assistant of a speech therapist)
• to design and process a case study of a child/pupil with SEN or an adult with a disability methodologically
• It can critically consider the use of pedagogical and psychological knowledge in practice as a teacher or teacher assistant, read common pedagogical and psychological texts for educators and creatively understand them

The employment of the graduates from the bachelor's study program Speech Therapy is assumed in the positions of the assistants in education and social affairs. They are here in a personal contact with children, pupils or adults with disabilities. The graduate is also ready for the communication and cooperation with parents of children and pupils, and teachers from special and regular schools.

The assistant is employed in helping professions and is able to work under the professional supervision of a qualified special needs teacher - a speech therapist, who is a graduate of a master's study program Special Education or Speech Therapy (state exams from Speech Therapy, Hearing Impairment and Special Education).

• Teacher´s assistant

The obligatory part of the bachelor's study program Speech Therapy is a teaching practice, which is realized as a special educational practice (continuous, for 10 weeks every Friday, 4 hours a day, 40 hours) in the 4th semester, a special educational diagnostic practice (4 weeks, 80 hours) with a reflective seminar in the 5th semester, and a special educational intervention practice (4 weeks with a reflective seminar in the 6th semester, 80 hours).

The practice is spread over three semesters. The department provides students with the workplaces it has been cooperating with for a long time. The students can obtain the practice there.

The aim of the continuous practice is to acquaint with the basic procedures used within the Speech Therapy in special schools and facilities in the place of student's residence. The aim of the special educational diagnostic practice is to acquaint with the basic diagnostic procedures used within the Speech Therapy and the treatment of hearing impairment. The aim of the special educational intervention practice is to acquaint with the basic procedures used within the Speech Therapy and the treatment of hearing impairment in special schools and facilities in the place of student's residence.

Students must be aware of the current issues in the field of special education and speech therapy, be able to define the topic of their theses (research) clearly, describe the initial state of knowledge and propose adequate methods of solution, clearly and logically create the title of the thesis. The student is able to work with adequate primary and secondary study sources, quote them according to the valid standards and in accordance with the ethics of scientific work. He/she is able to lead discussions and argue with the authors, to draw their own conclusions and recommendations.

The student can design his/her own quantitative or qualitative research, including a clear definition of objectives and the choice of adequate research methods in relation to the nature of the phenomenon under investigation, work with the appropriate method, including the ability to analyze quantitative and qualitative data and interpret and draw conclusions in an appropriate way.

The student will demonstrate the stylistic competencies by the creation of his/her own text. The student is able to create the scientific work, maintain the logical line of the work composition without grammatical errors.

The student will demonstrate the ability to ask questions and solve problems in an unconventional way, to formulate new ideas and conclusions of the thesis that would bring at least partially new knowledge about the phenomenon being studied or enrich the (new) methodological (in the area of research) or methodical procedures (in the field of education), in relation to clearly defined and selected target groups (elementary school pupils, secondary school students, groups with special educational needs, etc.).

The graduate of the bachelor's study program Speech Therapy may (after fulfilling the entrance conditions) continue his/her studies in the master's study program Speech Therapy, in the master's study program Special Education.