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 199 OF 205 · NEWEST FIRST

• OTSLPMeta-Analysis2021Fever during pregnancy as a risk factor for neurodevelopmental disorders: results from a systematic review and meta-analysis.Molecular autismChildren whose mothers had a fever during pregnancy were diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental condition more often (pooled odds 1.24). Fever in the first three months was linked; fever later on was not. Observational data, so this is an association, not proof of cause.
• SLPRCT2025The PD COMM Process Evaluation: Describing Interventions and Implementation in a UK Pragmatic Randomised Controlled Trial of Speech and Language Therapy for People With Parkinson's-Related Dysarthria.International journal of language & communication disordersLSVT was delivered close to protocol: 13 hours 17 minutes of direct therapy on average against 2 hours 44 minutes for standard NHS speech therapy, usually by two or more therapists. The authors say that dosage gap may itself explain the trial result.
• SLPRCT2025Biofeedback and Exercise Load Affect Accuracy of Tongue Strength Exercise Performance.DysphagiaHow accurately older adults hit their tongue strength exercise targets did not predict their strength gains; only age did, with older people improving less. Maximum-effort exercise was performed more accurately than submaximal exercise, and biofeedback helped people recall the target but lowered home adherence.
• OTSLPMeta-Analysis2025First Impressions Towards Autistic People: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchAutistic people are judged less favourably than non-autistic people on first impression, from a photo, a voice or a video. When raters only read a transcript of what was said, there was no clear bias either way.
• PTSLPSystematic Review2025Pain in adults with cerebral palsy: A systematic review.Developmental medicine and child neurologyBetween 24% and 89% of adults with cerebral palsy report pain, more than adults without it. What helps is unclear: botulinum toxin A and pallidal stimulation showed no benefit, and a physical activity programme and somatosensory therapy showed promise in one small study each.
• SLPMeta-Analysis2024The effects of auditory stimulation on heart rate variability in healthy individuals with normal hearing and with hearing loss: a systematic review and meta-analysis.CoDASSix small studies each found nothing on their own; when pooled, they show a small fall in one 'rest and digest' heart measure (RMSSD) during sound, while two other measures of the same system did not change. Nobody with hearing loss was studied.
• SLPMeta-Analysis2023Diagnostic Accuracy of the Eating Assessment Tool-10 (EAT-10) in Screening Dysphagia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.DysphagiaThe EAT-10 screens for dysphagia more accurately at a cutoff of 3 than at 2. Sensitivity was 0.89 at cutoff 2 and 0.85 at cutoff 3, but specificity was only 0.59 at 2 against 0.82 at 3. The authors recommend 3.
• SLPSystematic Review2023Sex and Race Representation in Temporal Bone Histopathology Studies in the United States: A Systematic Review.Ear and hearingMost US temporal bone studies never report the race of the people they examined: 15 of 300 did, and 11 of those 12 had fewer than 34% non-White donors. Sex was reported in 166 of 300 studies.
• SLPRCT2022Teaching Children With Hearing Loss to Recognize Speech: Gains Made With Computer-Based Auditory and/or Speechreading Training.Ear and hearingSixteen hours of computer-based speech perception games improved children's speech recognition: listening scores rose by about 9% words correct and speechreading by about 7%. Gains were largest for the talker a child trained with, but children also improved with unfamiliar talkers.
• SLPSystematic Review2025Arabic Aphasia Research Through a Clinical and Linguistic Lens: A Systematic Review of Current Limitations and Future Directions.International journal of language & communication disordersThree decades of research on Arabic-speaking people with aphasia amount to 48 studies, only five of them testing a treatment. Most assessment tools are translated English tests that the authors say risk inaccurate diagnosis.
• SLPSystematic Review2025Therapeutic strategies for tongue musculature: a systematic literature review.CoDASAcross 18 studies of tongue-muscle exercises, the sets, repetitions, hold times and rest periods varied so widely that no standard prescription emerges. The review assessed no treatment effects, only what was prescribed.
• SLPRCT2025In-home Tele-assessment for Autism in Toddlers: Validity, Reliability, and Caregiver Satisfaction with the TELE-ASD-PEDS.Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBPToddlers' autism evaluations done over video from home matched in-person results for 94% of children, and 92% could be given a diagnostic decision from the video visit alone. Caregivers were satisfied and few had technology problems.
