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 194 OF 205 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTOTSLPOther2026Consensus-based follow-up and treatment registry for GNAO1-associated disorder.Developmental medicine and child neurologyExperts and parents agreed on 17 domains and 26 tools to track GNAO1 disorder, prioritizing communication, mobility, and social-emotional function. This consensus framework guides future registries but does not test treatments or prove any specific tool works.
• SLPSystematic Review2026Easy Read Health Information for People With Intellectual Disabilities: A Systematic Review of the Evidence.Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities : JARIDEasy Read health information is widely used but rarely meets accessibility standards. No study proved it improves knowledge or health outcomes on its own. Support people were often more important than the document, and their effect could not be separated from the resource.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2026Describing the communication of autistic people during experiences of distress: A scoping review.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutistic people often lose verbal capacity or withdraw when distressed, relying on behaviour or non-verbal cues instead. Proxy reports frequently miss these communicative attempts, interpreting them as aggression rather than distress signals. First-person accounts reveal a bidirectional cycle where communication failure worsens distress.
• PTOTSLPSurvey2026Clinician Perceptions Around Management of Sleep Problems in Children With Neurodisability.Child: care, health and developmentNon-sleep clinicians rarely use validated screening tools for sleep problems in children with neurodisability, relying instead on informal questions. Over half reported inadequate training to manage these issues. Families typically raise sleep concerns themselves, but clinicians struggle to identify causes or navigate referral pathways.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2026Comparative effectiveness of neuromuscular electrical stimulation-based combination interventions for post-stroke lower limb rehabilitation: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationGait training plus electrical stimulation improved balance and leg function more than standard care. No combination significantly beat others for walking ability, though cycling plus stimulation ranked highest. Rankings are exploratory because most comparisons relied on indirect evidence rather than head-to-head trials.
• PTOTSLPNarrative Review2026Feasibility of transcranial magnetic stimulation adjuvant therapy for chronic respiratory diseases: a narrative review.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesTMS is a safe, non-invasive tool for assessing diaphragm nerve pathways and is being explored as an add-on therapy for breathlessness in chronic lung disease. Current evidence is mechanistic and preclinical, with no large clinical trials yet proving it improves respiratory outcomes in these patients.
• OTSLPCohort2026Does Depressed Mood Affect Accuracy of Perceptions of Cognitive Function in Multiple Sclerosis? The Role of Momentary Depressive Symptoms in the Correspondence Between Subjective and Objective Cognition in Multiple Sclerosis.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationPeople with MS could judge their thinking speed moment to moment, but not their working memory. Depressed mood was linked to more cognitive complaints overall, yet did not weaken how closely complaints tracked objective speed.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2026Communicative Development Inventories (CDIs) in etiologically diverse developmental conditions: A systematic review.Research in developmental disabilitiesCDIs reliably flag delayed expressive vocabulary in autism and Down syndrome, but standard scores often underestimate ability when children use signs or have low intelligibility. Use longitudinal tracking for progress, not single-timepoint screening, and adapt forms to include gesture.
• PTOTSLPCohort2026Long-term neurological and psychiatric outcomes after paediatric arterial ischaemic stroke and cerebral sinovenous thrombosis.Developmental medicine and child neurologyChildren with first-time stroke face much higher long-term risks of paralysis, epilepsy, vision problems, and mental disorders than peers. Most survivors had at least one neurological or psychiatric diagnosis. This requires sustained multidisciplinary follow-up.
• SLPCase-Control2026Reduced inter-subject functional connectivity during movies in autism: replicability across cross-national fMRI datasets.Molecular autismAutistic adults showed less similar brain responses to silent movie scenes in visual and attention areas. With sound, temporal-region connections were stronger. Only 16% of these differences replicated across countries.
• SLPMeta-Analysis2026Does the Extreme Male Brain Hypothesis of Autism Apply More to Females Than Males? A Systematic and Meta-Analytic Approach.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchSelf-report empathy and systemizing scores differed more between autistic and non-autistic females than between autistic and non-autistic males. Typical sex differences were smaller among autistic people.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2026Cognitive Predictors of Adaptive Behaviour in Children With Down Syndrome: A Systematic Review.Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities : JARIDExecutive functions, especially working memory and inhibitory control, strongly predict adaptive behaviour in children with Down syndrome. Targeting these cognitive skills, not just teaching daily tasks, may better support autonomy. Visual and IQ measures also contribute.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2026Perspectives of young people with neuromotor disabilities on shared digital portals in paediatric rehabilitation: A descriptive-interpretive qualitative study.Developmental medicine and child neurologyYoung people with disabilities described shared digital portals as tools to reduce repetitive care and support autonomy. They wanted control over who sees their data, practical home exercise guides, and peer connection, while warning against surveillance and pressure from unmet goals.
