Overview
The department of Speech-Language Pathology offers the first Bachelor of Science degree
in Speech-Language Pathology in the UAE. The department is housed in the Division
of Health Sciences within the College of Medicine and Health Sciences at UAEU and
maintains strong research and teaching collaborations with the Colleges of Education,
and Humanities and Social Science, as well as with several international universities.
SLP faculty members are involved in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, and in
innovative experimental research on typical and atypical language acquisition, developmental
and acquired language disorders, articulatory and sociolinguistic factors in dialectal
variation in the UAE, and assessment and diagnostics of speech-language disorders.
In partnership with the Emirates Speech Language Pathology Society.
Facilities
The Department of Speech Language Pathology has access to the following labs:
- SLP Lab (H4-0063)
- Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS)
- Computerized Speech Lab
- Stroboscopy Voice
- Ultrasound Imaging
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Teaching
The SLP Department offers a Bachelor of Science Degree in Speech Language Pathology.
The program is the first of its kind in the UAE and contains a combination of on-campus
courses and off-campus supervised clinical training held in rehabilitation centers
and clinics in the country. Students are trained in how to understand, diagnose and
treat a number of speech and language disorders by qualified faculty members who studied
in renowned universities across the globe.
The BSc in Speech-Language Pathology includes, among other courses:
- Neurology for Speech, Language & Hearing
- Speech Physiology
- Child Language Development
- Articulation and Phonological Disorders
- Fluency Disorders
- Medical Aspects of Speech-Language Pathology
SLP graduates will meet all the academic, clinical certification, licensure and credentialing
requirements as stated in the current version of the Unified Healthcare Professionals
Qualification Requirements (PQR), issued by The Ministry of Health and Prevention
(MOHAP), Department of Health -Abu Dhabi (DOH), Dubai Health Authority (DHA) & Sharjah
Health Authority (SHA). They will be able to work as Speech-Language Pathologists
(SLPs) in charge of the assessment, analysis, and intervention of speech and language
disorders.
The BSc in Speech Language Pathology is a coeducational program, with joint female
and male classes.
Research
The Department of Speech Language Pathology is involved in innovative experimental
research. It has strong research and teaching collaborations with the Colleges of
Education and Humanities and Social Science at UAEU, as well as with top international
universities.
The research interests of the faculty members include:
- Typical Language Acquisition: Investigating how children naturally acquire language
skills, including phonology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics, from infancy through
adolescence. This research often focuses on identifying milestones and patterns in
language development.
- Atypical Language Acquisition: Examining deviations from typical language development
patterns, such as delays or disorders, and identifying their causes, characteristics,
and effective interventions. This includes studying conditions like Developmental
Language Disorder (DLD), Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), Intellectual Disability
(ID), and other developmental language disorders.
- Acquired Language Disorders: Focusing on language impairments resulting from brain
injury or disease in previously typically developing individuals, such as aphasia
following a stroke, traumatic brain injury (TBI), or progressive neurological conditions
like dementia. Research includes rehabilitation methods and long-term outcomes.
- Articulatory and Sociolinguistic Factors in Dialectal Variation in the UAE
- Articulatory Factors: Examining the physical production of speech sounds and how they
vary across different dialects within the UAE. This research may involve acoustic
analysis and the study of phonetic differences.
- Sociolinguistic Factors: Investigating how social variables (such as age, gender,
education, and socio-economic status) influence language use and variation within
the UAE. This includes studying how dialectal differences impact communication and
social interaction.
- Assessment and Diagnostics of Speech-Language Disorders
- Assessment Methods: Developing and validating tools and techniques for accurately
diagnosing speech and language disorders. This research ensures that assessments are
culturally and linguistically appropriate for diverse populations.
- Diagnostic Criteria: Establishing reliable criteria for identifying various speech
and language disorders, ensuring that diagnoses are consistent and evidence-based.
This includes differentiating between disorders with similar presentations and understanding
co-morbidities.
- Voice Disorders research with a focus on Diagnostics: At this time, a research focus
driven by earlier work aims to achieve a standardized objective and a reliable method
for discriminating between healthy and diseased voices.
- Dysphagia Research: The first line of investigations is in the area of diagnostics,
with a collaborative project on using photo-acoustics to Diagnose swallowing disorders.
The second initiative in Dysphagia is investigating the different tools used to measure
Lingual muscle strength and determining which tools may have a higher success rate
in rehabilitation.
These are all research areas strongly connected with the country’s research goals
in Health and Education.
Faculty
Note: If calling from outside the UAEU organization, dial (+981 3 713) before the
extension.
General Enquiries
Thank you for your interest in the Speech Language Pathology Department. We welcome
your query and encourage you to contact us using the information below:
United Arab Emirates University,
College of Medicine and Health Sciences
P.O. Box: 15551, Al Ain, UAE
Email: slp.cmhs@uaeu.ac.ae
Phone: +971 3 713 7115
