April Jardes

April Jardes is a speech-language pathologist and clinical coordinator for the department of communication sciences and disorders program. She oversees all areas of graduate and undergraduate student clinical education, as well as manages campus and community clinical fieldwork placements. 

In addition to cultivating and scheduling student placements, Jardes teaches courses in methods of clinical practice, ethics, clinical observation, and cognitive communication. She also supervises graduate and undergraduate student clinicians who provide services to clients, both on campus and in the community. Her scholarship interests primarily include clinical supervision and mentorship, as well as neurologic communication disorders. 

Jardes is a practicing speech-language pathologist with interest in neurologic communication disorders of adult and pediatric patients. She is a certified brain injury specialist through the Brain Injury Association of America. As an SLP, she enjoys researching and working with clients toward functional community reintegration after a brain injury or stroke.

Jardes volunteers in the community through the American Stroke Foundation, providing group-based services to stroke survivors with acquired speech and language communication difficulties. She also organizes peer-led communication groups for adolescents and young adults with speech, language and social communication difficulties each semester on the Rockhurst University campus. 

She lives in Lenexa, Kansas, with her husband Brian and sons Decker and Duke. She enjoys spending time on the family farm, going to the lake, or enjoying the Kansas City scene with her family and friends.