Speech And Language Therapy BSc (Hons) module details

Year 1

Block 1: Foundations for Professional and Clinical Practice 1: In this module, students will develop foundation theory and skills in preparation for clinical and professional practice. It is in this module that students will encounter their first non-clinical practice-based learning (PBL) with children in a school setting.

Block 2: Lifespan Development: In this module, students will begin to develop an understanding of key underpinning knowledge of theoretical frameworks in psychology and lifespan development needed for application to speech and language therapy practice. Students will also be introduced to linguistics terminology with reference to models, processes, and key stages of language development

Block 3: Understanding Communication Disability: This module provides the foundation to how we think about communication disability; how it might present, approaches to describing and assessing a range of conditions and how these impact on a person’s life

Block 4: Foundations for Professional and Clinical Practice 2: Students will learn about key life transitions as part of the ageing process and through two practice- based learning opportunities will meet a diverse range of individuals who will share their lived experiences.

Year 2

Block 1: Evidence Based Intervention: Language and Cognition: In this module, students will focus on understanding assessment, intervention and management of clients with developmental and acquired language and cognitive difficulties. Indicative content includes developmental language disorders and DLD, cognitive models such as psycholinguistics, neurodevelopmental conditions and learning disabilities, acquired language disorders such as aphasia, relevant medical sciences and language analysis.

Block 2: Evidence Based Intervention: Speech and Swallowing: In this module, students will focus on understanding assessment, intervention and management of clients with motor speech disorders and eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties. Indicative content includes; dysphagia, apraxia, dysarthria, degenerative conditions, speech sound disorders and cleft palate. 

Block 3: Developing Clinical and Professional Practice: In this module, students will develop clinical, personal and professional skills. The module includes teaching to support simulated and clinical placement learning, communication skills, counselling, information gathering and assessment, delivering training, record keeping, reflection and the application of social and cultural factors in SLT practice.

Block 4: Research Informed Speech and Language Therapy Practice: In this module, students will develop the knowledge and skills required to understand research methods and their role in service development and clinical practice. 

Year 3

Block 1: Establishing Clinical and Professional Practice: In this module, students will further develop their personal, professional and clinical skills needed for SLT. Students will develop their clinical skills underpinning Intervention planning including aim setting, session planning, intervention and evaluation alongside undertaking a clinical placement. Learning will include developing indirect intervention skills and will revisit and extend relevant personal and professional skills from year 2 and will include promoting inclusion and access, health promotion, interprofessional practice and team working, working with service users, families and carers, self-development and management. Students will act as peer mentors to students on other levels of the programme.

Block 2: Evidence Based Intervention: Specialist Settings: In this module, students will study the features, assessment and management of communication disorders associated with more specialist settings including hearing impairment and audiology, cognitive communication disorder (CCD) arising from acute brain injury, right hemisphere disorders, complex dementia, mental health conditions in adults and children, forensics, voice and ENT, head and neck cancers and trauma, tracheostomy and brain tumours.

Block 3: Research Practice: In this module, students will draw on knowledge and skills acquired in levels 4 and 5 and will work in small tutorial groups and with individual supervision to demonstrate their understanding of the research process: motivating a research question, devising a method for gathering data, data analysis and discussion of data (dissertation project).

Block 4: Towards Professional Autonomy: Clinical and Professional Practice: In this module, students will demonstrate personal, professional and clinical skills at a level appropriate for HCPC registration as an SLT NQP. Students will integrate knowledge and skills from previous learning and complete a clinical placement covering all elements of the SLT role. Teaching and study to support this placement and the student’s journey to autonomy will include: advocacy, professional autonomy and accountability, leadership and lifelong learning, self-development and management, professional development and business management skills, developing others, innovation and change.