SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY

Research for speech-language pathology

Papers a speech-language pathologist can act on — aphasia, dysphagia, developmental language, fluency, voice and augmentative communication — read in full and summarised plainly.

10,216 PAPERS · PAGE 163 OF 205 · NEWEST FIRST

• SLPOther2025Using a scoring template to identify intervention goals for adolescent social communication interventions.Journal of communication disordersA new scoring template for the Transition Pragmatics Interview shows exactly which social communication skills an adolescent has mastered, which are emerging, and which are too difficult. This helps therapists pick specific transition goals instead of relying on a single summary score.
• PTOTSLPCohort202512-Month trajectories of physical and mental symptom scores after COVID-19 hospitalization and their role in predicting "very long" COVID.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesA survey given three months after hospitalization predicted long-term recovery with 91% accuracy. Physical symptom burden and cognitive complaints were the strongest markers, while age and mental health scores added little to the prediction.
• SLPOther2025Development and Validation of a Self-Administered Online Hearing Test.Trends in hearingA self-administered online hearing test correctly identified 83% of people with mild hearing loss and 94% of those with normal hearing in a home validation study. It also estimates audiograms, though with some bias, and is intended for screening, not diagnosis.
• SLPCohort2025Identification of obstruent contrasts by children with and without phonological disorders.CoDASChildren with phonological disorders identified stop sounds more slowly than typical peers, but fricative identification speed was similar. Across both groups, errors most often involved confusing the place of articulation rather than voicing.
• OTSLPCohort2025Play interactions of autistic preschoolers with their mothers and fathers without toys yield more positive interactions than play with toys.Autism : the international journal of research and practicePlay without toys yielded higher emotional availability than play with toys for both mothers and fathers of autistic preschool boys. Fathers were as emotionally available as mothers, and children were more responsive to fathers during toy-free play. These are observational comparisons, not evidence of improved outcomes.
• SLPPilot2025Early Insights Into the Role of Personality in Adherence to Voice Rest After Phonomicrosurgery.Journal of voice : official journal of the Voice FoundationPatients who scored higher on Extraversion used their voices less during post-surgery voice rest, meaning they were more adherent. This contradicts the expectation that talkative people struggle to stay silent. Men showed a stronger link between Extraversion and voice use than women.
• SLPQualitative2025Sacrifice, uncertainty, and resilience: Qualitative study of U.S./Mexico border mothers of autistic children.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceMothers described constant comparison with U.S. services. Long, costly diagnosis, family disagreement, and citizenship status pushed some to risk crossing. They sought help for language and behavior.
• PTOTSLPPilot2025A Home-Based Behaviour Change Intervention With Sedentary Behaviour and Physical Activity in People With Stroke and Diabetes-A Feasibility and Safety Study.Physiotherapy research international : the journal for researchers and clinicians in physical therapyFourteen stroke survivors with diabetes completed a 12-week home-based behaviour change programme. Recruitment was slow, questionnaire completion was low, and no efficacy claims can be made from this safety and feasibility test.
• PTOTSLPOther2025Pectoralis minor index range of healthy 18-24-year-old students from a Kenyan public university.The South African journal of physiotherapyHealthy Kenyan students aged 18-24 show lower pectoralis minor index values on their dominant side than on their non-dominant side. Gender differences in these values were significant in some postures but not others, suggesting that habitual use and sex both influence resting muscle length.
• SLPQualitative2025Cultural diversity in early hearing detection and intervention: service provider perspectives.Journal of deaf studies and deaf educationService providers supporting culturally and linguistically diverse families after newborn hearing screening said interpreter access, translated information, stigma, transport, childcare, and unclear roles made engagement difficult. They wanted more time, proactive contact, cultural training, and community links.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025Middle-Aged Women With Rett Syndrome: Longitudinal Profile From the British Isles Rett Syndrome Survey and Suggestions for Care.Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities : JARIDMiddle-aged women with Rett syndrome usually had severity scores of 9 or below that stayed fairly stable over decades, but some lost walking, speech or hand use later. Hand stereotypies and sleep problems were often less severe in later life.
• SLPPilot2025Feasibility and Preliminary Efficacy of an Executive Function Intervention for Young Children With Down Syndrome.Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDRIn this uncontrolled pilot, children with Down syndrome improved on two of three executive function tasks after a 12-week home program. One third showed no gains. Without a control group, these changes cannot be attributed to the intervention.
