Current Issues: RiteCare Family Autism Camp at Radford University: An Innovative Clinical Education Model for Speech-Language Pathology Students

Abstract

The “unique learning style and social communication challenges” experienced by children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) necessitate that speech-language pathologists (SLPs) receive education specific to this disability (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association [ASHA], 2006a, p.18). Graduate training programs often provide this education through classroom instruction and clinical education (also referred to as clinical teaching or supervision). Clinical education has a long-standing tradition in the field of speech-language pathology and is considered “an essential component in the education of students” (ASHA, 2008a, p. 1). This article presents a description of clinical education experience, specific to serving children with ASD, that is offered to graduate level speech-language pathology students at Radford University. The RiteCare Family Autism Camp, hosted by the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, provides graduate level clinical training in a model of service delivery amendable to many best practices when serving this population, such as intensive services, a partnership with parents, development of social communicative competence through the use of peer mediators, and a focus on literacy. This article describes the role of the SLP working with ASD and the RiteCare camp and seeks to inspire other graduate speech-language pathology training programs to consider an intensive, family-based day program for children with ASD as a clinical education model for its speech-language pathology students.