About Our Services

We are part of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) at the MGH Institute.

We offer services for both developmental and acquired disorders of speech, language, and hearing, helping people of all ages communicate more effectively.

Graduate students enrolled in our Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology program, and those enrolled in our Certificate of Advanced Study in Literacy and Language program work with children and adults individuals with cognitive, communication, and literacy difficulties. Our student clinicians are mentored and closely supervised by certified and licensed speech-language pathologists who are faculty members of the CSD Department. 

Graduate students enrolled in our Doctor of Audiology program provide comprehensive hearing healthcare under the mentorship and supervision of certified and licensed faculty audiologists. We complete audiologic evaluations in a calibrated, sound-treated room for an optimal assessment of hearing detection and word understanding in quiet, noise, and to simple and complex information. We generate hearing loss management recommendations using evidence-based, patient-centered principles.

Our state-of-the-art Center includes live monitoring by faculty and instant recording of sessions for optimal client care.

a woman sits with headphones and watches a monitor as another does the same thing next to her

The Speech, Language, and Literacy Program offers speech, language, and literacy intervention for children and adults with a wide variety of developmental disorders and delays. Services address difficulties with speech sound production, understanding of language, verbal expression, and reading/spelling. Services are provided by graduate student clinicians who are enrolled in our master’s degree program in Communication Sciences and Disorders under faculty supervision.

The Speech, Language, and Literacy Program generally follows the MGH IHP academic calendar and operates during the Fall and Spring Semesters (October to April), with a break between semesters. Services are primarily held in person at the IMPACT Practice center in the Charlestown Navy Yard at 2 Constitution Wharf (2CW).

For more information on this program, please contact Emilie Larrivee or Amanda Worek or call (617) 834-4310.

Inquire about Services

The Summer Reading Program is an intensive summer clinic program designed for school-aged children focusing primarily on sounding out words for accurate reading and spelling. The program uses a Structured Literacy Approach to build basic literacy skills. Services are provided by teachers and other educational professionals who enroll in a summer practicum as part of our Certificate of Advanced Study (CAS) in Literacy and Language program under faculty supervision.

The Summer Reading Program runs in the morning for 5 weeks from July into early August (typically Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday). All services are held in person at the IMPACT Practice center in the Charlestown Navy Yard at 2 Constitution Wharf (2CW).

For more information about the Summer Reading Program, please contact Patricia Kelley-Nazzaro.

Inquire about Services

The Technology-in-Practice Program (TiPP) provides a variety of speech, language, and cognitive services to clients of all ages. Services are provided by graduate student clinicians who are enrolled in our master’s degree program in Communication Sciences and Disorders under faculty supervision. Where appropriate, interprofessional services may be offered by other IMPACT Practice Center programs (e.g., physical therapy). TiPP is designed to teach our graduate students ways to integrate technology into their clinical practice through the use of tools such as apps, voice-activated technology, virtual reality, and speech-generating devices. We can also support adults in learning to use smartphones, tablets, and computers to assist with independence for activities of daily living (e.g., reading/writing, online shopping, organization, participating in telehealth visits, etc.). Services are not limited to clients with communication disorders. 

This program runs during the summer semester (mid-May through the end of July). Depending on the focus of intervention, services are held remotely or in person at the IMPACT Practice center in the Charlestown Navy Yard at 2 Constitution Wharf (2CW).

For more information about the Technology-in-Practice Program, please contact Amanda Worek.

Inquire about Services

Acquired Communication Disorders Services

We offer various intervention services addressing speech, language, cognition, and literacy. Services are offered free to individuals who reside in and around the greater Boston community and throughout Massachusetts. Telehealth services may also be available in some additional states. Please see the information below outlining the services offered.

The Aphasia Center offers speech-language therapy services to adults with acquired and neurodegenerative communication disorders. Clients can receive individual therapy services and/or participate in weekly conversation groups. Services are provided by graduate student clinicians who are enrolled in our master’s degree program in Communication Sciences and Disorders under faculty supervision.

The Aphasia Center generally follows the MGH IHP academic calendar operating year-round, with breaks between semesters. 

For more information, please contact Esther Ayuk, or call (617) 312-5857.

Aphasia Center

Inquire About Services
 

The MGH Institute of Health Professions collaborates with Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital each fall to offer a 5-week intensive program referred to as “S-IHP’s CAP.” This interprofessional Comprehensive Aphasia Program targets an individual’s life participation goals and operates according to the core values of the Life Participation Approach to Aphasia (LPAA). The program features 1-on-1 Therapy Sessions, Group Therapy Sessions, Music Therapy, Swim Group, Wellness Program, Adaptive Sports Program, and more. Services are provided by graduate student clinicians who are enrolled in our master’s degree program in Communication Sciences and Disorders under faculty supervision.

For more information on S-IHP’s CAP, SHIPSCAP [at] partners.org (email us).

View the program brochure to learn more.

