A little-known clinic on campus is helping Baton Rouge area families prevent child abuse and neglect.
The LSU Speech and Hearing Clinic, located in the Music and Dramatic Arts Building, runs an off-campus program called Tips About Talk. The program is designed to reduce and prevent child abuse and neglect.
Janna Oetting, a communication disorders associate professor and director of Tips About Talk, said the program emphasizes communication that can help families.
“We argue that if we encourage positive talking and strategies in families, that can be a preventative model,” Oetting said.
Oetting said the program allows members of the University’s communication studies department to apply their communication expertise in real-world settings.
Rainee Reed, a communication disorders senior and a participant in Tips About Talk, said the program allows students to apply what they learn in University classes.
“We learn techniques and theory in class, and then we get to put it into practice,” Reed said.
“It gives them a different scope of practice,” Oetting said.
Oetting said one of the program’s goals is to work as a community partner with different agencies, rather than giving expert presentations.
Natalie Overall, a communication disorders senior, said the program gives students a great opportunity to go out into the community.
“It gives us real life experience and lets us find the best ways to reach people,” Overall said.
Oetting said during the sessions, professors and students share tips about talking through both informal conversations and role-playing.
“It’s easier to learn things if you actually practice them, so role-playing is a large component of the program,” Oetting said.
In addition to practicing situations, communication disorders teachers and students share advice with parents and teachers about talking in families.
The program is grant-sponsored and has branched out into several areas, including Istrouma High School, Glen Oaks High School, the YWCA Family Resource Center and other sites in Ascension, Assumption and Livingston Parishes.
Shannon Fahro, a communication disorders instructor and coordinator for Tips About Talk, said the response from all the sites has been “phenomenal.”
Fahro said the program is always looking for new sites in addition to visiting the previous ones.