• SLPOther2026Acceptability of a Digital Early Years Language Support Service for Caregivers of Children Who Have SLCN and/or Are Multilingual.International journal of language & communication disordersCaregivers rated weekly language support videos and online speech therapy as highly acceptable. They valued brief, practical content and human contact, but said videos needed more representation of diverse development, languages and family circumstances.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2026Love and People With Intellectual Disabilities: A Meta-Ethnography of Qualitative Research in the United Kingdom.Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities : JARIDAdults with intellectual disabilities clearly articulated love as companionship and mutual support. They faced barriers like staff control, lack of privacy, and stigma that hindered relationships. Services must actively protect romantic autonomy rather than ignoring it.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2026The use of high-density surface electromyography in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a scoping review.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationHigh-density surface EMG can non-invasively detect muscle twitches and motor unit changes in ALS, but no single measure reliably distinguishes ALS from other conditions. Inconsistent recording methods across studies prevent current clinical use as a diagnostic or progression tool.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2026Interventions for children with developmental coordination disorder: A scoping review.Developmental medicine and child neurologyMost interventions for children with coordination difficulties reported improved motor performance, but few measured real-life participation or social impact. Delivery in groups, schools, or one-to-one sessions all showed benefits, though diagnostic criteria were often poorly reported.
• PTOTSLPOther2025Agreement of Clinical Grade and Laboratory Grade Force Plates for Countermovement Jump Metrics in Youth Athletes.International journal of sports physical therapyClinical force plates agree with lab equipment on jump height and peak force in youth athletes, but differ significantly on impulse measures. Do not swap impulse data between systems, as the numbers are not interchangeable.
• SLPCase-Control2026Communicative Adaptations After Laryngectomy: Syntactic Complexity and Gesture Use.International journal of language & communication disordersLaryngectomy patients use comparable syntax and gestures to healthy controls but pause more and speak fewer words. They rely on silent pauses to breathe and plan rather than verbal fillers, which may make it harder to hold the floor in conversation.
• SLPOther2026An Observational Examination of Circumlocution Ability in Acute Left-Hemisphere Stroke Survivors as a Possible Estimative Behavioral Measure of Very Mild Aphasia.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationAcute left-hemisphere stroke survivors produced fewer informative object descriptions than controls, and survivors with aphasia on standardized testing produced fewer than survivors without. Circumlocution may help spot very mild aphasia when standardized scores do not identify it, but this is preliminary.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2026Supporting a 'good life' for autistic children: Autistic adults' and parents' perspectives.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutistic adults and parents identified four pillars for a 'good life' in autistic children: unconditional acceptance, pursuing personal interests, having autonomy over choices, and sensory-safe environments. They emphasized that social connection and happiness look different for each child, challenging neurotypical norms.
• PTOTSLPSurvey2026Factors Associated With Social Inclusion and Labour Status in People With Intellectual Disabilities, From Urban and Rural Areas of Peru.Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities : JARIDHaving a job linked to better social inclusion, while caregiver burden and older age linked to worse. Self-determination and verbal communication predicted employment. Urban participants had higher social inclusion than rural, but unemployment rates were high in both regions.
• PTOTSLPSurvey2026Priorities for change for autistic people across Europe.Molecular autismEducation, public awareness, funding, and employment were the top priorities for change across all groups. Autistic people ranked bullying and financial hardship higher than parents or professionals did, while parents prioritised daily living support and early intervention.
• SLPQualitative2026Impact of hearing aid usage on the quality of life of the older adult in KwaZulu-Natal.The South African journal of communication disorders = Die Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir KommunikasieafwykingsOlder adults with hearing aids reported better daily functioning and social connections, but psychological changes were minimal. Most struggled with device comfort or complex listening environments. Financial support through medical aid was the primary factor enabling consistent use.
• SLPCase-Control2026Nonword Repetition Assessing Auditory and Cognitive Abilities in Adult Cochlear Implant Users.Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHRAdult cochlear implant users repeated significantly fewer nonwords than normal-hearing peers, especially after age 67. Poorer performance was predicted by reduced spectral resolution and weaker reading or vocabulary skills, not working memory, suggesting bottom-up auditory limits drive phonological difficulties.
