{"id":8307,"date":"2022-08-24T10:23:24","date_gmt":"2022-08-24T15:23:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin-new\/?post_type=campus_story&p=8307"},"modified":"2022-08-24T10:23:24","modified_gmt":"2022-08-24T15:23:24","slug":"uw-eau-claire-gardening-program-helps-community-members-build-speech-and-language-skills","status":"publish","type":"campus_story","link":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/story\/uw-eau-claire-gardening-program-helps-community-members-build-speech-and-language-skills\/","title":{"rendered":"UW-Eau Claire gardening program helps community members build speech and language skills"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Photo<\/a>
Graduate student Sarah Gifford works in an Eau Claire community garden with children who are part of the CSD\u2019s Kids Communicate Garden Group. While they grow and tend to the garden, the preschoolers are working on a variety of communication skills in a more natural setting. (Photo by Bill Hoepner)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/section>\n
After COVID-19 shut down the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire\u2019s in-person speech clinic a couple years ago, communication sciences and disorders faculty were eager to find a safe way to meet the needs of their student clinicians and the community members they serve.Thinking creatively, they began a gardening project, bringing faculty, students and community groups together in an outdoor space that encourages natural conversation and camaraderie.\u201cThe summer garden groups are a great way to get our clients together outdoors to work toward a common goal,\u201d says Megan Figg, a clinical instructor in communication sciences and disorders. \u201cAlso, our clinicians need to earn client therapy hours, and this is another way to do this during summer.\u201dGiven the \u201coverwhelmingly positive feedback\u201d from students and clients, faculty are continuing the project again this summer, Figg says.This year, CSD faculty, students and community group members of varying ages and needs are meeting weekly to tend to the vegetables, fruit and flowers they\u2019re growing in two plots in the Forest Street Community Garden in Eau Claire. Three faculty members supervise the groups, with each group including one or two student clinicians and multiple community clients.Figg supervises a pediatric community group that includes two young clients and their parents as well as student clinicians. The kids enjoy seeing how the garden grows from week to week, and they always are eager to participate, Figg says.\u201cWe talk about the different vegetables and incorporate language and vocabulary into our group time,\u201d Figg says. \u201cWhile we are growing and tending the garden, our clients are working on a variety of communication skills in a more natural setting.\u201dSince the garden is thriving, the kids are harvesting some vegetables, \u201cso everyone has something to take home that showcases the work they\u2019ve put into the garden,\u201d Figg says.Figg says the student clinicians also benefit greatly from the garden project because it gives them experience working with groups in a natural environment that requires them to use their creativity to help their clients work on various communication skills.<\/p>\n

The garden project is \u201cextremely worthwhile and valuable\u201d for students, says Dr. Tom Sather, an associate professor of communication science and disorders. By seeing how communication occurs in a less controlled setting, students can \u201csee how communication may break down and also how communication can be supported,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cRather than set up or create a scenario or communication task in a traditional clinic office setting, the garden has tons of authentic contexts for communication,\u201d Sather says. \u201cWe communicate about how we should set up the garden, what should be planted where or what tools we need. The vocabulary is right there, and the situation is authentic.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"CSD
Blugold Savanna Slettom is among the graduate students who are tending to community gardens this summer as part of a communication science and disorders program that offers community members a \u201cdifferent sort of therapy experience.\u201d (Bill Hoepner photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Savanna Slettom, a second-year CSD graduate student from Little Falls, Minnesota, appreciates the opportunity to be part of a \u201cdifferent sort of therapy experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving clinic rooms and a space available to do therapy is great, but it isn\u2019t a natural environment,\u201d Slettom says. \u201cThe more natural\/functional the environment and therapy activity, the greater likelihood what we are working on in therapy will carry over outside the clinic room. Working in the garden is a project-based intervention that is natural and functional as well as fun. We take care of the garden while also working on our speech and language goals.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sarah Gifford, a second-year CSD graduate student from Waconia, Minnesota, agrees, saying it\u2019s important to create opportunities for clients to practice communicating, socializing and problem-solving in a setting outside of a traditional clinic setting.<\/p>\n

She also appreciates that she and other student clinicians can work with different populations during the summer project, says Gifford, who is in the Kids Communicate Garden Group and the BluGold Aphasia Group.<\/p>\n

The BluGold Aphasia Group consists of adults who have aphasia, a language disorder often caused by a stroke that makes it difficult for people to understand language or produce spoken language. When the aphasia group gathers each week, members spend most of their time tending to the garden, but they also enjoy a variety of other shared activities, Gifford says.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we aren\u2019t busy weeding, watering, repairing fencing and\/or harvesting, we spend time socializing and doing crafts, such as painting rocks for #Rockingaphasia,\u201d Gifford says. \u201cIt is a fun social outing for group members.\u201d<\/p>\n

The aphasia group members consistently indicate how much they enjoy the garden project, Sather says, noting that many members are gardeners who cut back due to their stroke or progressive aphasia. They like getting out of the house, spending time outdoors, being around people they enjoy and working on something that produces tangible results, he says.<\/p>\n

The garden also is a way for people with aphasia to provide a genuine service because their work and expertise put them in a different role than just receiving therapy, Sather says. They contribute to the garden, but also to students\u2019 knowledge about gardening and communication, he says.<\/p>\n

Working with the pediatric garden group is a different, though equally rewarding, experience, Gifford says.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the preschoolers, we spend time leading fun outdoor activities and crafts that help them practice producing different speech sounds,\u201d Gifford says. \u201cWhen we are not practicing our speech sounds, they take turns watering the different rows in the garden, weeding and harvesting vegetables. So, they are developing their speech and language skills, but get to have a lot of fun while doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alana Petz, second-year CSD graduate student from Arcadia, is a clinician for the literacy garden group, which supports late elementary and middle school students as they build their reading and writing literacy skills in a \u201clow-stakes environment\u201d with their peers.<\/p>\n

