Free screenings ahead for Better Speech & Hearing Month

Each May, National Better Speech and Hearing Monthprovides an opportunity to gain awareness about communication disorders, hearing and speech problems and the possibility for life-altering treatment.

UNM's Speech & Hearing Sciences hosts an event Monday, May 6 to bring that recognition to the UNM community. From 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Speech & Hearing Sciences building, the department will offer free speech, language, voice, cognition, swallowing and hearing screenings (age five and up) and pediatric speech and language screenings(preschoolers three to five years of age.)

"This is an opportunity for New Mexicans to seek reassurance if, for example, they have concerns about their grandparents' hearing or their child's speech or language development. "It's just another way that UNM makes New Mexico better," said Speech & Hearing Department Chair and Associate Professor Phyllis Palmer.

These screenings are also an opportunity for future speech-language pathologists and audiologists to gethands-on experiencewhile providing a service. Possible students can also explore these options as a future career path.

"This is an opportunity for speech-language pathologists and audiologists to give to the community and to instill this practice in our speech and language students," Clinic Instructor Mary Hartley said.

You can call 505-277-4453 to sign up for these free services, but walk-ins are also accepted. UNM Speech & Hearing Sciencesis located at 1700 Lomas Blvd. NE 87016, Suite 1300.

Better Hearing and Speech Month was founded in 1927 by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.