This assignment has been very different from everything that I’m used to, so I have required lots of assistance. Everyone in the CD-315 summer class has contributed to my completion in some way. Looking at genres, reading e-mails, and reading peer reviews from my classmates have given me the motivation and inspiration that I needed to create this project. My group members, Lekei, Mary, and Emily, were especially helpful to me. Every week, they provided me with friendship and comments as they critiqued my work. They kicked me in the rear when I needed it and patted me on the back when I deserved it. Mrs. McComas is another person that has had a major impact on my work. She has consistently worked to provide a fun and friendly learning enviroment. She has given support, listened to whining and rambling, and promptly answered every question. Without her, I would have never gotten started on this assignment because I did not understand the concept of Multi-Genre Research Project. She patiently stayed on the Internet and provided answers and comments for about 30-45 minutes of constant questions from me. Everyone in the CD-315 class has been very helpful and supportive during this trying, summer semester and I want you all to know that I truly appreciate and care for each of you.

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Hello! My name is Valerie Jude. I am 22 years old and from a small town called Inez, KY. I am a senior in the Communication Disorders program at Marshall University and I will graduate next May. Beyond graduation, my future is a little fuzzy. I hope to continue my education in the Communication Disorders program by attending Marshall’s Graduate School. Acceptance notices are 6-9 months away, which is I’m a little confused about what I’ll be doing this time next year.

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Dear Mr./Mrs. Ackers,

My name is Valerie Jude; I am a speech pathologist and I have been working with Megan, for about a month. This is my first year in the Parker County School System, but I have been giving speech therapy to children for about five years now. I first started at the elementary school in Parker Co.; I was recently reassigned to work at Parker Co. Middle School, which is why I am just starting to work with your daughter. I graduated from Marshall University in 1997 with a Master’s Degree in Communication Disorders.

I am writing to inform you about the progress that Megan has been making. I know that you and Megan have been through a lot with her previous misdiagnosis of Attention Deficit Disorder. The truth is that Megan has lost a lot of precious therapy time, due to her misdiagnosis, but we have been working diligently on things to help her with her true disorder, Central Auditory Processing Disorder. Megan works very hard and has made tremendous progress under my care. She has already accomplished a lot in the past two weeks that I have been working with her. She has already achieved two goals that I set for her. First, Megan began to follow two-step directions that were given to her at a regular conversational speed, then, she began to repeat two-step directions. In order for her to complete both of these tasks in two short weeks, she had to practice and work very hard. Now, Megan and I are working to do both, follow and repeat two-step directions, at the same time. This task is much more difficult to complete, but she is working very hard during our time together. After Megan accomplishes this goal, I am going to add background noise into the goal. Ultimately, I want Megan to be able to tune out background noise and complete the task. Once Megan is able to do tune out or ignore surrounding noises in her enviroment, she will be much more successful in her regular classes.

I want you to know what a delight Megan is to work with. She is always very polite and friendly. Occasionally, she loses interest and focus during our session, but this happens with all children with Central Auditory Processing Disorder. Her problems with focus and attention is why I am working with her, and I hope that Megan and I make progress in those areas very soon. I want you to feel free to stop by my classroom at any time. You are also invited to attend one of my sessions with Megan, so that you may follow her development.

If you have any questions or concerns or would like to visit with me, feel free. The contact information is as follows.

Mailing address: Parker Middle School
Attn: V. Jude
HC-43 Box 111
Parker, KY 40356

E-mail: vj@parkermiddle.edu

Phone: (502) 555-2222

I want to thank you for the opportunity to work with your daughter. I really look forward to get to know you and Megan better. I hope that it will be a great year for everyone!

Sincerely,
Valerie Jude

Speech Pathologist

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