• SLPSystematic Review2025Articulatory-kinematic changes in speech following surgical treatment for oral or oropharyngeal cancer: A systematic review.International journal of language & communication disordersAfter surgery for mouth or throat cancer, the tongue stiffens, shapes itself less variably, and moves less symmetrically, and the tip struggles to rise, so sounds like /t/, /d/ and /s/ suffer. Most of the studies were tiny, so treat this as a map of what has been seen, not proof.
• SLPSystematic Review2025Building Capacity: A Systematic Review of Training in the Diagnosis of Autism for Community-Based Clinicians.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchAfter training, community clinicians reported more confidence, knowledge and use of screening tools, and their diagnoses matched an expert assessment in 71% to 95% of cases checked. But this rests on seven small training programmes, mostly pilots, with no follow-up.
• SLPMeta-Analysis2024Relationship between mastication and malnutrition in community-dwelling older adults: a meta-analysis.CoDASOlder adults with chewing trouble were 2.21 times as likely to be malnourished when three studies were pooled, but the range around that estimate ran from 0.93 to 5.26, which takes in no link, and the authors rated the evidence very low. This cannot show cause.
• PTSLPMeta-Analysis2024The Prevalence and Nature of Eating and Swallowing Problems in Adults with Fibromyalgia: A Systematic Review.DysphagiaPooled from just two studies, 51.9% of adults with fibromyalgia had swallowing problems, but the true figure could lie anywhere from 25.6% to 77.2%. Core issues such as aspiration and painful chewing were never measured.
• OTSLPMeta-Analysis2023Effects of Parent-Implemented Interventions on Outcomes of Children with Autism: A Meta-Analysis.Journal of autism and developmental disordersTraining parents to deliver autism intervention produced moderate gains in children's social skills, behaviour and communication versus usual care or waiting lists, but little improvement in daily living skills. Better-run trials showed smaller gains.
• SLPRCT2023Telemedicine Referral to Improve Access to Specialty Care for Preschool Children in Rural Alaska: A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial.Ear and hearingTelemedicine referral got more rural Alaska preschoolers seen for ear and hearing follow-up, and faster: 76.9% of 39 referred children versus 50.0% of 32 when the school sent a letter home, with a median 28-day wait versus 85 days among those seen.
• SLPRCT2023A randomized crossover single-case series comparing blocked versus random treatment for anomia.Neuropsychological rehabilitationBoth blocked and random practice improved naming of trained words, and to a similar degree. Three months later, the random order held up slightly better. Individual responses varied, so which schedule suits a patient may need a trial of each.
• OTSLPSystematic Review2022Calm with horses? A systematic review of animal-assisted interventions for improving social functioning in children with autism.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceHorse-based programmes were the only animal interventions with supporting evidence: most trials reported better social functioning in children with autism, but none was free of bias. The single dog-reading trial found nothing, and the dolphin programme did no better than an animal-free control.
• SLPSystematic Review2022Pharmacological and dietary-supplement treatments for autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.Molecular autismRisperidone and aripiprazole improved social-communication difficulties and repetitive behaviours in children, but evidence was low quality and both caused weight gain, sedation and extrapyramidal symptoms. Most trials were small (median 40 participants) and enrolled children with irritability.
• SLPSystematic Review2025Autism interventions designed or adapted for the Black/African American population: A systematic review.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceEight US studies since 2017 have designed or adapted an autism intervention for Black people. None was randomised, none included Black autistic adults, most worked with parents, and none addressed the language needs of the community.
• SLPMeta-Analysis2024Dysphagia Prevalence in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.DysphagiaAbout 79% of people with PSP have dysphagia and roughly a quarter aspirate on instrumental testing. Estimates were lower when dysphagia was judged by water swallow tests (56%) and higher with FEES or videofluoroscopy (89%). Swallowing should be assessed early.
• SLPMeta-Analysis2023The effects of lingual training: a systematic review with meta-analysis.CoDASTongue exercises raised maximum tongue pressure: about 6.05 kPa more at the front of the tongue and 5.45 kPa more at the back than in control groups. Most studies had biases in how people were allocated and assessed, so the evidence is rated low.
• SLPRCT2023A Pilot Randomized Control Trial of Motor-Based Treatments for Childhood Apraxia of Speech: Rapid Syllable Transition Treatment and Ultrasound Biofeedback.American journal of speech-language pathologyBoth treatments improved speech sound accuracy on words that were never practised, and children kept those gains a month later. Neither treatment beat the other, and there was no untreated comparison group.
• SLPOther2023Functional Analysis of Injectable Substance Treatment on Surgically Injured Rabbit Vocal Folds.Journal of voice : official journal of the Voice FoundationNo injectable tested in this rabbit study clearly beat saline on vocal fold function: expert ratings of vibration found no significant group differences. Dexamethasone and hyaluronic acid/gelatin lowered fundamental frequency versus saline, which the authors read as softer tissue. Three larynges per group.
