*Speech and Language Services

Center of Development Pediatric Therapies

Dear Parent or Guardian:

Greetings from one excited Speech-Language Pathologist! If I were in your shoes, I would want to know the following:

My Purpose

To assist your child to be the best communicator possible and to promote carry-over success from the clinic to the "real world."

Education and Certification:

Before discovering speech-language pathology as my "calling," I earned the Bachelor of Music Education degree from Tennessee Tech University (1974), and the Master of Music (1979).

In February of 1993, I earned the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology.

In August 2001, I graduated from the University of Tennessee with a Ph.D. degree in Speech & Hearing Science.

Applicable Work Experience:

1990-1997 - Speech Therapist in Putnam County Schools, Tennessee I have been responsible for evaluation and treatment of various types of communication disorders for school-age and preschool children. I have been blessed to work and learn from children with motor speech disorders, children with Down Syndrome, children with Cerebral Palsy and children certified as Pervasively Developmentally Delayed-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS), as well as Auditory Processing Disorders and Autism

1997 - present: Following my residency in my doctoral program at UTK in 1996, I was invited to take a one-year appointment at MTSU for the following academic year. The next year, I joined the faculty in Communication Disorders, and was tenured as Assistant Professor in 2003. In addition to my teaching duties, I supervise undergraduate Communication Disorders students in their clinical practica, as well as teach/direct the Practicum in the Public Schools, an experiential learning course which recently has been designated an "EXL" course by the University.

Therapy Style:

One of my favorite sayings is "Meet people where they are." I will "meet" your child at his/her current functioning level and strive to take him/her to the next communicative level. I am a firm believer in addressing "real world therapy," child-directed/indirect intervention (especially with the little ones) motor development and drill/practice (with the older ones), sensory issues and incorporating music into my therapy sessions.

If you would like to make an appointment please call Center of Development at 931-372-2020.

Sincerely,

Melinda L. Richards, Ph.D., CCC-SLP