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 189 OF 205 · NEWEST FIRST

• SLPSystematic Review2026Self-Assessment Instruments Related to Functional Ability for People Who Use Augmentative and Alternative Communication-A Scoping Review.International journal of language & communication disordersMost self-assessment tools for people who use AAC focus on thoughts and beliefs, not feelings or goals. Many lack validation data and are English-only. Clinicians should adapt existing tools with symbols and plain language rather than assuming standard questionnaires are accessible.
• SLPCohort2026Transgender and gender-diverse autistic adolescents are at elevated risk of depression.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceIn autistic adolescents, being transgender or gender-diverse is a strong predictor of depression. The risk was higher than that associated with family history, ADHD, or sleep disturbances. Clinicians should monitor for depression in this group, even if other risk factors are absent.
• SLPOther2025MMBGR protocol - diagnostic accuracy of clinical examination in infants.CoDASThe MMBGR protocol identified orofacial tone issues reasonably well when scored from infant photos and videos. It was less reliable for younger infants and for referral decisions, so use it as a guide, not a stand-alone diagnosis.
• SLPQualitative2025This is our rhythm: academic becoming and realignment in deaf space.Journal of deaf studies and deaf educationThis paper describes a deaf-led academic space and its theoretical framework. It contains no clinical interventions, patient outcomes, or therapy techniques, so there is nothing here to change how you treat patients.
• SLPOther2025Intervention characteristics and speech therapy strategies in care for autistic children in health services: a scoping review.CoDASMost speech therapy studies for autistic children in Brazil report play-based and protocol/questionnaire methods, and most were done in university clinics. Parental guidance and community-based care were rare, so the picture is mainly clinic-based, not everyday services.
• SLPOther2025Self-assessment of risk of dysphagia and clinical-functional vulnerability in older adults with a history of leprosy.CoDASAmong 117 older adults with a history of leprosy, 22 reported swallowing risk on a self-check tool. Being 80 to 99 or frail was linked to reporting risk. For those at risk, eating time was the most affected quality-of-life area.
• SLPCohort2025Factors associated with breastfeeding in infants with trisomy 21.CoDASInfants with Down syndrome had very short breastfeeding durations, averaging 69 days. Formula use and pacifiers were strongly linked to stopping breastfeeding, while breastfeeding in the first hour helped it last longer. Habitual lip and tongue posture showed no significant association with breastfeeding success.
• SLPCohort2026Social Network Characteristics and Their Relations to Speech Recognition and Quality of Life in Adult Cochlear Implant Users.American journal of speech-language pathologyAdult cochlear implant users with more age-diverse social networks reported better hearing-related quality of life and performed better on speech recognition tasks. Network size and accent diversity showed no significant associations. These findings reflect correlations, not proof that expanding social circles improves outcomes.
• PTOTSLPOther2026Factors influencing clinical decision-making in inpatient rehabilitation: A scoping review.Clinical rehabilitationInpatient rehabilitation therapists said treatment planning depends on patient values and home resources, family input, team roles, communication style, experience, safety, and institutional time and policy pressures.
• PTSLPCohort2026Age better discriminates early dysphagia than cough function, respiratory muscle strength, or trunk control after mild stroke.International journal of rehabilitation research. Internationale Zeitschrift fur Rehabilitationsforschung. Revue internationale de recherches de readaptationAfter mild stroke, age was the best marker of early swallowing problems. Patients with dysphagia averaged 70.0 years, those without 61.4 years. Cough flow, breathing muscle strength and trunk control did not separate them on their own.
• SLPOther2026Comparing Online and Face-to-Face Administration of the Polish Sentence Repetition Task in Monolingual and Multilingual Children: Higher Scores in Face-to-Face Testing.Language and speechChildren scored higher on sentence repetition when tested face-to-face than online. Multilingual children improved in their second session regardless of format, while monolingual children consistently performed better face-to-face. The two testing modes are not interchangeable.
• SLPCohort2025The effect of vacation on reading fluency development.CoDASStudents in grades 3 through 7 showed significant declines in reading speed after summer vacation. Second graders maintained their reading speed, but older students lost ground. This suggests that without continued practice, reading fluency regresses during school breaks for most elementary students.
• SLPOther2025Voice Outcomes of Clear Speech Cueing in Individuals With Parkinson's Disease.Journal of voice : official journal of the Voice FoundationClear speech cueing in Parkinson's disease increased vocal intensity and pitch variation, and reduced perceived breathiness. However, changes in voice quality metrics like CPP were driven by intensity, not actual improvement, and overall dysphonia severity did not change.
