University of Wisconsin Eau Claire - Speech, Language, & Hearing Sciences

07/07/2026

Our own Dr. Hoepner was a keynote speaker at the recent International Aphasia Rehabilitation Conference in Greece. Sights, sounds, food and presentations!! Opa! Great work Dr. Hoepner!

06/29/2026

The UWEC Speech and Language Clinic has a robust program serving folks with Parkinson’s disease. Check out these results from a client who recently completed SPEAK OUT! ® therapy. Shout out to graduate student clinician, Mary Kate Pufunt, for delivering excellent therapy services! For more information about SPEAK OUT!, visit the Parkinson Voice Project website.

06/25/2026

Well, well, well...here's a familiar face on the National Aphasia Association Speech Bubble Tour!! The fearless leader and founder of the Chippewa Valley Aphasia Camp - Mary Beth Clark checks in from the great Northwoods of Wisconsin, just a few miles from Camp Manitou. Aphasia Camp is right around the corner - September 18th - 20th...reach out to Drs. Hoepner or Sather, or email Mary Beth at [email protected] for more information or to register!

06/24/2026

UWEC Associate Professor Dr. Jarzynski and SLHS alum Debbie Fermil Houlette presented, "More Than One Language: Facts, Fiction, and Multilingual Development in Early Intervention" to over 100 early intervention practitioners across the state of Wisconsin this morning. As part of the Wisconsin Birth to Three Live Professional Development Series, they shared research on developmental expectations for multilingual children and engaged in rich discussion with practitioners about the implications for assessment and intervention. Practitioners brought valuable perspectives from their own work with children and families, enriching the conversation and strengthening shared understanding of ways to support multilingual development in early intervention.

06/22/2026

Aphasia is a language difficulty due to neurologic damage affecting areas of the brain responsible for speaking, writing, understanding speech or reading. That's the nuts and bolts definition. But it can also affect conversation, social interactions and social networks, as well as quality of life and community participation. June is National Aphasia Awareness Month, and to raise awareness, the Rockin' Aphasia Latte is back at the The Goat Coffee House! Developed, crafted and refined by the aphasia group, this Toasted Marshmallow and Coconut latte is back by popular demand for a limited time.
Sip it hot or iced...Get one.... Get 10... Meet a friend there and get a couple. Tell a friend about aphasia. Tell them about the aphasia groups, aphasia camp, Postcrossing, poetry groups, the Rockin' Aphasia podcast...about what you've learned about aphasia as a student, a clinician, a volunteer. And introduce them to the aphasia community in the Chippewa Valley...the people with aphasia and their friends and families -- who have the first-hand expertise of what living with aphasia is...and who demonstrate the courage and dedication keep their journeys moving forward.

06/12/2026

We're so excited to have Maddie Nystel joining our UWEC SLHS family. What an amazing week and wow, you're going to be so great, Maddie.

EAU CLAIRE — For those living with an invisible disability, recognition of its long-term effects from the outside can be difficult.

06/12/2026

We're so excited to share a story about our second year of the Brain In-Com (Brain Injury Intensive Comprehensive Treatment Program) at UWEC SLHS in cooperation with the Brain Injury Association of Wisconsin. So fantastic to have UWEC Kinesiology involved this year too.

Brain In-Com program helps area brain injury survivors and caregivers learn new tools to cope.

06/11/2026

Episode 5 - "Rockin' Aphasia Camp" is *LIVE*!! In this episode, Chris Niles takes you to last year's Chippewa Valley Aphasia Camp through a series of interviews directly on-site. He brought up the recording gear to camp, did the interviews at camp, and mixed and produced the entire podcast. You'll hear the sounds of aphasia camp, and you'll hear from UWEC students Carlee Elliott, Anna Lindner, Macy Gutting and Betsy McGinley; SLP and long-time camp staffer Michele Knutson; and campers Michael Obel-Omia and Rochelle Anderson.

The "Rockin' Aphasia" podcast is developed, planned, recorded and produced by members of the Chippewa Valley Aphasia Network and BluGold Aphasia Group. The podcast episodes are recorded on location at various places throughout the Chippewa Valley. Big kudos to Chris Niles for all the work on this podcast episode!

You can find the Rockin' Aphasia Podcast on all podcast platforms (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart, Amazon, etc.) and at the following link:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2038877/episodes/19332755

Aphasia Camp 2026 is just around the corner as well! Happening Sept. 18th - 20th, 2026 back at the newly remodeled Camp Manitou, we're looking forward to another great year of camp! reach out to us for more information or to register.

06/10/2026

Last week marked the completion of the first Eau Claire Aphasia Project – a two-week on-campus intensive aphasia therapy program that included 3 hours of individual therapy per day and one hour of group therapy per day – all centered around self-selected individual projects. Participants with aphasia each identified a project, worked with four SLHS graduate students throughout the two weeks, and then presented their projects at the completion of the program -projects that reflect the skills, expertise, and dedication that those with aphasia put into the program. In addition to the hours of work the participants put in, there was also a walk-off grand slam at the Eau Claire Express Game, a trolley tour, a collaborative Spotify playlist, a whole lot of meals shared together, and a whole lot of hard work done by great people. Thanks to the four 2nd year SLHS graduate student clinicians Allie Hanke, Jaiden Hansbery, Syanna Urriola, and Katelyn Kukuk and thanks to Glen Mabie at UWEC’s IMC for the story and outstanding video linked below.
https://www.uwec.edu/stories/words-encouragement-blugold-grad-students-help-individuals-aphasia

06/05/2026

Congratulations to our own Dr. Jarzynski on her most recent publication "Early Intervention Speech-Language Pathologists' Perceptions of Facilitators and Barriers to Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Assessment Practices." It's out today, available online in ASHA Perspectives. She and her co-author Dr. Milijana Buac surveyed 134 early intervention SLPs across the USA to better understand barriers and facilitators for assessment of dual-language learners within early intervention programs. Within the article Dr. Jarzynski and Dr. Buac provide specific suggestions and strategies for enhancing facilitators and mitigating barriers informed by their survey findings. Congrats to Dr. J on her continued scholarly work guiding clinicians in the field!! You can find the article linked here: https://pubs.asha.org/doi/full/10.1044/2026_PERSP-25-00258