• SLPCohort2025Effects of Masker Intelligibility and Talker Sex on Speech-in-Speech Recognition by Mandarin Speakers Across the Lifespan.Ear and hearingMandarin-speaking children struggle to use voice pitch to separate speakers but gain huge benefit from unintelligible maskers. Older adults do the opposite: they use pitch cues well but gain little from unintelligibility. Speech-in-speech difficulty shifts from sensory to cognitive processing across the lifespan.
• SLPOther2025Spectral Weighting of Monaural Cues for Auditory Localization in Sagittal Planes.Trends in hearingA computer model of how people locate sounds in the vertical plane predicted responses best when it emphasized high-frequency cues around 8 kHz. This suggests listeners rely heavily on these specific frequencies for elevation perception, which is critical for tuning hearing aids and spatial audio.
• SLPQualitative2025The core components of clinical planning for Comprehensive, High-dose Aphasia Treatment (CHAT): A task analysis.International journal of language & communication disordersSpeech pathologists described clinical planning for high-dose aphasia therapy as a continuous, collaborative process rather than a one-off session. They relied on researchers and experienced clinicians to translate evidence into personalized treatment plans, with goal-setting requiring dedicated time and iterative review throughout the therapy block.
• SLPOther2025Linguistic and Musical Syntax Processing in Autistic and Non-Autistic Individuals: An Event-Related Potential (ERP) Study.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchAutistic adults answered sentence and music questions as accurately as non-autistic peers, but their brains took longer and used fewer resources to process syntax in both domains. This suggests intact knowledge but inefficient real-time integration.
• SLPCohort2025Disparate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on deaf college students.Journal of deaf studies and deaf educationDeaf college students were nearly twice as likely to withdraw or take a leave of absence during the pandemic compared to hearing peers. While they reported similar levels of institutional support, they faced significantly more class cancellations and housing instability.
• SLPOther2025How Purposeful Adaptive Responses to Adverse Conditions Facilitate Successful Auditory Functioning: A Conceptual Model.Trends in hearing
• PTOTSLPOther2025The UK C-BiLLT: Validity and reliability of an online assessment of spoken language comprehension for children with severe motor disorders.International journal of language & communication disordersThe UK C-BiLLT accurately measures spoken language comprehension in children aged 18 months to 7.5 years. It is reliable for typical development and acceptable for children with severe motor disorders who use eye gaze or switches, though it may take up to an hour to complete.
• SLPNarrative Review2025Limitations on Temporal Processing by Cochlear Implant Users: A Compilation of Viewpoints.Trends in hearingCochlear implant users struggle with pitch and localization because current devices discard timing information, not because the auditory nerve fails. Experts disagree on whether training helps, but agree that synchronized, timing-preserving processors are needed to restore these abilities.
• PTOTSLPCase Report2025The 'Bounce Back' rehabilitation programme for stroke survivors in South Africa - a case report.The South African journal of physiotherapyStroke survivors in a South African community programme gained functional independence and reported fewer problems, but depression outcomes varied. Some improved, while another worsened. This is a case series, not proof the programme caused change.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2025"The Other Thousand Hours": A Spinal Cord Injury Self-Management Program Qualitative Analysis.OTJR : occupation, participation and healthParticipants with spinal cord injury valued a telehealth self-management program for creating peer community and weekly accountability. They reported feeling more proactive about health habits like skin checks and stretching. The group format and facilitator check-ins were cited as key drivers of engagement.
• SLPOther2025Emotion recognition in deaf individuals: evidence from event-related potentials.Journal of deaf studies and deaf educationDeaf adults recognized emotions less accurately than hearing adults when only the top half of a face was visible. Their brain activity also dropped in this condition, suggesting that obscuring the mouth area impairs emotional processing for this group.
• SLPMeta-Analysis2025Caregiver behavioral changes mediate the effects of naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions: Combining evidence from three randomized controlled trials.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceCaregivers trained in naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions significantly improved their strategy use, but the intervention did not produce a significant overall reduction in child social communication symptoms. Changes in caregiver behavior mediated child outcomes, though this finding weakened when accounting for measurement error.
• SLPRCT2025Validity and usability for digital cognitive assessment tools to screen for mild cognitive impairment: a randomized crossover trial.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationDigital versions of standard cognitive tests correlated moderately with paper forms but scored lower on memory tasks. Despite positive usability ratings, most older adults preferred paper tests. Digital assessments took longer to complete, especially for those with lower education levels.
