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 201 OF 205 · NEWEST FIRST

• SLPOther2026Speech Sound Acquisition in Urdu-Speaking Children.Folia phoniatrica et logopaedica : official organ of the International Association of Logopedics and Phoniatrics (IALP)Urdu-speaking children's speech accuracy plateaus around age 5, but consonant mastery is slower than in most other languages studied. Only one consonant reached the 90% mastery threshold by age 6. This is the typical pattern for Urdu, not a sign of disorder.
• SLPOther2026Characterizing Perception of Impulse Sounds Through Subjective Ratings and Pupillometric Responses.Trends in hearingDiscomfort from sharp sounds like slamming doors kicks in later than loudness but rises much faster. A reverberant room made both worse. Pupil size tracked what people rated, not the physical volume. Hearing tolerance and self-reported sound sensitivity did not predict individual ratings.
• SLPSurvey2026Noise exposure burden and hearing protection compliance among Saudi military personnel: A cross-sectional study.The South African journal of communication disorders = Die Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir KommunikasieafwykingsMost Saudi military personnel know loud noise damages hearing, yet half skip hearing protection. Nearly one in five reports hearing loss, and three in four have never had a hearing test.
• SLPPilot2026Development and Initial Validation of Phonation Quotient for Connected Speech: A Low-Cost, Indirect Aerodynamic Measure of Phonatory Airflow.Folia phoniatrica et logopaedica : official organ of the International Association of Logopedics and Phoniatrics (IALP)A new low-cost airflow measure derived from repeating a sentence tracks actual connected speech airflow in healthy adults. It works best for speech tasks; the older vowel-based version still wins for sustained vowels. No voice-disorder data yet.
• SLPOther2026Exploring How Social Communication Ability Is Affected by Disability, Context and Experience for Adolescents Transitioning to Adulthood.International journal of language & communication disordersSocial communication ability is highly correlated across post-school contexts, so assessing in the setting most relevant to the student's plans is reasonable. Prior experience boosted ability for post-secondary education (all) and independent living (those with disabilities), but job experience showed no effect.
• SLPOther2026Access to Communication Assessment and Intervention for Adults With Intellectual Disabilities.Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities : JARIDOf 234 adults with intellectual disability recommended a full communication assessment after a swallowing screen, only 93 (39.7%) received one. Lack of funding and lower clinical priority for communication over dysphagia were the main barriers.
• PTOTSLPCohort2026Early Intervention Enrollment Among Substance-exposed Infants in Massachusetts: A Population-level Analysis.Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBPSubstance-exposed infants in Massachusetts were referred to early intervention at high rates, but only 49.5% of those referred enrolled. The gap was widest for infants without a NAS diagnosis, where 38.2% of referred children enrolled.
• SLPQualitative2026Communication experiences of deaf and hearing-impaired competitive swimmers and their coaches in South Africa.The South African journal of communication disorders = Die Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir KommunikasieafwykingsDeaf and hearing-impaired swimmers in South Africa relied mainly on lip reading and improvised signs to communicate with coaches, not Sign Language. The biggest practical barriers were the absence of a visual race-start signal and the inability to use hearing aids in the water.
• SLPPilot2026Emotional Vocalizations Cause Auditory Distraction That Affects Word Repetition and Behavioral Listening Effort.Ear and hearingEmotional vocalizations (pleasant, neutral, or unpleasant) slowed secondary-task responses in both quiet and noise, but did not meaningfully reduce word repetition. The emotion of the sound had no specific trial-by-trial distraction effect beyond a general slowing.
• SLPOther2026The Effect of Deep Neural Network Implementation on Speech Recognition, Listening Effort, and Sound Quality in Older Adults With Mild to Moderately Severe Hearing Loss.Trends in hearingDNN noise reduction combined with beamforming in a Phonak hearing aid outperformed DNN alone, traditional noise reduction with beamforming, and no processing across speech recognition, clarity, total impression, listening effort, and background noise awareness in 20 older adults with mild to moderately severe hearing loss.
• SLPMeta-Analysis2026Intervention Effects on Phonological Processing in Children With Developmental Speech and/or Language Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Studies With Group Design.International journal of language & communication disordersOral language interventions improved phonological awareness and short-term memory in children with speech or language disorders, with medium-to-large effects. Small-group delivery and integrated approaches showed the strongest results. Evidence for rapid naming is too thin to draw conclusions.
• SLPSystematic Review2026Gaps and Future Directions in the Research About Masking and Voice Production: Bibliometric Analysis, Systematic Literature Review, and Meta-analysis.Journal of voice : official journal of the Voice FoundationA facemask does not measurably alter the qualities of a person's voice on standard tests, but users consistently report more effort, throat fatigue, and communication difficulty. The one pooled measure (loudness) did not differ across eight studies.
