Additive bilingualism has long been reported as a benefit of immersion education. Nevertheless, the suitability of this form of education and bilingualism for children with special educational needs (SEN) has been much debated. Recent studies show that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), specific speech and language disorder (SSLD), and…

Background: Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by a triad of motor, cognitive and psychological symptoms, leading to a gradual breakdown of communication skills. Few studies have investigated how people affected by HD and their professional caregivers, for example, medical doctors, physiotherapists and nurses,…

Purpose: This study compared the performance of three amplification devices hypothesized to improve speech communication in individuals with hypophonia (HP), as well as to identify individuals' device preferences. Method: Twenty-two individuals with HP and their primary communication partners participated in a cross-over design study comparing…

Young children who cannot use their natural speech to communicate their daily wants, needs, thoughts, and opinions often rely on augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) strategies that frequently use graphic symbols to assemble messages. Early intervention strategies typically focus on visual scene displays (VSDs) to place target messages…

Purpose: The primary aim of this study was to investigate the extent to which individuals with facial and/or speech differences secondary to a craniofacial anomaly experienced bullying through social media platforms during late school age and adolescence. Method: Using an online survey platform, a questionnaire was distributed via several public…

This study sought to determine if speech-language pathology graduate students found peer-to-peer teaching and experiential learning beneficial in learning how to assess the cranial nerves. Graduate students in a motor speech disorders course completed an in-class cranial nerve examination in which they either portrayed clinicians or patients.…

Purpose: This study explored the intervention processes used by speech-language pathologists (SLPs) to treat children with speech sound disorders (SSDs). Method: Semistructured, individual, in-depth interviews were conducted with 11 Australian SLPs. Inductive content analysis was used to classify the data to provide a description of current…

Typically developing, American adolescents in Grade 10 (n = 38) ranked the relative importance of 14 communication skills in their friends' communication with them. The skills were considered those associated with figurative language (e.g., appropriate slang use), empathy (e.g., vocal tone comprehension), or discourse management (e.g., appropriate…

Purpose: Listening to children using age-appropriate techniques supports evidence-based clinical decision-making. In this article, we test the Sound Effects Study Drawing Protocol, an arts-based technique, to support children with speech sound disorder (SSD) to express their views about talking. Method: Participants were 124 Australian children…

This survey addressed a twofold need: first, research into speech sound productions in children with visual impairments and, second, evidence upon which speech-language pathologists might base interventions for children with visual impairments. Fifteen speech-language pathologists responded to a survey about speech sound productions in caseload…

Research demonstrates that children can make more significant gains through explicit instruction of vocabulary than implicit instruction (Blachowicz and Fisher in Teaching vocabulary in all classrooms, Allyn & Bacon, Boston, MA, 2010; Dalton and Grisham in Read Teach 64(5):306-317, 2011). Effective explicit instruction often includes high…

This report presents the findings of a study aimed to address the gap between policy and practice for speech-language pathologists (SLPs) who serve students identified with a speech-language impairment, including other co-existing disabilities. The following research questions were addressed: (1) What factors influence how SLPs make accessibility…

Children with speech sound disorders (SSD) represent a large number of speech and language therapists' caseloads. The intervention with children who have SSD can involve different therapy approaches, and these may be articulatory or phonologically based. Some international studies reveal a widespread application of articulatory based approaches in…

Considering the prevalence of speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) and the known association with poor academic performance and social, emotional and mental health, it is surprising that two-thirds of children with primary SLCN go unidentified. Although educational psychologists (EPs) are well positioned to support schools in improving…

Speech and language therapists' (SLTs) roles include enabling parents to provide intervention. We know little about how parents understand their role during speech and language intervention or whether these change during involvement with SLTs. The theory of conceptual change, applied to parents as adult learners, is used as a framework for…