Marla M Kovatch

Assistant Professor of Practice

mkovatch@marywood.edu

Communictn Sciences & Disordrs

570-348-6211 x2259

Courses taught:

Introductory Clinical Practicum in Speech-Language Pathology CSD-468A
Fluency Disorders CSD-508
Clinical Practicum in Speech-Language Pathology A CSD-516A
Clinical Practicum in Speech-Language Pathology B CSD-516B
Clinical Practicum in Speech-Language Pathology C CSD-516C
Diagnostic Practicum in Speech-Language Pathology CSD-521

My educational background includes a M.A. in Speech Pathology from University of Maine, Orono. I have a B.A. in Communication Disorders from Marywood University. I earned the credentials of Certified Autism Specialist through International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES), became an Ally of Stuttering SLP and an Augmentative Alternative Communicaiton (AAC) Ally. Additiionally, I have earned a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Certificate and became an ATIXA Level Two Investigator. During my professional career, my service delivery focused on helping clients (preschool aged through geriatrics ) across a range of areas, from fluency and speech production, language, literacy, cognitive-communication, social communication, developing alternative communication systems for complex communication needs, to elective services of accent or dialect modification. I have had the gratifying clinical experience to prevent, assess, diagnose, and treat in a variety of workplace environments such as, hospitals, nursing and residential care facilities, public and private schools, outpatient clinics, private practice, and now, a university. I love that the field of speech pathology is ever changing which means learning never ends. Communication is key to your success—in relationships, in the workplace, as a citizen of your country, and across your lifetime. To assist someone find “their mode” to effectively communicate is the very reason I do what I do. I’m rewarded by the gratitude of clients and families and, as a clinical instructor, by the development of skills in my graduate students. The rewards multiply exponentially!

Presentations and Publications

This will be presented in ASHA convention in New Orleans in November 2022:

Title: Language and Behavioral Profiles Per Type of AAC System for Pediatric Psychiatric Inpatients With ASD
Session Format: Poster
Author(s): Kaitlyn Clarke Diane Williams , Marla Kovatch , Marissa Verdi , Emily Olsen




Ramachandra, V., Trezza, G., Harrison, F., LaTorre, V., Castells, C., & Kovatch, M. (2016). Cross-modal association in aphasia: Theoretical and clinical implications. Paper presentation at the 2016 ASHA Convention, Philadelphia, PA.