• SLPRCT2023Mobile Health School Screening and Telemedicine Referral to Improve Access to Specialty Care in Rural Alaska: Integrating Mixed Methods Data to Contextualize Trial Outcomes.Ear and hearingTelemedicine referral got 68.5% of children seen within nine months of a failed school hearing screen, against 32.1% with a letter home. Where it worked, clinics had staff to spare, one person owned the follow-up, school and clinic talked, and families knew why it mattered.
• SLPRCT2022Measuring the impact of a training intervention for early childhood centre staff on child development outcomes: Findings from a cluster randomized control field trial in rural Malawi.Child: care, health and developmentTraining community childcare volunteers for 14 days, plus simple learning materials, did not significantly reduce children's developmental delay a year later in rural Malawi. Language delay fell 3.2 points more in these centres, but that could be chance.
• SLPMeta-Analysis2022Quantifying the Effects of Motivation on Listening Effort: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Trends in hearingListeners put more effort into listening when they were motivated, whether by money, feedback, feeling competent or being told they were being assessed. Personality traits mattered less. How effort was measured changed how large the effect appeared.
• SLPSystematic Review2022Language disorder and internalizing mental health problems in youth offenders: A systematic review.International journal of language & communication disordersYouth offenders often have language difficulties and often have depression or anxiety, but whether the two go together is not established. The two studies that tested the link found no association, and half the included studies never reported mental health by language ability.
• SLPRCT2025Effects of Puree Type and Color on Ratings of Pharyngeal Residue, Penetration, and Aspiration during FEES: A Prospective Study of 37 Dysphagic Outpatient Adults.Folia phoniatrica et logopaedica : official organ of the International Association of Logopedics and Phoniatrics (IALP)Ratings of throat residue during FEES were higher for pudding than applesauce, and higher for blue- or green-dyed purees than plain ones. Penetration and aspiration ratings did not differ. Whether residue truly differs or raters are swayed by color is unclear.
• SLPMeta-Analysis2025Examining the Efficacy of Culturally Responsive Interventions for Autistic Children and Their Families: A Meta-Analysis.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAdapting autism interventions to a family's culture or language improved children's social communication and mental health and parents' mental health and delivery of strategies in 24 studies. General development and autism features did not improve, and no study separated the adapting from the intervention.
• SLPRCT2025The Benefits of Conversation Group Treatment for Individuals With Chronic Aphasia: Updated Evidence From a Multisite Randomized Controlled Trial on Measures of Language and Communication.American journal of speech-language pathologyBoth conversation treatment formats improved naming for people with chronic aphasia. The trial's main measure, how effectively people felt they communicated, improved only in the large group and only straight after treatment. The overall analysis of that measure found no difference.
• SLPSystematic Review2023Application of Ultrasonography in Neurogenic Dysphagia: A Systematic Review.DysphagiaIn acute stroke, the less the hyoid and larynx came together during a swallow, the worse the patient's oral intake and bedside screening scores. Ten small studies, all with different protocols, so no cut-off values yet.
• SLPRCT2023Cognitive Therapy for Children with Intellectual Disabilities: A New Look at Social Adaptation Skills and Interpersonal Relationships.Occupational therapy internationalChildren aged 11 to 13 with intellectual disabilities scored higher on all eight areas of a social-competence questionnaire after four months of group cognitive therapy sessions. There was no control group, so school, time and repeated testing could explain the gains.
• SLPSystematic Review2022Developmental delay in infants and toddlers with sickle cell disease: a systematic review.Developmental medicine and child neurologyChildren under four with sickle cell disease scored below average on developmental tests more often than the tests' own norms predict, with delays found in 17.5% to 50% of children across studies. Cognition was affected most, and delays became more apparent with age.
• SLPMeta-Analysis2022Does acupuncture therapy improve language function of patients with aphasia following ischemic stroke? A systematic review and meta-analysis.NeuroRehabilitationAdding acupuncture to speech and language therapy improved some language scores in people with aphasia after stroke, especially in the sub-acute phase, but not in the acute phase or on every scale. The 13 trials were small, and none reported side effects.
• SLPMeta-AnalysisOccupational Hearing Loss Associated With Non-Gaussian Noise: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Ear and hearingWorkers exposed to impulsive, impact or intermittent noise had more high-frequency hearing loss than workers exposed to steady noise at the same noise energy, and around a third of 23,261 exposed workers already had it. Risk rose with age, exposure duration and cumulative dose.