• SLPPilot2025Neural auditory encoding and performance in speech-in-noise perception: a pilot study.CoDASFaster and larger neural responses to a /DA/ syllable were associated with better speech-in-noise scores in 28 young native Brazilian Portuguese speakers, especially for consonant timing and vowel encoding.
• SLPOther2026The Role of Speech Reading During Visual Word Processing in Hearing Children: A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study.Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHRIn hearing children, brain regions active during silent lip-reading also light up when judging written word rhymes. However, the strength of this brain activity did not correlate with their standardized word reading scores, so the study does not link this specific neural mechanism to reading ability.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2026Augmented feedback as a therapeutic approach for gait rehabilitation in patients with cerebral palsy: a systematic review.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesAugmented feedback improved walking speed and ankle function in people with mild spastic cerebral palsy. Results for other gait measures like step length were inconsistent. The evidence is limited by small studies and a lack of long-term follow-up.
• SLPOther2026Reading comprehension intervention in populations with developmental language disorder: A scoping review.Journal of communication disordersInterventions targeting vocabulary and morphology showed consistent gains, while decoding and discourse results varied. Most studies were small, short, and lacked blinding, so no single approach is proven superior for improving reading comprehension in children with developmental language disorder.
• SLPSystematic Review2026A call to action: more parent-child interaction research within daily routines!Journal of deaf studies and deaf educationA systematic review found almost no research on parent-child interactions during daily routines for deaf children. Current evidence focuses on play and reading. This paper calls for new studies to fill this gap but provides no clinical findings or recommendations for practice.
• SLPOther2026Apparent Talker Variability and Speaking Style Similarity Can Enhance Comprehension of Novel L2-Accented Talkers.Language and speechEnglish-speaking listeners understood a new Mandarin-accented talker better after hearing Mandarin-accented speech, but only when the test talker used casual speech. Simulated multiple talkers added a small benefit only when both exposure and test were casual.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025Relationship Between Tendon Tissue and Shoulder Disability Change During an 8-Week Exercise Intervention for Rotator Cuff Tendinopathy: An Observational Study.Physical therapyShoulder pain and function improved significantly after 8 weeks of exercise. Tendon thickness decreased slightly, but this change was too small to be clinically meaningful. Early thickness changes correlated with symptom improvement, but this link disappeared by week 4.
• SLPCohort2025Early Cochlear Implant Outcomes Predict Long-Term Speech Recognition.Ear and hearingAdult cochlear implant users whose word recognition scores improved by 3 months were highly likely to have improved word recognition scores at 12 months. Early post-implant scores predicted long-term speech recognition better than baseline factors alone.
• SLPOther2025Breath-Holding Maneuvers and Airway Closure in Healthy Adults and Parkinson's Disease: Effects of Maneuver Type, Health Status, and Vocal Fold Bowing.Folia phoniatrica et logopaedica : official organ of the International Association of Logopedics and Phoniatrics (IALP)Hard breath-holds achieved complete airway closure far more often than light ones in both healthy adults and people with Parkinson's. Light holds failed to close the airway in nearly half of participants, suggesting clinicians should verify closure visually rather than assume it.
• SLPSurvey2025South African speech-language therapists' views on dysphagia in head and neck cancer patients.The South African journal of communication disorders = Die Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir KommunikasieafwykingsSouth African speech-language therapists described varied swallowing care for head and neck cancer. Most did not use instrumental assessments for all patients at first. Access and radiation exposure influenced that choice. They agreed treatment should change with surgery, but most had no workplace protocol.
• PTOTSLPCase Report2025Atypical GNAO1 variants in severe childhood speech disorders: clinical, genetic, and molecular insights.Molecular autismTwo children with severe speech disorders and intellectual disability carried rare GNAO1 mutations without epilepsy. Laboratory tests showed these variants disrupt protein signaling in ways that respond to zinc, suggesting a potential treatment target and a reason to test GNAO1 in speech-only cases.
• PTOTSLPOther2026Screen Use and Child and Adolescent Health in Canada: Triangulation of Evidence Assessing the State of the Effort.Child: care, health and developmentCanadian parents and adults overwhelmingly believe schools, governments, and tech companies must help children use screens safely. However, the effort is fragmented: policies are inconsistent, sectors rarely collaborate, and federal leadership is largely absent despite growing media concern.
• SLPCohort2026The impact of individual factors on linguistic alignment of autistic boys and their mothers.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutistic boys and their mothers matched each other's words more than chance, but did not match sentence structures. Mothers aligned more with sons who had better expressive language and with sons who had fragile X syndrome.
