Janis Petru
Janis Petru, M.S., CCC-SLP
Clinical Educator, Communication Sciences and Disorders
B.A., Saint Xavier University
M.A., Bradley University
Mrs. Petru started her employment with Elmhurst University in the Fall, 2015. Prior to employment at EU, she was employed by various special education cooperatives in Illinois working with students aged 3-21 for 34 years. During that time, she served as a direct speech-language provider, high school department chair, presenter, team-teacher and professional resource for local school districts and cooperatives in the field of speech pathology. She initiated, developed, and expanded the team-taught Social Thinking® class for high school elective credit while employed by Southwest Cooperative (SWCCCASE) in Tinley Park, IL.
Since the Fall of 2015, she successfully gained supervisor and clinical skills as clinical assistant professor and academic professor for both undergraduate and graduate CSD students. Undergraduate classes involve teaching clinical preparedness to start working with the graduate clinician when treating clients in the Elmhurst University Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic. She teaches the graduate-level course, Public School Methods in a Diverse Society on a yearly basis. Clinical teaching comprises the bulk of her faculty load. This encompasses direct supervision of graduate and undergraduate students in the on-campus clinic as well as supervision of graduate students at the Ray Graham Learning Center in Elmhurst, IL, and The Elmhurst Learning and Success Academy (ELSA) on-campus program. In addition, she collaborates with CSD staff as guest speaker, plans seminars, develops CSD curriculum, problem-solves clinical issues, and participates in staff meetings and working groups.
Mrs. Petru has co-presented at ASHA, ISHA, SHLA and IASSW conferences on the topic of Social Thinking® in the Schools. She is a member of both the Illinois Speech and Hearing Association (ISHA) and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). She continues to maintain the ASHA ACE award for continuing education. She is a requested presenter for the Eisenhower Cooperative in Blue Island, IL on a yearly basis. She conducts on-going research with a former EU CSD colleague related to developing a criterion-based assessment tool for transition-aged students diagnosed with social communication disorders.