• SLPRCT2025Palin Stuttering Therapy for School aged Children and usual treatment: A randomised controlled trial feasibility study.Journal of fluency disordersChildren who got Palin therapy and children who got usual NHS care both improved on most measures, with no significant difference between the two. The only significant difference favoured Palin, on parents' knowledge and confidence. This pilot was not designed to show which therapy works.
• OTSLPMeta-Analysis2023Prevalence of Oropharyngeal Dysphagia in Adults in Different Healthcare Settings: A Systematic Review and Meta-analyses.DysphagiaAbout a third of hospital patients and half of nursing home residents were found to have swallowing problems, with 42.5% in rehabilitation. More than half the studies used swallowing tests with no published accuracy data, and none covered palliative care.
• SLPMeta-Analysis2022Effectiveness of Responsivity Intervention Strategies on Prelinguistic and Language Outcomes for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Group and Single Case Studies.Journal of autism and developmental disordersInterventions that respond to what a child with autism is already doing produced moderate gains in early communication and language in 33 randomised trials. Those gains showed up most clearly in measures taken during treatment, not in new settings.
• SLPMeta-Analysis2024The Methodological Quality and Intervention Fidelity of Randomised Controlled Trials Evaluating Social Skills Group Programs in Autistic Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Journal of autism and developmental disordersSocial skills groups for autistic teenagers improved social skills, mostly measured by the teenagers' own reports, but did not change autism traits or behaviour and emotional problems. Any gains were gone at follow-up, and most programs were not delivered as designed.
• SLPRCT2023The effect of responsiveness to speech-generating device input on spoken language in children with autism spectrum disorder who are minimally verbal†.Augmentative and alternative communication (Baltimore, Md. : 1985)Adding a speech device to a behavioural programme did not make these children respond more to device input than to ordinary speech. But the children who did respond to the device early on made more spontaneous comments and used more different words. Exploratory, 31 children.
• PTSLPSystematic Review2024Are Current Data Sufficient to Infer that Hearing Aids Contribute to Postural Control and Balance in Older Adults? A Systematic Review.Folia phoniatrica et logopaedica : official organ of the International Association of Logopedics and Phoniatrics (IALP)The evidence is too weak to say hearing aids improve balance or prevent falls in older adults. Of eight studies, five found better balance with aids and three found no difference, but the studies were of limited quality.
• SLPSystematic Review2026Exploring the Potential of Matching-to-Sample-Based Training Protocols to Enhance Language Abilities in Individuals with Language Impairments: A Scoping Review.International journal of language & communication disordersTeaching people with language impairments to match pictures, spoken words and printed words led to correct answers on untrained language relations in most participants across ten of the sixteen studies, but all were small, none randomised, and none included DLD.
• SLPOther2026Influence of Semantic Richness on Word Form Learning in Children With Developmental Language Disorder.Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHRAdding rich, story-like meaning to new words made preschoolers with developmental language disorder less accurate in how they said those words, and made both groups produce more varied word forms. Sound accuracy did not improve over sessions for either group.
• SLPOther2026DEGLUTO: initial validity evidence of a clinical swallowing assessment tool for adults.CoDASTen speech pathologists agreed on what 20 of the 21 items of a new adult bedside swallowing assessment meant, and it took about 15 minutes to use. One item, on behaviour at meals, was dropped because assessors read it too differently. No accuracy data yet.
• SLPRCT2026Tinnitus disorder and musical auditory training: a double-blind randomized controlled clinical trial.CoDASEight sessions of musical auditory training over four weeks reduced how much tinnitus bothered people more than listening to music with films did, but perceived loudness did not differ between groups and only the P3 wave changed on evoked potentials. Twenty adults, single centre.
• SLPRCT2026Assess the Fidelity, Validity and Responsiveness of the Brief Observation of Social Communication Change (BOSCC) to Measure Changes in the Social Interactions of Preschool Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceThe BOSCC, a 12-minute filmed play session with an unfamiliar adult, reliably tracked change in these autistic preschoolers' social communication and matched clinicians' impression of change over 12 to 24 months. It did not track ADOS change.
• SLPPilot2026Early Identification of DLD in Paediatric Practice: A Pilot Validation of the CLAP Screening Tool in Italian Outpatient Settings.International journal of language & communication disordersA brief Italian screening tool for language difficulties in primary care worked well in the youngest children and fairly up to 54 months, but it failed above 60 months, where no usable cut-off could be found after item reduction.