• SLPSurvey2025Nursing personnel and speech-language therapists communication practices in dysphagia management.The South African journal of communication disorders = Die Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir KommunikasieafwykingsNurses reported that written instructions were their top preference for dysphagia care, followed by face-to-face verbal exchange. While most felt respected, a minority struggled to understand verbal instructions. Brief, unambiguous written notes paired with direct conversation appeared to support safe implementation.
• PTOTSLPMeta-Analysis2025The Efficacy of Closed Versus Open Kinetic Chain Exercise in Knee Osteoarthritis-A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Physiotherapy research international : the journal for researchers and clinicians in physical therapyClosed kinetic chain exercises like squats and lunges reduced knee pain and improved function slightly more than open kinetic chain exercises in the short term. Quality of life scores showed no difference between the two groups. The benefit was small.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025Phonetic changes, dental occlusion and their relationships in individuals with cleft lip and palate undergoing orthognathic surgery.CoDASMaxillary surgery improved some speech distortions and lisps, but hypernasality worsened on oral texts. No sound became 100% normal. Patients still need speech therapy after surgery to address remaining errors and new resonance issues.
• SLPOther2025Incidence and nature of functional voice disorders.The South African journal of communication disorders = Die Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir KommunikasieafwykingsAt a South African voice clinic, 86 of 516 adults had a functional voice disorder. Muscle tension dysphonia, hoarseness, high voice handicap scores and reflux were common. Occupational and non-occupational voice users were similar on the comparisons made.
• SLPCohort2025A description of feeding and swallowing in neonates with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy.The South African journal of communication disorders = Die Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir KommunikasieafwykingsNeonates with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy often delay full oral feeding, especially if severely injured and untreated with cooling. Most achieved full feeds within 5 days. Oral phase difficulties like reduced endurance and weak sucking were common. Pharyngeal issues may be under-detected without instrumental assessment.
• SLPQualitative2025Feeding and swallowing difficulties in previously hospitalised premature infants in the neonatal intensive care unit: Perspectives from South African caregivers.The South African journal of communication disorders = Die Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir KommunikasieafwykingsMothers of premature infants with feeding difficulties described feeling helpless and guilty. They reported that NICU restrictions and their inability to feed their babies orally made bonding difficult. Information gaps about their child's swallowing prognosis left them searching for answers on social media.
• SLPQualitative2025Exploring final-year nursing students' experiences in dysphagia management at an Eastern Cape University.The South African journal of communication disorders = Die Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir KommunikasieafwykingsTwelve final-year nursing students said they felt unprepared to manage swallowing difficulties. They described brief lectures, uneven ward exposure, and uncertainty about feeding, choking, and when to refer to speech-language pathologists.
• SLPQualitative2025Perceived readiness of South African community service speech-language therapists to manage complex paediatric dysphagia.The South African journal of communication disorders = Die Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir KommunikasieafwykingsCommunity service speech therapists in South Africa reported low confidence managing complex paediatric dysphagia. They cited insufficient clinical exposure, lack of senior mentorship, and resource shortages like missing thickening agents. Caregiver beliefs, language barriers, and poverty further hindered effective therapy delivery.
• PTOTSLPOther2025Association between walking space and physical activity for hospitalized patients with stroke: a cross-sectional study.Journal of physical therapy scienceStroke patients allowed to walk in the ward or hospital had more light activity and less sitting than those walking only in their room. Room-bound independence matched dependent patients. Set mobility goals by space, not just walking ability.
• SLPQualitative2025Feeding and swallowing in cerebral palsy: Caregiver burden, quality of life and support needs.The South African journal of communication disorders = Die Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir KommunikasieafwykingsMothers of children with cerebral palsy and feeding difficulties reported that feeding dominates their lives, causing financial, physical and emotional strain regardless of whether the child eats orally or via a tube. They urgently need practical coaching, accessible professional contact and peer support.
• PTOTSLPNarrative Review2026Exploring the autism and functional neurological disorder association: Considerations from biopsychosocial, neuropsychological and computational models.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceThis theoretical review links autism and functional neurological disorder through shared traits like sensory overload and difficulty identifying emotions. It suggests clinicians should screen for autism in FND patients to avoid misdiagnosis, but offers no tested interventions or outcome data.
• SLPQualitative2026'Breaking down a barrier': Autistic young people see virtual reality as a possible social support, but not a substitute for in-person interactions.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutistic young people see VR as a safe 'first step' for high-stakes interactions like dates or interviews, because it filters sensory noise and allows control over appearance. However, they reject VR as a substitute for in-person contact, citing missing non-verbal cues and safety concerns.
