Speech therapy follow-up of at-risk children - an university extension experience

Abstract

University Extension is an important activity for strengthening the University and Community relationship. In the academic field, university extension actions have been an important tool for student learning through speech therapy experiences, providing health promotion and early intervention. In this context, the extension project “Ambulatory of Risk Children - ACRIAR” is cited, which promotes the student learning to work with preterm children, enabling the early insertion in the clinical practice. We highlight the influence that extension activities have on the education of professionals since they aim to introduce the student to clinical practice early, thus ensuring a more capable professional. This work aims to report the experience of students of the speech therapy course at UFMG regarding the participation in the extension project “ACRIAR” and relevance to professional training. The data collection of this study took place from November 2017 to June 2018, in attendance to children in ACRIAR. In this project, preterm newborns with low birth weight and / or gestational age of less than 34 weeks are assisted, followed up by seven years of age by a multiprofessional team. From November 2017 to December 2018, 357 children were received for speech therapy. In the first speech therapy service anamnesis is performed; assessment of language development; hearing monitoring and evaluation; guidance to caregivers about language development and child hearing; referrals and scheduling for new consultation. Upon return, the children are reevaluated and new referrals are made according to the demands. Experience in the ACRIAR extension project provided better insight into the importance of speech-language follow-up in at-risk children, which enables early detection and intervention in possible speech-language disorders, especially those related to language development.