THE NEW AGE--ARTICLE--JANUARY 1990--COLLID01.SRJ

DESIRE:  Tucson Center Opens

LYLE C. COOLIDGE, 33
Project Manager, Tucson Scottish Rite Center
for Childhood Language Disorders
2431 West Wagon Wheel Drive, Tucson, Arizona  85745

    Brother, do you believe in dreams?  If you do please read on.
The lyrics of a song from the musical South Pacific say with
feeling, "You've got to have a dream to have a dream come true." 
This is exactly what has happened to the 54th Scottish Rite
"dream," the Tucson Scottish Rite Center for Childhood Language
Disorders.  Fittingly known informally as "DESIRE," the Tucson
Center was placed in operation with the assistance of Grand
Commander C. Fred Kleinknecht on September 23, 1989.  The clinic 
demonstrates that there is desire in the hearts and minds of all
the Tucson Brethren to help little children.  Those who visit this
unique Center will experience an adventure powered by the equal
desire of the children to speak, to learn and to understand.  Then
there is the desire of the staff, students, patrons and volunteers
to teach, to investigate, to create, to research, to assist, to be
useful, to aid others, to love, to work and to H.E.L.P. (Help
Eliminate Language Disorder) children everywhere.
    The Grand Commander gave the keynote speech at the dedication
of this 5000-square-feet model Center and, in part, he said: "Our
philanthropic labor is unfolding rapidly.  Every year we add more
clinics.  Every year the public becomes more aware of our good
work.  Every year more and more Brethren are taking up this great
cause and coming to the aid of America's handicapped children.
They say a man is valued as he makes himself valuable.  So it is
with our Scottish Rite.  How can we be understood and valued by
society at large--and so attract more members to our ranks--if we
keep our virtues cloistered, if our good works are limited only to
our own needs?  Scottish Rite Freemasonry must serve more than its
own.  It must reach out to all humankind and in this case, to the
most vulnerable and needful among us, our children."
    The Tucson Scottish Rite Center for Childhood Language
Disorders functions as an umbrella for two organizations:  The
Child Language Laboratory of the Institute for Neurogenic
Communication Disorders and the Preschool Language Clinic, the
latter affiliated with the Speech and Hearing Department of the
University of Arizona.  The Child Language Laboratory is currently
pursuing two lines of cutting-edge research which will place the
Tucson Scottish Rite Center in a position to disseminate new
information to other Scottish Rite centers and clinics as we all
work together to improve the lives of language-disordered children.
    One line of investigation addresses the neurobiological
correlates of specific language impairment.  The studies in this
area focus on regions of the brain assumed to underlie language
skills.  Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) produces clear images of
the brain.  Sophisticated computer programs make it possible to
obtain highly reliable measurements of the regions under study. 
The findings confirm what the Scottish Rite and clinicians have
believed for years; the brains of children with specific language
impairments are different from those of individuals who are not
diagnosed as language impaired.  These findings draw attention to
the prenatal period of brain development as a key to the genesis
of language impairment, rather than to the effects of peri- or
post-natal brain damage, or to inadequate parenting strategies.
    The second line of research focuses on the language learning
skills of children with specific language impairments.  Currently,
novel vocabulary words and grammatical markers are presented to the
children in story format.  The objective is to understand better
which of the language-disordered child's strengths are brought to
bear on the task of language learning.  Findings thus far have
highlighted the role of vocabulary and rule-learning skills in the
learning of grammatical markers by normally developing children. 
This work will be extended to language-impaired children in the
near future.
    The Preschool Language Clinic serves children in individual
and group sessions.  Each child comes to the clinic for two hours,
three days per week.  During individual sessions (30 minutes) the
child's needs are addressed.  During group sessions (90 minutes),
each child is provided with opportunities to practice what is being
learned in the individual session and to develop play and pre-
academic skills.  All sessions are conducted in the presence of a
speech-language pathologist.  Care givers are invited to watch and
to participate.  Also parent counselling and education are provided
as needed.
    An objective of the Tucson Center is to provide in-service
training for speech-language pathologists and related professional
fields, out-reach programs to elementary school teachers, a
speakers bureau, family and parent training and related therapy
training materials.
    Three representatives of the University of Arizona--Edith S.
Auslander, M.S., President of the Arizona board of Regents; Edgar
J. McCullough, Ph.D., Dean of Sciences Faculty; and Linda Swisher,
Ph.D., Director of the Child Language Laboratory and the Scottish
Rite Center of Childhood Language Disorders--were introduced, and
each spoke briefly on the mission of the Center.  In particular,
they expressed their appreciation to the Scottish Rite for
providing a model center in which to carry on the work of serving
children and investigating the causes of language disorders.
    Following these addresses, Most Worshipful Jimmie Johnson,
Grand Master of Masons in Arizona, officially dedicated the Center
by presenting a large gold key to Dr. Swisher, Center Director, and
Rebecca Vance, Assistant Director of the Center.
    In his closing remarks, Ill... S. Barry Casey, S...G...I...G... in
Arizona, congratulated all involved in establishing this marvelous
milestone in the 106 year history of the Scottish Rite in Tucson. 
He urged all to support our invaluable efforts to eliminate
childhood language disorders.
    Following the ceremony a buffet for 350 guests was served and
an open house "Masonic Fair" was held to illustrate the work of the
Tucson Center and the many other great programs of the Scottish
Rite in America today.
________________________________________________________________
"They say a man is valued as he makes himself valuable.  So it is
with our Scottish Rite.  How can we be understood and valued by
society at large--and so attract more members to our ranks--if we
keep our virtues cloistered, if our good works are limited only to
our own needs?  Scottish Rite Freemasonry must serve more than its
own.  It must reach out to all humankind and in this case, to the
most vulnerable and needful among us, our children."
                                               C. Fred Kleinknecht



Ill... Lyle C. Coolidge, 33, Project Manager of the Tucson Center,
introduces Angel, the clinic's first client.

Participants in the dedication on September 23, 1989, of the Tucson
Scottish Rite Center for Childhood Language Disorders included: (l.
to r., rear row) Ill... S. Barry Casey, S...G...I...G... in Arizona; Lyle C.
Coolidge, Project Director; Jimmie Johnson, M...W... Grand Master of
Masons in Arizona; Gr... Cmrdr... C. Fred Kleinknecht; Ill... C.T. Mason,
Jr.; Edith S. Auslander, Pres. Arizona Board of Regents; Dr. Edgar
J. McCullough, Jr.; and Dr. Thomas Hixon, while in the front row
(l. to r.) Dr. Linda Swisher, Center Director, and Rebecca Vance,
Asst. Director, hold the symbolic key of dedication.

