
                        CYNDI and JENNIFER: 
                         LEARNING FOR LIFE 

                      by Brenda C. Seal, M.A.; 
                     Maynard D. Filter, Ph.D.; 
                     and Carol C. James, M.Ed. 

   
    The Scottish Rite of Freemasonry of Virginia became interested 
in James Madison University through Russell Warren, former Vice 
President for Academic Affairs. Vice President Warren introduced 
Dr. Maynard Filter, the Head of the Department of Speech Pathology 
and Audiology, to his friend Dr. David Kruger, Sovereign Grand 
Inspector General in Virginia. Dr. Filter and Dr. Kruger discussed 
the department's need to train graduate students to work with 
language-disordered children. The result was an alliance between 
the Scottish Rite in Virginia and the JMU Speech and Hearing Center 
to provide intensive summer language clinics for children unable to 
receive services from other agencies. 
 
   Since the first six-week summer clinic was held in 1985, a total 
of 149 children with various speech, language, and hearing 
disorders have been sponsored by the Scottish Rite of Virginia 
which has contributed $75,000 in seven years. Many features make 
the program unique. For instance, the housing of the clinic at 
James Madison University enables the graduate students enrolled in 
practicum sections to apply textbook information to their daily 
sessions with the children. Also, there are small ratios, 
generally 2 to 3, of clinician to child, undergraduate assistant 
to graduate clinician, and supervisor to student. This ratio 
enables close and beneficial supervision at all levels throughout 
the program. In addition, the JMU-SR program allows innovative 
intervention, such as intensive parent orientation, videotaped 
documentation, experimental and non-experimental research 
projects. Because of its environment of collaboration and 
colleagueship, the summer program is attractive to parents, 
students, and the Scottish Rite. Perhaps even more descriptive, 
however, than the pictures accompanying this article are the brief 
reports student clinicians are asked to submit at the end of the 
summer clinic. Excerpts from just two of these reports describing 
specific children and their treatment are summarized here. 

           
        CYNDI 


Cyndi is a three-and-a-half-year-old girl with a significant speech 
and language delay secondary to Down's syndrome. She spoke a few 
single words upon entering the Scottish Rite's intensive program, 
but she frequently did not respond when spoken to, and she failed 
to maintain appropriate eye contact. To address these problems, 
Cyndi was involved in motor activities which stimulated verbal 
responses. 

   In addition, pairing Cyndi with a peer whose language level was 
just slightly above hers, provided increased motivation for Cyndi 
to talk. At the end of the Scottish Rite Language Disorders Summer 
Clinic at James Madison University, Cyndi was taking advantage of 
most communication opportunities, used her single words 
consistently, and demonstrated several two-and three-word 
combinations. 

               
           JENNIFER 

   Jennifer is a four-year, nine-month-old girl with a significant 
communication delay secondary to mental retardation and cerebral 
palsy. Jennifer entered the Scottish Rite Language Disorders 
Summer Program using approximately 15 signs. Several spoken words 
were also noted; however, Jennifer did not pair speech with her 
signed utterances. 

   In addition, Jennifer often repeated the same word 
inappropriately. Jennifer's activities at the Scottish Rite Summer 
Clinic involved a highly structured setting in which activities 
were altered systematically to require the use of voice and sign in 
different contexts. By the end of the summer program, Jennifer 
realized that her spoken production was successful in satisfying 
her wants and needs. 

   The alliance between the Virginia Scottish Rite of Freemasonry 
and James Madison University's Speech Pathology and Audiology 
Department is an outstanding example of a community organization 
and a university working together to advance learning. 

   In this case, everyone learned: communication growth for the 
children, clinical skills for the graduate and undergraduate 
students, and cooperation between university faculty and members 
of the Scottish Rite as they worked together to benefit America's 
children. 

   Truly, this Scottish Rite program demonstrates learning for 
life! 


_______ 

This article was received from The Scottish Rite Language Disorders 
Summer Clinic, Department of Speech, Pathology and Audiology, James 
Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia 22807 