• SLPOther2026A Response to Blanc and Colleagues' Viewpoint on Gestalt Language Processing and the Natural Language Acquisition Protocol: Concerns and Common Ground.Perspectives of the ASHA special interest groups
• OTSLPQualitative2026How can we improve the timeliness and quality of diagnostic assessment for children with possible autism? Qualitative findings and recommendations from a Realist Evaluation of Autism Service delivery in the United Kingdom.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceParents described years of not being heard before a referral and feeling abandoned after diagnosis. Stakeholders ranked 12 service changes as most important. Support should not wait for a diagnosis to begin.
• SLPCohort2026Localization of Free-Field Sound Sources in the Chronic Phase of Mild Ischemic Stroke.Trends in hearingMost mild stroke survivors localized free-field sounds as accurately as controls. Four of fourteen gave responses clustered at only a few fixed positions rather than tracking the actual source direction, mostly for low-frequency sounds. Three of those four had right-hemispheric lesions.
• SLPCohort2026Longitudinal Study of Language of Twins at Ages 9 and 14 Years: Twinning, Zygosity, and Heritability.Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHRTwins still score below age-matched singletons on language and nonverbal IQ at 9 and 14 years. The gap narrows for vocabulary but widens for broader language. Genes account for a large share of language differences. Boys outscore girls in vocabulary at both ages.
• PTOTSLPOther2026Growing Up Through a Pandemic: A Mixed-Methods Study of How the COVID-19 Pandemic Shaped the Transition to Adulthood for Youth With Special Healthcare Needs and Their Families.Child: care, health and developmentLoss of in-person therapies was the most commonly reported harm for youth with special healthcare needs during the pandemic. Virtual appointments and family closeness were the most valued benefits. Impact varied by condition type and age.
• PTSLPSystematic Review2026Virtual reality in autism and physical therapy: a meta-analytical review of clinical outcomes and therapeutic efficacy.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesVR added to standard therapy improved social communication and emotion recognition in autistic people, and balance, gait, and arm function in stroke and Parkinson's patients. It works as an add-on, not a substitute for existing treatment.
• SLPCohort2026Aerodynamic measurements in singers at usual, low, and high frequencies.CoDASMen's air pressure, resistance, and impedance rise significantly when they sing higher, while women's aerodynamic efficiency peaks at their usual speaking pitch. These are descriptive measurements in 60 healthy singers, not a treatment effect.
• SLPSurvey2026The collaboration of RTs and SLPs in German centers for weaning from mechanical ventilation in neurological and neurosurgical early rehabilitation - results from an online survey.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesOne-third of SLPs in German weaning units had no RT at all. Where both are present, RTs report more collaboration than SLPs do, and each group rates itself as having more influence than the other. SLPs lead communication; RTs lead secretion and tube work.
• OTSLPQualitative2026Beyond Exhaustion: Shame, Identity Disruption, and Functional Collapse in Autistic Burnout.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceShame, not exhaustion, was the organising force in these 11 autistic adults' burnout. They described hiding both their autistic traits and their burnout at the same time, then withdrawing when the mask slipped. That shame-withdrawal loop sustained the episode.
• SLPPilot2026Bone-Conducted Responses Using the Parallel Auditory Brainstem Response Paradigm.Ear and hearingBone conduction works with the parallel auditory brainstem response method, producing waveforms similar to air conduction at matched levels in 22 normal-hearing adults. This is a feasibility step, not validation for diagnosing hearing loss.
• SLPCohort2026Rethinking tracheostomy care: cuffless tubes for patients with aspiration.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesSwitching 124 neurologically impaired patients from cuffed to cuffless tracheostomy tubes was not associated with more aspiration pneumonia. Secretions and suctioning needs fell substantially, and speaking valves became easier to use. Decannulation succeeded in 76.6%.
• SLPCohort2026The Role of Diotic and Antiphasic Digits-in-Noise Tests in Predicting Various Types of Hearing Loss in Adolescents.Ear and hearingThe antiphasic digits-in-noise test outperforms the standard diotic version for detecting unilateral sensorineural and conductive hearing loss in adolescents. It does not reliably detect early noise-induced notches, and both versions perform similarly for high-frequency loss.
• SLPCohort2026Immediate and Underlying Causes of Death and Survival Rates in Aging Adults With Down Syndrome.Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities : JARIDAmong matched adults aged 50 and over, Down syndrome carried a 5.05-times higher risk of death over 10 years. Respiratory disease was the top immediate cause, but dementia was the leading underlying cause.
• SLPSystematic Review2026COVID-19-related voice disorders: a scoping review.CoDASHoarseness and vocal fatigue were the most common complaints in non-intubated adults with mild to moderate COVID-19, persisting in 17.1% after recovery. Maximum phonation time was shorter than in healthy controls. This maps the evidence; it does not test a treatment.
