Orthophonia

Objectives

The importance of training in the field of orthophonics stems from its role as the convergence point of established scientific disciplines such as medicine, psychology, linguistics, and educational sciences. It is a central specialty that focuses on studying and treating one of the most significant problems individuals may face: language, speech, and voice disorders in children, adolescents, adults, and the elderly. Professionals in the field of orthophonics can utilize and benefit from the integration and interdisciplinary approaches offered by these disciplines.

Due to the increasing number of individuals affected by communication disorders such as stuttering, dysphonia, speech disorders, as well as hearing and cognitive impairments, there is a growing social need to address these disorders. On the one hand, there is a lack of practicing orthophonists across all regions of the country, and on the other hand, there is a need to enrich scientific research in this emerging field in our country.

Training in orthophonics is based on anatomical, physiological, psychological, and social aspects. Throughout this training, students strive to acquire knowledge that enables them to effectively address cases with organic or functional origins. Additionally, since language is a linguistic structure with cultural, psychological, and relational dimensions, the scientific material and theoretical backgrounds provided in the program offer multiple approaches to diagnosing and treating various communication disorders clinically by orthophonists. This involves examining and diagnosing the disorders, building a therapeutic plan, implementing it in practice using all available means, and finally, monitoring and evaluating the outcomes of intervention while maintaining a preventive role.

Competencies

The target students for this program are high school graduates in the scientific, humanities, and languages branches. This project aims to train competent specialists in the field of orthophonics who can handle various communication problems, whether of organic or functional origin, and whether the disorder is primary or secondary. This university training equips students with the necessary skills to fulfill their future roles, including preventive, diagnostic, and therapeutic roles in addressing various language, speech, and voice disorders that may arise across different age groups and genders

Course Structure