• SLPOther2026Event-Related Potentials as Markers of Age-Related Changes of Spatial Hearing in Normal-Hearing Adults.Trends in hearingMiddle-aged and older adults with normal hearing scores had worse localization and speech-in-noise perception than younger adults. The brain's mismatch response did not track these age-related spatial declines, but early cortical responses to sounds did correlate with age and behavioral deficits.
• SLPOther2026Metacognition for Listening in Noise: The Role of Age and Hearing Loss.Ear and hearingAge alone did not impair listening awareness or confidence in this study. However, older adults with mild hearing loss reported lower self-efficacy and used adaptive strategies less often than those with normal hearing. The hearing loss itself, not age, drove these differences.
• SLPPilot2026Delivering a Voice Education Program to School-Age Children through the Lens of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.Folia phoniatrica et logopaedica : official organ of the International Association of Logopedics and Phoniatrics (IALP)A STEM-based voice education program significantly increased students' voice care knowledge immediately after training. One year later, scores remained similar to post-training levels, though individual item retention varied. The study was a small pilot without a control group.
• SLPOther2026Conversational Topic Shifts and Topic Maintenance in Autistic and Neurotypical Children.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchAutistic and neurotypical children maintained conversation topics similarly. In this Spanish-speaking sample, autistic children shifted topics more often, and adults rated their shifts as less natural.
• PTOTSLPOther2025The Effect of Executive Cognitive Distraction on Sustaining a Volitional Preemptive Abdominal Contraction During a Unipedal Functional Movement in Healthy Participants.International journal of sports physical therapyHealthy participants successfully maintained abdominal bracing during a single-leg reach test even while distracted by an auditory task. However, distraction reduced reach distance in the posteromedial direction, suggesting complex movements may be more vulnerable to cognitive load than simple ones.
• SLPPilot2026Smartphone-Based Grading and Rehabilitation in Patients With Facial Palsy Using Computer Vision: Prospective Validation Study.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesPatients with acute facial palsy used a smartphone app for grading and training over four weeks. The app's automated score matched clinical assessments well and users rated it highly usable, but improvements likely reflect natural recovery rather than the app's therapeutic effect.
• SLPQualitative2026'I Didn't Know That in the Background They Write Reports About Me': Understanding the Health Literacy Implications of Allied Health Reports through the Experiences of People With Lifelong Communication Disability.International journal of language & communication disordersSome people with lifelong communication disability did not know reports were written about them, and those who received them found them hard to understand. They asked for accessible copies, plain language, accurate strengths-based representation, and feedback.
• SLPNarrative Review2026Camouflaging and autism: Conceptualisation and methodological issues.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceCamouflaging research is inconsistent in definitions and measurements. The main tool, the CAT-Q, may not distinguish camouflaging from social anxiety or self-presentation. Clinicians should not use it for screening and should consider these other explanations for patient behaviours.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2026Exploring clinician-reported assessments of capacity and performance qualifiers in the ICF: a scoping review.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesOnly five studies were found that properly linked clinician assessments to ICF capacity and performance qualifiers, all focused on walking or lifting. The methods used were inconsistent and rarely validated, so there is currently no standard way to code these qualifiers.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2026Seizures in children with Dravet syndrome in extreme heat: A qualitative study of parental perspectives.Developmental medicine and child neurologyParents described heat as a constant seizure trigger, noting children could not sweat or cool down. They avoided pools and sudden temperature shifts, kept children indoors, and gave fever medication when skin turned red, even without fever, to prevent seizures.
• SLPOther2026Performance of Nonlinear Energy Difference Ratio and Voice Type Component Profile Across Phoneme, Relative Sound Pressure Level, and Environment.Journal of voice : official journal of the Voice FoundationNEDR stayed mostly stable for vowels and voiced fricatives, but changed with /s/, very soft speech, and noise. VTCP moved more with loudness, sound type, and recording environment. Use the same sound and quiet room when interpreting them.
• SLPSystematic Review2026Ethical Challenges and Considerations in Dysphagia Management: A Scoping Review.International journal of language & communication disordersDysphagia ethics literature focuses heavily on recognising dilemmas but rarely on how to act on them. Clinicians often know the right choice but lack support to advocate against institutional risk-aversion, especially in telepractice and complex cultural cases.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2026How are School-aged Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder Using Digital Media? A Qualitative Study of Families' Lived Experiences.Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBPFamilies described digital media as a double-edged sword. It offers relief, deep interest exploration, and social connection, but creates safety concerns and caregiver guilt. Rules must be highly individualized and flexible, as one-size-fits-all restrictions fail in diverse home and school settings.