• SLPCohort2025Variation in second-grade reading in children who are deaf and hard-of-hearing.Journal of deaf studies and deaf educationKindergarten letter knowledge and vocabulary predict later reading struggles in deaf and hard-of-hearing children. Early screening of these specific skills helps identify which students are at risk for delays in word decoding and comprehension by second grade.
• SLPOther2025Deaf/hard of hearing ecological assessment form-child (DEAF-C).Journal of deaf studies and deaf educationA new structured history form for evaluating deaf and hard of hearing children was developed. It gathers ecological factors like communication access and trauma that generic forms miss, aiming to standardize how clinicians collect background information before assessment.
• SLPOther2025The impact of acquired communication impairments on sexuality and intimacy: A scoping review.International journal of language & communication disordersSexuality research on acquired neurological conditions rarely includes people with communication impairments. When aphasia is studied, it appears to separate intimacy issues from physical disability. Clinicians lack validated tools or specific guidance for addressing these communication barriers.
• PTOTSLPRCT2025Neural mechanisms underlying the improvement of gait disturbances in stroke patients through robot-assisted gait training based on QEEG and fNIRS: a randomized controlled study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationRobot-assisted gait training improved walking function more than conventional overground training in stroke patients. Brain scans showed greater activation in planning areas and shifts in EEG patterns linked to recovery. This suggests the robot helps rewire motor planning circuits, not just strengthen legs.
• SLPCase Report2025Harnessing AI for aphasia: a case report on ChatGPT's role in supporting written expression.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesA 75-year-old man with chronic aphasia used ChatGPT to help write his autobiography. With the AI tool, he produced more sentences with fewer errors, though he still needed significant clinician guidance to use it effectively. He reported increased confidence and enjoyment.
• SLPCohort2025The macrostructure of narratives produced by children acquiring Finnish Sign Language.Journal of deaf studies and deaf educationNarrative skills in Finnish Sign Language children aged 4 to 11 increase with age. A dip in complexity at age 6 was observed but not explained by hearing status or assessment method. The test is not yet standardized, so scores cannot diagnose impairment.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025Within-session dual-task walking practice improves gait variability in older adults with multiple sclerosis.Gait & postureOlder adults with MS walked with more variability than healthy peers, especially when adding a mental task. However, repeating the walking task three times in one session reduced this variability in both groups. This suggests short practice sessions can help stabilize gait.
• PTSLPCohort2025Life Satisfaction, Global Health and Mood in Prader-Willi Syndrome: Use of PROMIS and Glasgow Depression Scales.Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities : JARIDParents reported that 18% of children and adults with Prader-Willi syndrome had concerning levels of depressive symptoms. These individuals also scored significantly lower on global health and life satisfaction measures, with scores worsening as the participants aged.
• SLPOther2025Let's See If You Can Hear: The Effect of Stimulus Type and Intensity to Pupil Diameter Response in Infants and Adults.Ear and hearingPupil dilation increased to loud sounds in infants and adults, but classification models failed to reliably estimate individual hearing thresholds. Background noise likely masked responses to quieter sounds, making pupillometry currently unsuitable for clinical threshold assessment.
• SLPPilot2025Babble Boot Camp for Infants With Down Syndrome: Piloting a Proactive, Caregiver-Led Intervention Designed to Boost Earliest Speech and Language Skills.American journal of speech-language pathologyTen infants with Down syndrome received caregiver-led telehealth Babble Boot Camp, and average family session attendance was 92%. Some showed babble growth and first words emerged, but without a Down syndrome control group the pilot cannot show the intervention caused it.
• SLPPilot2025Embedding Universal Language Promotion in Pediatric Primary Care to Optimize Early Child Development and Reduce Long-Term Health Disparities.Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBPParents who received brief language coaching during well-child visits reported significantly more daily language-building interactions with their infants. The intervention added less than 2 minutes to visits and was rated feasible by clinicians, but lacked a control group to rule out natural development.
• OTSLPQualitative2024An evaluation of intervention appropriateness from the perspective of parents: A peer-mediated, play-based intervention for children with ADHD.Australian occupational therapy journal25 parents said a play-based intervention for children with ADHD was enjoyable and helpful, especially when the therapist was warm and the child liked video feedback. They wanted more support to keep gains at school and with other peers.
• SLPOther2025Understanding the Lombard Effect for Mandarin: Relation Between Speech Recognition Thresholds and Acoustic Parameters.Trends in hearingMandarin speakers automatically adjust pitch and energy when talking in noise. This Lombard effect improved speech recognition thresholds, with female speakers showing a significantly larger benefit than male speakers. Spectral changes, not just volume, drove this improvement.
