Growing CSD students

I have yet to see after 30+ years of clinical practice,  a clinical encounter within the realm of speech-language pathology (SLP) whose outcome had not been heightened by the interactions of humans with plants. Edwards (2016) in the ASHA LEADER(1), likewise gave high marks to the inclusion of gardening work, with traditional operations of a university speech and language clinic. The author expressed in this article some surprise at the degree of buy-in for gardening activities by faculty, staff, students and clients.  To paraphrase the Tom Hanks character's speech in a popular baseball film: there are no surprises in gardening! There should be no surprise, that is - that clients of all ages do and will be positively affected by it.

There are distinct advantages for all parties to participate in a garden program: using a natural environment for skill practice; adapting the gamut of typical activities to all physical and cognitive/communicative skill levels, and optimizing participation of clients to meet concrete goals, with rewards ranging from social and tangible praise to sharing consumption of the harvest. Edwards reported that problems with the physical access of clinic clients to gardening activities, as well as the availability of persons available to tend and supervise garden activities, are some of the major impediments to making a university clinic gardening program thrive. Careful planning and coordination of a clinic gardening program are major keys to the program's success.

Having a garden on campus for the pre-service education of future SLP's thus may provide communication sciences and disorders programs with a versatile "toy box". Student clinicians at various skill levels, for conducting evaluation and treatment of communication/swallowing disorders, may utilize a garden program to fulfill program goals in the areas of speech, language, hearing, fluency, voice, cognition, and - yes, even swallowing disorders. The unique activities presented by gardening for clinic clients during an academic year, would appear to attract a wide variety of clients and clinicians. Yet, big barriers to launching a gardening program as part of an SLP training program remain.

1. Physical Access: How easily can the persons served interact and engage with the plants in the garden??
2. Budget Lines: How does a university clinic fund start up and operational costs?
3. Garden Management: Who - between treatment sessions, and between academic terms, - takes responsibility for general management of the garden environment?
4. Recruitment: Who will want to work in dirt? With pests? While carrying tools and implements? For most of an academic term? With clients who get messy, and who may need physical assistance?
5. Garden Security: How is the gardening environment kept protected from the curious,who may not have the best interests of the garden program at heart?

At present there are 13 university training programs in my state, for persons studying towards the master's degree in speech-language pathology. In another year, I hope to have helped each of them incorporate gardening activities into their training programs. Keep watching this space for details.

(1). Edwards, Collette, "Growing and Harvesting Success: An On-Campus Garden Helps University Clinic Clients Learn to Generalize their New Skills", ASHA LEADER, v. 21 (May 2016), 38-39.