Scottish Rite Funds Services for Children at Speech and Hearing Clinic

Western Arkansas Scottish Rite representatives visited the University of Arkansas Speech and Hearing Clinic in Fayetteville on June 6 to show continued support of the RiteCare Child Language Program funded by the organization. They brought a check to give the clinic, bringing the total money contributed to fund services for children to more than $46,000.

Ashley McCollum, 8, of Fayetteville and her parents, Gerald and Diane McCollum, were guests of honor at a luncheon at the clinic along with representatives of the Scottish Rite. Garry Jones is personal representative and secretary, Ron Coopers is Venerable Master, and George Nunnally Jr. is an advisory board member.

Jones cut a piece of white cake with lemon filling and fluffy white frosting for Ashley, who has a mild form of autism known as Asperger syndrome.

Children from families who qualify financially have had access to speech-language treatment at the clinic since 2003 through funding from Scottish Rite. Last fall and this spring, the clinic provided 230 therapy sessions and seven evaluations to needy children using RiteCare funds. Barbara Shadden, professor of communication disorders in the College of Education and Health Professions, said the clinic would have to reduce or eliminate many services during the summer without support from Scottish Rite.

“We are very proud of what you have accomplished,” Nunnally said to a group that also included Reed Greenwood, dean of the College of Education and Health Professions; faculty members Larry Aslin, Barbara Shadden, Fran Hagstrom and Marilyn McGehee; graduate students in the communication disorders program; Clay Edwards, associate vice chancellor for development; Dan Hendrix, Sean Rochelle and Rachel Neeley from Corporate and Foundation Relations; and members of the media.

The speech and hearing clinic is a teaching laboratory for graduate and undergraduate students majoring in communication disorders in the College of Education and Health Professions. Each fall, new graduate students are accepted into the program and are actively involved in working with clients, in both treatment and diagnosis, under faculty supervision.

Early attention to hearing and speech-language development is important because problems can create barriers to social interaction and emotional well-being at a very young age and make it difficult for a child to progress in school.