Our faculty and students focus on scholarship related to the special needs of people of all ages who benefit from a range of approaches to teaching, learning, or communication. We welcome all inquiries from students, professionals, community members, and families.
Academic programs in communication sciences and disorders, special education, birth through kindergarten programs, American Sign Language, and other specialties reflect our fundamental belief that all people should be as independent as they can possibly be.
We value high-quality research that generates new knowledge and we value the best possible applications of current knowledge.
Potential students who are interested in participating in the PIPs Project, a joint effort between the Communication Sciences and Disorders program and the Special Education B-K program that provides interdisciplinary training to support young children with high intensity needs across a variety of settings, can apply for funding.
Through the UGA Speech and Hearing Clinic, the Applied Behavior Analysis Clinic, and other outreach activities, we share our expertise with those who may benefit from it.
Degree and certificate programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders prepare students to be future leaders in speech-language pathology, audiology, and related areas.
Our special education degree programs offer opportunities for students to work in general curriculum, adapted curriculum, and birth through kindergarten areas.
Department Head:
Cynthia O. Vail
We are home to the UGA Speech and Hearing Clinic and the Applied Behavior Analysis Clinic, which add depth to our programs.
We offer summer programs for all ages, as well as speech and hearing screenings for children and adults in the community.
Associate Professor Kevin Ayres launched the BCBA clinic following the successful start of a program to train educators in Board-Certified Behavioral Analysis.
This project prepares graduate students to evaluate and plan intervention programs for K-12 students with ASD. Students earn a master's degree in special education upon completion and are eligible to sit for the board certification in applied behavior analysis examination.
Kevin M. Ayres – U.S. Department of EducationThis study will investigate how to program reinforcement for communication strategies so responses will persist longest when functional communication training is challenged, and will begin to clarify the role extinction plays in the maintenance of the treatment to help minimize relapse.
Joel Ringdahl – Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human DevelopmentThe Georgia Sensory Assistance Project is a grant funded through the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, that provides services to children and youth with deaf-blindness from birth through age 21.
Cynthia O. Vail – U.S. Department of EducationThis grant assists the Georgia Sensory Assistance Project with providing universal, targeted, and intensive technical assistance to families, early intervention providers, and school-based teams.
Carol DarrahThe purpose of this project is to provide interdisciplinary training to graduate-level early childhood special educators (ECSE) and speech-language pathologists (SLP) to support young children with high intensity needs across a variety of settings.
Rebecca G. Lieberman-Betz – U.S. Department of EducationThe UGA Speech and Hearing Clinic offers comprehensive audiology services for all ages including hearing evaluations, acoustic reflex testing, ABR testing, OAE testing, infant hearing testing, and more!
The Center for Autism and Behavioral Education Research works with local students and teachers to create and sustain supportive learning environments. Here are ways we engage with the community.
This program targets language and literacy skills for pre-K children through evidence-based practices.
Free speech and hearing screenings are offered in the UGA Speech and Hearing Clinic twice a year as a community service.
The UGA Speech and Hearing Clinic offers comprehensive speech-language pathology services for all ages, including aphasia, articulation, speech sound disorders, aural rehabilitation, and more!
