CSD Fieldwork Spotlight: Paola Ocampo ('21) on Serving Multilingual Preschoolers at Lenox Hill

Meet Paola Ocampo, a master’s student in the NYU Steinhardt Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders (CSD). She is also a student in the NYU CSD Bilingual Extension Program, a supplemental opportunity for aspiring bilingual speech-language pathologists (SLPs) to develop the skills needed to evaluate and treat clients using culturally- and linguistically-sustaining practices.

Paola has now spent two semesters working as a graduate student clinician with bilingual preschoolers at the Lenox Hill Neighborhood House Early Childhood Center, a free, year-round program that prepares children of low-income families living on the East Side of Manhattan to excel in school. We connected with Paola to learn more about her desire to become a bilingual SLP and her experience working with students at Lenox Hill through NYU CSD's partnership with the Early Childhood Center.

What inspired you to study speech-language pathology in the first place?

My language experience is beautifully complex. In the first grade, I learned English as a second language while simultaneously serving as a Spanish interpreter for my Colombian mother. I was disheartened when my mother was too often neglected by those who could not “understand” her. I became sensitive to moments where people cannot communicate and are thus often ostracized. I am inspired to pursue speech-language pathology as a career in order to dismantle barriers in communication that multilingual children and families face. I am passionate about researching and implementing culturally responsive practices that serve and advocate for culturally and linguistically diverse individuals and their families. 

You’ve been bringing that passion to working with preschoolers at Lenox Hill for two semesters now. What kinds of services do you provide these students?

A group of graduate clinicians under the supervision of Clinical Assistant Professor Alisha Gandhi attended Lenox Hill Neighborhood House Child Center once a week for an hour and a half before the pandemic. The first 30 minutes were spent in a classroom where we facilitated a weekly reading lesson. These “read alouds” focused on teaching specific vocabulary, concepts, and encouraging physical movement. Afterward, we facilitated an “after activity” usually involving a craft the students could take home. For example, one week we read Pete the Cat: Go, Pete, Go and facilitated a lesson on types of transportation. After the reading, we facilitated a craft activity where students colored their own race cars and race tracks. 

In addition, we provided individual speech therapy services. I personally provided speech services to a 3-year-old bilingual boy where, under the supervision of professor Gandhi, I worked on goals targeting increases in expressive language and communication in both English and Spanish in the context of both structured play and routines.