• SLPCohort2026Maternal Child-Directed Speech Toward Children With Infantile Spasm or West Syndrome.International journal of language & communication disordersMothers of children with West Syndrome used more emotional exclamations and fewer questions than mothers of typically developing children. This shift toward affective speech may help sustain engagement but could limit opportunities for language learning by reducing referential scaffolding.
• SLPOther2026The Effects of Daily Life Auditory Demands on Listening Effort, Affect, and Fatigue as a Function of Hearing Loss.Trends in hearingIn daily life, moments with more listening demand raised effort and fatigue, especially in people with worse hearing. Effort, not mood, explained the demand-fatigue link.
• PTOTSLPSurvey2026Trends in Rehabilitation Insurance Benefit Exhaustion Among Older Adults in the United States and Associations With Racial Identity.Physical therapyIn 2022, 27.9% of older adults who completed rehabilitation reported exhausting insurance benefits. Rates fell since 2015, but after adjustment Non-Hispanic Black adults had a 9.3 percentage point higher estimated chance of reporting exhaustion than Non-Hispanic White adults.
• SLPMeta-Analysis2026Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Speech and Voice Changes in Parkinson's Disease: a Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis.CoDASCombining six small studies, tDCS did not significantly improve speech or voice in Parkinson's. The overall result was null, with high variability between studies. Do not assume tDCS works for these symptoms based on this evidence.
• SLPOther2026Large-scale neural network compensation associated with camouflaging in trait autism and its potential mental health costs.Molecular autismIn adults with high autistic traits, frequent social camouflaging linked to stronger brain network connectivity between self-reflection and control systems. This specific neural pattern mediated the link between camouflaging and higher anxiety and depression scores. The study describes an association in healthy adults, not a causal mechanism.
• SLPSurvey2026Predictive Value of Mindfulness and Coping With Stress Styles on Depression, Anxiety and Stress Levels of Adults Who Stutter.International journal of language & communication disordersIn 47 adults who stutter, lower mindfulness and more frequent use of helpless or submissive coping styles predicted higher levels of depression, anxiety and stress. Active coping styles did not significantly predict these outcomes. Stuttering severity was not related to psychological distress.
• SLPOther2026Effects of inspiratory muscle training for 28 days on the voice of women without vocal complaints.CoDASNo perceptual voice change was seen, but acoustic stability and noise measures improved, along with maximum phonation times, diadochokinesis, and self-rated voice quality of life, handicap, and symptoms after 28 days of Respiron training in 22 vocally healthy women.
• PTOTSLPRCT2026Targeted ankle proprioceptive training improves balance, gait, and functional mobility in chronic stroke survivors: a multicenter randomized controlled trial with longitudinal follow-up.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationTargeted ankle proprioceptive training improved balance and walking more than standard care in chronic stroke survivors. The robotic-assisted discrimination tasks and weight-bearing challenges produced gains that were maintained at six months.
• SLPOther2026Exploring Microstructure Measures and Topics in Personal Narratives of Turkish School-Age Children: Findings From the Global TALES-TR Protocol.International journal of language & communication disordersThe Global TALES protocol is feasible for assessing Turkish children's personal narratives. The 'Problem' prompt was the most challenging, requiring the most follow-up prompts. Current data are descriptive only and cannot be used as diagnostic cut-offs.
• SLPCohort2026The effects of smoking on the dynamic vocal range of male smokers.CoDASMale smokers had a smaller vocal range than non-smokers, hitting lower top notes and unable to whisper as quietly. Longer smoking history and higher daily cigarette counts were linked to these reductions. This suggests smoking physically limits vocal flexibility.
• SLPRCT2026Implicit and Explicit Voice Training Effects on Speech-on-Speech Perception and Listening Effort.Ear and hearingNeither voice training method improved speech intelligibility. However, both methods reduced listening effort in specific difficult conditions. Explicit training generally required less cognitive load than implicit training. These benefits appeared only when background noise levels were unfavorable, with no overall performance gain.
• OTSLPOther2026Developmental stuttering with common and complex phenotypes.Developmental medicine and child neurologyMost people who stutter present with a common phenotype. A distinct 10% subgroup has a complex presentation marked by severe stuttering, high rates of neurodevelopmental disorders, lower non-verbal intelligence, and greater negative impact. This group requires multidisciplinary support.