BOONE- A technological upgrade to the Charles E. and Geneva S. Scott Scottish Rite Communication Disorders Clinic at Appalachian State University will allow it to provide faster and more comprehensive services to the community, said Associate Professor and clinical audiologist Robin Morehouse.
The recent addition of an immittance bridge allows Morehouse to conduct tympanograms and acoustic reflexes which aid in the evaluation of patient hearing. Morehouse demonstrated a tympanogram by showing how a sound wave reflects off the eardrum to indicate the pressure behind the eardrum. To see an acoustic reflex, one must stimulate the inner ear and auditory brainstem pathway, which ultimately sends a response back through the nerve to trigger a tiny muscle in the middle ear, if everything is working properly. As part of an audiological test battery, immittance can provide valuable information on the status of the eardrum, the middle ear (potential for fluid and/or infection), inner ear and part of the auditory brainstem pathway.
“It’s like a mini neurological test,” said Morehouse. The information the audiogram relays to Morehouse previously required multiple tests to gather, but the addition of the new device makes it possible to evaluate the auditory system with greater precision. Morehouse and the clinic provide many services to the community and the new hardware will be a highly effective tool, resulting in faster and more accurate diagnostic information to assist in hearing health care for patients from the High Country and surrounding communities.
The new equipment was purchased through the continued and generous support of the Winston-Salem Scottish Rite. The Scottish Rite has been an integral supporter of the clinic since 1977 and remains committed to helping the clinic provide services to children with speech and language disabilities regardless of the family’s ability to pay.
The Charles E. and Geneva S. Scott Scottish Rite Communication Disorders Clinic has served Watauga county and surrounding communities by providing services for children, adolescents, and adults with communication disorders since 1968. It is a part of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders within the Beaver College of Health Sciences at Appalachian State University and an important community-based training facility for students pursuing graduate degrees in speech-language pathology. The highly trained clinical educators include state licensed audiologists and speech- language pathologists who are certified by the Council on Academic Accreditation of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association.
For more information about the Charles E. and Geneva S. Scott Scottish Rite Communication Disorders Clinic, please visit http://cdclinic.appstate.edu. To learn more about how the Scottish Rite Masonic Foundation supports children with language and communication disorders in North Carolina, visit http://ncritecare.org. More about the Winston-Salem Scottish Rite of Freemasonry is available on their website http://scottishritews.org.
Recent update to Communication Disorders Clinic means improved care for patients and community