S-IHP’s CAP
 

The Technology-in-Practice Program (TiPP) provides a variety of speech, language, and cognitive services to clients of all ages. Services are provided by graduate student clinicians who are enrolled in our master’s degree program in Communication Sciences and Disorders under faculty supervision. Where appropriate, interprofessional services may be offered by other IMPACT Practice Center programs (e.g., physical therapy). TiPP is designed to teach our graduate students ways to integrate technology into their clinical practice through the use of tools such as apps, voice-activated technology, virtual reality, and speech-generating devices. We can also support adults in learning to use smartphones, tablets, and computers to assist with independence for activities of daily living (e.g., reading/writing, online shopping, organization, participating in telehealth visits, etc.). Services are not limited to clients with communication disorders. 

This program runs during the summer semester (mid-May through the end of July). Depending on the focus of intervention, services are held remotely or in person at the IMPACT Practice center in the Charlestown Navy Yard at 2 Constitution Wharf (2CW).

For more information about the Technology-in-Practice Program, please contact Amanda Worek.

Inquire about Services

First-year audiology student Lily Fischer looks over the shoulder of Dr. Anita Mepani, a clinician with Mass Eye and Ear. They were gauging the hearing loss in patient Halla Jadallah, who visited the new MEE clinic

We offer comprehensive, diagnostic hearing evaluations for individuals across the lifespan. We offer free evaluations for people who are curious about their hearing status, are concerned they have hearing loss, or who want to monitor known hearing loss. 

After a comprehensive assessment, doctor of audiology students, under guidance from licensed audiology faculty, will generate a management and follow up plan. This will take into consideration the client’s assessment results, insurance status, and other relevant health and care information. If a hearing loss is identified, student clinicians at the ACBH will either direct the client to appropriate hearing loss management care in their neighborhood, or directly provide free hearing loss management to clients that qualify. 
 

Doctor of audiology students partner with student clinicians from other centers within the IPC to provide comprehensive, therapy-focused assessments of hearing. Following these assessments, recommendations will be made to the student clinicians to optimize communication during therapy sessions provided at the IPC with the goal of improving client outcomes. 
 

Student clinicians from the ACBH, accompanied by licensed audiologists, travel to local schools, senior living facilities, and wellness fairs to provide education on hearing loss and hearing protection, hearing screenings, troubleshooting of hearing devices, and other community services. 


To request outreach services from the ACBH to your facility, please contact Emily Jo Venskytis
 

Contact Us

Interested in services? We are located at 2 Constitution Wharf in the Charlestown Navy Yard.

Inquire About Services
profile photo of amanda

Assistant Professor Communication Sciences and Disorders Coordinator of Clinical Operations, Julie Atwood Speech, Language and Literacy Center

MGH Institute Logo on stone

Graduate students in speech-language pathology provide diagnostic and therapy services to adults who have acquired and or degenerative neurological changes and are supervised by licensed speech-language pathologists.

Emilie Larrivee in black shirt

Assistant Professor Communication Sciences and Disorders Coordinator of Clinical Services, Julie Atwood Speech, Language and Literacy Center

Emily Jo Venskytis in black blazer

Assistant Professor Director of Clinical Education, Audiology Communication Sciences and Disorders

Esther Ayuk, MS, CCC-SLP

Coordinator, Aphasia Center Instructor Communication Sciences and Disorders

MGH Institute Logo on stone

The Center offers speech, language, cognition, and literacy services for individuals across the lifespan who present with developmental and acquired disorders.

MGH Institute Logo on stone

Hearing-related diagnostic and management services for adults and children.

Our Commitment to Literacy

Good language and literacy skills are fundamental to success in school and in all occupations. Low literacy skills are also associated with several adverse health issues including increased mortality and hospitalization as well as poor control of chronic health conditions.

The MGH Institute recognizes the important role of literacy in helping individuals to achieve educational and health outcomes, and was one of the first graduate schools to include literacy education in its speech and language program.

Through its educational programming and research projects, the MGH Institute has become an important resource for training literacy specialists and adding to the knowledge base in language and literacy.

woman reads to boy while woman in lab coat helps hold the book

The Speech, and Language Literacy (SAiL Literacy) Lab, under the direction of Dr. Tiffany Hogan, conducts research on the relationship between language development and literacy skills. One of these studies, affiliated with the Language and Reading Research Consortium (LAARC) is a 5-year national project focused on reading comprehension development.

The Brain, Education, and Mind (BEAM) Team is a research group led by Dr. Joanna Christodoulou. The BEAM Team studies typical and atypical reading development, and approaches to harnessing individual variability to improve educational outcomes. The BEAM Team works with school-age participants who are typically developing, who have learning disabilities/differences, or who have unique brain anatomy.

The CSD Department's focus on language and literacy is international in scope, with faculty presenting and conducting research with colleagues in South America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

Attendees stand around Julie Atwood at the naming event
The Julie Atwood Speech, Language and Literacy Center has been named in honor of the visionary speech-language pathologist and professor emerita who not only launched the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders but also played a major role in the school’s creation.
Recognizing an Institute Founder

Center named in honor of visionary speech-language pathologist and professor emerita

Read About Julie Atwood