• SLPOther2026The Interplay Between Language, Executive Functioning, Theory of Mind and Socio-Emotional Functioning - A Comparison Between Adolescents With and Without DLD.International journal of language & communication disordersAdolescents with DLD had lower receptive vocabulary and lower scores on understanding what others think, and lower parent-reported socio-emotional functioning than typically developing peers. When all abilities were considered together, only understanding what others think was associated with socio-emotional functioning.
• OTSLPCase Series2026Appropriateness and Impact of a Vocal Cord Vibration Switch for Children with Complex Communication Needs: Case Series.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesThree children with complex communication needs used a vocal cord vibration switch for two years. Mothers and teachers reported lower effort and higher satisfaction compared to previous devices, and all three children continued using the switch after the main study period.
• PTOTSLPSurvey2026Bringing the Computer-Based Instrument for Low Motor Language Testing to Canada: A Survey of Caregiver and Clinician Perspectives.International journal of language & communication disordersCanadian caregivers and clinicians say current language comprehension assessments for children with cerebral palsy lack accuracy, creating a critical gap. Both groups view the new C-BiLLT-CAN tool as highly promising, but flag that it currently lacks the response methods, like auditory access and specific switches, that many children need to actually complete the test.
• PTOTSLPSurvey2026Quality of rehabilitation care in Portuguese stroke units: findings from 2017-2018 and 2023 national cross‑sectional surveys.Journal of rehabilitation medicinePortuguese stroke units improved multidisciplinary meetings and discharge coordination over six years. However, fully staffed teams remained rare, weekend assessments lagged significantly behind weekdays, and neurogenic bladder screening was almost never performed.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2026A Scoping Review to Map Health Outcomes in Inducible Laryngeal Obstruction.International journal of language & communication disordersAcross 49 studies on inducible laryngeal obstruction, outcome measures varied widely with no standard set. Patient-reported questionnaires dominated, but few captured environmental or personal factors. Current tools miss key life impacts, so results cannot be reliably compared across studies.
• SLPOther2025From delay to detection: Dysphagia patterns in tracheostomised ICU patients in South Africa.The South African journal of communication disorders = Die Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir KommunikasieafwykingsIn 42 tracheostomised ICU patients, 66.6% had dysphagia and 28.6% had silent aspiration. Swallowing assessments took an average of 32.45 days after admission, meaning patients spent weeks with undetected swallowing problems.
• SLPQualitative2025Developing a FEES service in South Africa: Interdisciplinary reflections for dysphagia care.The South African journal of communication disorders = Die Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir KommunikasieafwykingsFour dysphagia clinicians reflected that building a bedside FEES service depended on ENT, SLT and nursing collaboration, protected scheduling, shared endoscope access, and education to overcome scepticism. They described FEES helping guide diet and feeding decisions, but gave no patient outcomes.
• SLPOther2025Executive, behavioural and emotional functioning in Spanish children with dyslexia.CoDASSpanish children with dyslexia had higher parent and teacher reported anxiety, depression and aggression, and poorer executive functioning. Executive functioning was associated with emotional problems, but no intervention was tested.
• SLPSystematic Review2025Interventions to prevent noise-induced hearing loss in farmworkers: a scoping review.International journal of audiologyMailing or placing hearing protection directly on equipment improved self-reported use more than education alone. However, objective hearing thresholds rarely changed in short-term studies, and many trials lacked untreated control groups.
• SLPSystematic Review2025Current trends and identified gaps in dysphagia research in Africa: A scoping review.The South African journal of communication disorders = Die Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir KommunikasieafwykingsDysphagia research in Africa is sparse, heavily skewed towards South Africa, and focused on clinical practice rather than teaching or prevalence. Nurses and doctors often lack the knowledge to identify swallowing difficulties, leaving speech-language therapists to manage complex cases with limited multidisciplinary support.
• PTOTSLPCohort2026Responsiveness of the "PROM Pediatric Physical Therapy" in Dutch Pediatric Physical Therapy Practices.Pediatric physical therapy : the official publication of the Section on Pediatrics of the American Physical Therapy AssociationThe PROM-ppt questionnaire tracks progress well for children with motor problems but fails to reflect change for those with pain-related issues. Therapists should use it to monitor goal attainment in motor cases, but rely on other measures when pain is the primary complaint.
• SLPRCT2026A Liquid Thickener Presentation Format for the Therapeutic Management of Dysphagia-A Promising Step Forward in Addressing the Challenges Associated With Thickened Fluids in Swallowing Disorders?International journal of language & communication disordersPatients with swallowing difficulties rated drinks thickened with a new liquid concentrate as significantly more pleasant and easier to use than their usual powdered thickener. They drank more fluid on average and reported fewer gastrointestinal symptoms, though the study was small and short.