• SLPCase Report2025Clinical Case Study: Pediatric Exercise-Induced Laryngeal Obstruction.Perspectives of the ASHA special interest groupsA 13-year-old runner diagnosed with exercise-induced laryngeal obstruction improved after three speech therapy sessions including education, trigger management, lower thoracic breathing, rescue breathing, and real-world practice. She resumed track, but this single case cannot show which component helped.
• OTSLPCohort2025Beyond the Label: Antipsychotic Prescribing Practices at a Paediatric Neurodisability Service in Australia.Child: care, health and developmentIn 147 children with neurodisability, most antipsychotic prescriptions were for challenging behaviours, not psychosis. Risperidone was common, often off-label, and most prescribing encounters also included another psychotropic drug. This paper does not show whether medicines worked.
• PTOTSLPSurvey2025Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Teen Self-Report on Health Behaviors and Social-Emotional Wellbeing: United States, July 2021-December 2022.Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBPTeens with ADHD self-reported more bullying, difficulty making friends, sleep problems, and high screen time than peers without ADHD. They also reported less lack of peer support. These are associations in a national survey, not proof that ADHD causes these behaviors.
• PTOTSLPOther2025Neurodevelopmental and Mental Health Outcomes in a National Clinical Sample of Youth With Sex Chromosome Trisomies Compared With Matched Controls.Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBP52.2% of youth with sex chromosome trisomies had a neurodevelopmental diagnosis, including speech and language and motor delays, and 13.7% had a mental health diagnosis, both more common than in matched controls.
• SLPPilot2025Validation of a Self-Fitting Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Intervention Compared with a Clinician-Fitted Hearing Aid Intervention: A Within-Subjects Crossover Design Using the Same Device.Trends in hearingIn 21 adults with mild-to-moderate hearing loss, a self-fitting hearing aid yielded better speech-in-noise scores and self-reported benefit than a clinician-fitted one. However, the clinician fit deviated from standard practice, so this does not prove self-fitting is superior to optimal care.
• SLPOther2024Development and Implementation of an Aural Rehabilitation Program Using Community Health Workers in Rural Alabama.Perspectives of the ASHA special interest groupsThis paper describes how a rural hearing support program was built and delivered by community health workers. It reports no patient outcomes or effectiveness data, so it offers no evidence that the program improves hearing health.
• SLPCohort2025Modified Cued Recall Test: Longitudinal Analysis of Test Versions and Item Recall in Adults With Down Syndrome.Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDRThe Modified Cued Recall Test detects Alzheimer's-related decline in adults with Down syndrome, but using two different test versions creates scoring differences that can confuse results. For cognitively stable individuals, a drop of more than 6 points over 32 months signals meaningful decline.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025Missed Early Intervention Opportunities for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchOnly 15% of preschoolers with autism received early intervention services before age 2. The strongest predictor of timely access was an autism diagnosis before age 2, alongside higher socioeconomic status and low birth weight. Most children missed the critical window due to diagnostic delays.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025Long-Term Injury Survey in a Japanese University Women's Soccer Team.International journal of sports physical therapyInjuries were far more common during games than practice, with lower limbs, ankles, and knees most affected. Defenders and first-year players had the highest injury rates. Severe injuries, including concussions and ACL tears, were frequent.
• SLPCase Series2025The effects of the DHACA method on expressive communication in children with autism spectrum disorder.CoDASAfter 20 weekly speech therapy sessions using the DHACA picture book method, seven of twelve nonverbal children with autism began using verbal communication. The other five remained nonverbal, though most showed some improvement in specific expressive skills.
• PTOTSLPPilot2025Co-designing and testing a management programme with peer support for post-stroke fatigue: Nottingham fatigue after stroke study (NotFAST3).Clinical rehabilitationStroke survivors with fatigue and trained peer supporters tested a self-management programme. Participants reported feeling supported and found the workbook helpful. Fatigue and mood scores improved, but without a control group, it is unknown if the programme caused these changes.
• SLPQualitative2025Speech and language therapists' insights into severity of speech sound disorders in children for developing the speech sound disorder severity construct.International journal of language & communication disordersTherapists do not use a single score to judge speech sound disorder severity. They weigh three main factors: how accurate the speech is, how intelligible it is in daily life, and how much the child feels burdened by their own speech.