During their weekly meetings at the garden, the youth discuss readings related to gardening concepts, such as irrigation, composting or mulching, Petz says. They also practice their oral skills during \u201clow-pressure\u201d mini presentations that relate to gardening topics. These activities help give them the foundation they need to build their skills in oral language, vocabulary, background knowledge and making connections between ideas, she says.<\/p>\n

Group members also water and weed the garden, which Petz says \u201cfosters a sense of community and teamwork.\u201d Also, the garden project gives kids and their families a chance to meet other community members while participating in \u201csomething bigger than themselves,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is truly rewarding to be a part of a program that brings people together and makes learning and skill building a fun journey,\u201d Petz says of the group.<\/p>\n

Part of the fun, Sather says, is doing things at the garden that go beyond gardening. For example, they participated in #RockingAphasia, an international aphasia awareness campaign that involves aphasia groups from around the world painting small rocks and writing something about aphasia. The rocks are placed in locations around the world and shared on a Google map through Twitter.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe painted several rocks during our garden group, and placed several within our garden,\u201d Sather says. \u201cWe also had gardeners from other plots ask to have a rock placed in their garden. It\u2019s a great way to spread awareness about aphasia.\u201d<\/p>\n

Community speech-language pathologists and UW-Eau Claire CSD students also led \u201caphasia art in the garden\u201d sessions, which Sather says \u201cwere pretty magical.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gifford says the insights she\u2019s gaining from interacting with her two groups will help her be more successful in her future career.<\/p>\n

For example, a member of the aphasia group told Gifford she enjoys the gardening project because it gets her out of the house and allows her to spend time with other people who have similar impairments. Others in the group made similar comments, helping her see how important social connections are to building a strong support system within a community group.<\/p>\n

\"CSD
CSD faculty, students and community members meet weekly to work in their garden in the Forest Street Community Garden in Eau Claire. (Bill Hoepner photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cA common thing I\u2019ve heard from group members is that they\u2019ve all felt alone in their struggles at some point,\u201d Gifford says. \u201cIn each case, being a part of a support group helped them find solace, joy and purpose again. Knowing this will help me as I advocate for and seek out opportunities for clients to be involved in community\/support groups.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a growing clinician, Slettom says the garden project is helping her better understanding how valuable it is for a group to share activities while working toward a common goal. Group members \u201creally enjoy working together and getting their hands dirty,\u201d Slettom says, adding that they also are enjoying seeing the garden grow throughout the summer.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt started out as this little plot of dirt, filled with weeds,\u201d Slettom says of the community garden. \u201cThrough hard work, we have tamed most of the weeds and been able to grow a lot of produce, which members then get to take home and enjoy with their families.\u201d<\/p>\n

The shared project has fostered a sense of community within the group, something that couldn\u2019t be easily replicated in a more formal setting, Slettom says. The garden is a place to practice speech and language, but it also is a place to share space and to support one another, she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe main thing I\u2019ll take away from my time working in the garden is the value of support networks, and how meaningful conversations and social connections can start by picking weeds,\u201d Slettom says.<\/p>\n

The project also has helped Petz become more aware of how important it is for clients to make connections with other people who have similar experiences, and for them to be part of something that gives them a \u201csense of purpose and accomplishment.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAt times, my clients and their family members expressed that they feel secluded and alone when it comes to the daily challenges they encounter,\u201d Petz says. \u201cGroup services and project-based interventions satisfy their need for socialization and engagement with others who understand what they are going through.\u201d<\/p>\n

The students say having many opportunities to be part of real-world learning experiences that connect them with the community are why they came to UW-Eau Claire for their CSD graduate studies.<\/p>\n

\u201cI liked how the CSD program strives to provide its students with multiple opportunities to be involved in community outreach programs,\u201d Gifford says. \u201cThey challenge us to think critically about the services we provide while also giving us the necessary support and guidance to be successful on our own.\u201d<\/p>\n

By continuously expanding its reach within the Chippewa Valley through speech and language services, UW-Eau Claire is making \u201ca lasting positive impact\u201d on people of varying ages and needs throughout the region, Petz says. It\u2019s an honor, she says, to be part of something so meaningful.<\/p>\n

Calling it a \u201creally valuable experience for everyone involved,\u201d Figg hopes the community garden project will continue in future summers.<\/p>\n

Sather agrees, noting that faculty, students and group members all have \u201clearned that there\u2019s something special\u201d about the garden environment. \u201cThere was enthusiasm, a sense of pride and a sense of accomplishment,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Funding for the gardening project came from the family of Abigail Stellmacher, who earned her degrees from UW-Eau Claire in 2009 and 2011; the Chippewa Valley Aphasia Group; and monetary and plant donations from group members, students, staff and faculty.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

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Written by Judy Berthiaume<\/p>\n

Link to original story: https:\/\/www.uwec.edu\/news\/news\/university-gardening-program-helps-community-members-build-speech-and-language-skills-5225\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After COVID-19 shut down the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire\u2019s in-person speech clinic a couple years ago, communication sciences and disorders faculty were eager to find a safe way to meet the needs of their student clinicians and the community members they serve.Thinking creatively, they began a gardening project, bringing faculty, students and community groups together […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":8315,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","institution":[96],"story_category":[],"class_list":["post-8307","campus_story","type-campus_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","institution-uw-eau-claire"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story\/8307","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/campus_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8307"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8315"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8307"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"institution","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/institution?post=8307"},{"taxonomy":"story_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story_category?post=8307"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}