THIS STORY IS FEATURED IN THE 2024 NEW FRONTIERS MAGAZINE
By TIFFANY STOIBER
UNK Online
KEARNEY – After Jane Roitsch saw firsthand the difference a speech-language pathologist could make in a child’s life, she realized she needed to switch career paths.
Around 30 years ago, Roitsch had earned her undergraduate degree in public and corporate communications and was working in the field full time. However, she longed for a career where she could feel she was making a unique impact on someone’s life, so she started volunteering at the Indianapolis Children’s Hospital.
That’s where she met Derek.
Derek was being treated for hydrocephalus, often referred to as “water on the brain.” The condition can cause a variety of physical issues, including behavioral and cognitive changes. In Derek’s case, he was blind and deaf, which impacted his ability to communicate.
Derek didn’t seem to have anyone in his life he could form a meaningful relationship with, given these struggles.
Enter his speech-language pathologist.
Roitsch described the remarkable process of how the SLP was able to use sign language pressed into the child’s hand to communicate with him.
“I thought, ‘If she didn’t show up, he would miss her,’” Roitsch recalled. “So that was my pivot.”
Roitsch went back for her second bachelor’s degree in speech-language pathology, followed shortly after by a Master of Arts in the same discipline. She practiced for nearly two decades before earning her doctorate, enabling her to teach more SLPs and research, in part, how to ensure more students can successfully become SLPs.
DEDICATED EDUCATOR, RESEARCHER
Roitsch taught as an adjunct professor at the University of Nebraska at Kearney after earning her master’s. Shortly after earning her doctorate, an online faculty position opened at UNK. She jumped at the chance to work for the university full time.
Today, she works remotely from her home in Minnesota, teaching students in UNK’s online speech-language pathology master’s program and conducting her own research.
Roitsch finds herself drawn toward studying executive functions, which she refers to as “the CEO of the brain.”
“It’s what you think about and how you think about what you’re thinking,” she explained. “For my research, I was interested in why certain students struggled and some didn’t. I wondered if that was something you could teach.”
One question Roitsch ponders is whether executive function can be an indicator of academic success, rather than just looking at standard metrics like grade-point average and test scores. In testing executive function, is it possible to predict that a student may struggle – or thrive? If the former, what support systems can be developed to help that student succeed?
While student success is a predominant goal for all educators, it’s particularly important for Roitsch, and others in her discipline, that speech-language pathology students succeed.
SPEECH THERAPY’S FUTURE
Nationwide, there is a drastic shortage of SLPs, and the need is only projected to rise. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a 19% growth in jobs for speech-language pathologists by 2032, far outpacing the national average for all professions.
Roitsch says this growing need can be attributed to a variety of factors. One area she points to is medical advances.
“People are living longer,” she explained. “With that comes additional challenges that often require speech-language therapy.”
Medical advancements that have, fortunately, allowed for more individuals to survive a medical event like a stroke. At the same time, this increases the need for speech intervention to help those individuals recover. Paired with growing awareness of developmental and neurological disorders in children, there is now a monumental, seemingly ever-increasing need for speech therapy at all phases of life.
So, it’s up to institutions like UNK and educators like Roitsch to build up more SLPs to answer the call.
Roitsch’s research has already started to provide further insight into student success. For example, she’s received a grant to study the improvement in executive function and clinical competency when students are exposed to international experiences through a case study of students and faculty in the Czech Republic.
Down the road, Roitsch would like to develop a webpage and app that help better assess core competencies for graduate school. Paired with integrated assessment of executive function, such a tool would help assess whether students are ready for master’s-level coursework and provide recommendations for remediation, if necessary.
According to Roitsch, these tools would make it easier for educators to craft custom learning paths for student success, recognizing what is unique about each student’s situation.
“It’s more about creating another resource,” Roitsch said. “To be accredited as a department, in a health care profession, you have to meet certain metrics, such as lack of attrition and certain timeframes. If students exceed that timeframe, you have to report on why. So hopefully this way, there’s a way to get out in front of it. It’s about working with the individual.”
PHOTOS BY ERIKA PRITCHARD, UNK COMMUNICATIONS
JANE ROITSCH
Title: Assistant Professor, Communication Disorders
College: Education
Education: Ph.D. in special education, Old Dominion University, 2018; Executive Master of Business Administration, Weatherhead School of Management, 2012; Master of Arts in speech-language pathology, Ohio State University, 1999; Bachelor of Arts in speech-language pathology, Butler University, 1997; Bachelor of Arts in public and corporate communications, Butler University, 1994.
Years at UNK: 12
Areas of Research/Specialization: I focus on the importance of executive functions, stuttering, dysphagia and neurological disease. More specifically, I look at executive functions’ impact on the health care professions and the clients they serve.
Courses Taught: Speech and Hearing Science, Motor Speech Disorders, Articulation Disorders, Survey of Communication Disorders, Global Healthcare Literacy, Voice and Resonance Disorders, Anatomy and Physiology of the Speech/Hearing Mechanism, Diagnostic Methods, Anatomy and Physiology of the Speech/Hearing Mechanism, Speech and Hearing Science, Voice Disorders and Diagnostic Methods.
Recent Published Articles: “Perceptions of Freedom of Speech on College Campuses: A Survey of Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty,” Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, 2023. “A Short Report of Parents’ Reports on Executive Functions,” Psychology & Psychological Research International Journal, 2023. “Effectiveness of Constraint-Induced Language Therapy for Aphasia: Evidence from Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses,” American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 2023.