• SLPQualitative2026The digital workplace and meeting accessibility: A qualitative study on listening effort in video meetings for employees with hearing loss.Work (Reading, Mass.)Employees with hearing loss said video meetings gave them clearer audio and structured turn-taking, but also left them mentally drained and struggling to remember what was said. Large groups and hybrid formats were the hardest. They coped by controlling volume and spacing meetings.
• PTOTSLPCohort2026Early rehabilitation in trauma patients: an observational study from two Norwegian trauma centers.Journal of rehabilitation medicineOf 317 severely injured trauma patients in two Norwegian hospitals, only 1 in 10 was seen by a rehabilitation specialist within the recommended 72 hours. Physiotherapy reached 72%, but occupational therapy, speech therapy, and social work involvement was low, particularly for multitrauma patients.
• SLPCohort2026Self-perception of swallowing, vocal symptoms, and the possibility of dysphagia occurrence in patients under palliative care.CoDASIn 50 palliative care patients, 80% reported negative swallowing perception, 58% had vocal symptoms above cutoff, and 62% screened positive for dysphagia risk. Sarcopenia and dyspnea were associated with worse scores across all three measures.
• SLPOther2026Action on waiting list for Speech Therapy in the Unified Health System (SUS) in a medium-sized Brazilian municipality.CoDASOf 246 people on a waiting list for speech-language-hearing care, 147 no longer needed help and 162 were scheduled. The list was dominated by boys under 12 with language complaints.
• SLPOther2026The use of the Labyrinth Scale in the differential diagnosis of children aged 2 to 4 with a history of psychological distress, autism and different language outcomes.CoDASThe Labyrinth Scale separates ASD from typical development and delayed language acquisition, but the DLD group mean (12.7) sits above the ASD cutoff (12). A high score does not confirm ASD in a child with a language disorder.
• SLPOther2026Untangling Sex and Gender Differences in Impression Management and Associated Autism Features in French Autistic Adults.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchIn 291 French autistic adults, the intention to mask autistic traits tracked more with gender identity than with assigned sex, while perceived ability to mask tracked with personal traits like warmth toward others. Neither facet significantly altered the link between childhood and adult autism presentations.
• SLPOther2026Mapping sensory sensitivity in autism.Molecular autismAcross 32 perceptual tasks, autistic adults showed reduced sensitivity specifically for social stimuli (faces, speech) while non-social tasks showed preserved or enhanced performance. Individual variation was large: many fell above or below the typical range in both directions.
• SLPNarrative Review2026Something old, something borrowed, something new: frameworks to guide cultural adaptations and their documentation in aphasia treatments.AphasiologyNo original findings. This paper presents step-by-step frameworks for culturally adapting aphasia treatments and a documentation tool for recording those adaptations.
• PTSLPCohort2026Longitudinal speech and gross motor function development in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy.Developmental medicine and child neurologySpeech motor classification in children with CP can still improve into adolescence even when gross motor level stays the same. 19 of 44 children changed speech level between ages 4 and 14, and every change was toward better speech.
• SLPOther2026Validation of the Central Auditory Processing Self-Perception Questionnaire (QAPAC) applied to students, parents, and teachers.CoDASThe QAPAC questionnaire differentiated children with and without school difficulties across all three respondent versions. Teacher scores were the most accurate for flagging CAPD risk, but four children with confirmed CAPD and no academic complaints were not flagged by the tool.
• SLPCohort2026Fundamental frequency measures in the comparison of habitual and disguised voices.CoDASBase f0, minimum f0, and maximum f0 held steady when speakers disguised their voices, while mean and median f0 shifted upward. For forensic voice comparison, the stable measures are the ones to rely on when a suspect has altered their pitch.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2026Transitional care interventions and outcome measures in stroke rehabilitation: a scoping review.Disability and rehabilitationMost stroke transitional care programs center on educating patients and families, while system-level supports like care coordination are rarely built in. Only 3 of 31 measured language or communication outcomes, and 17 restricted or 4 excluded people with aphasia or cognitive-communication disorders.
• SLPCohort2026Audiological Phenotype, Natural History, and Intervention in Chinese Patients With Auditory Neuropathy Caused by OTOF Variants.Ear and hearingChildren with OTOF-related auditory neuropathy mostly have severe to profound hearing loss. Pure-tone thresholds stayed stable over follow-up, but DPOAE and ASSR measures declined. Cochlear implantation, chosen by most patients, gave good speech outcomes, with longer use linked to better results.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2026Experiences of Transition From Early-Intervention to Education-Based Therapy Services for Parents of Children With Physical Childhood-Onset Disabilities: A Scoping Review.Child: care, health and developmentParents of children with physical disabilities report that moving from early intervention to school-based therapy means less therapy, a smaller role in their child's care, and poor communication. Caring staff and individualised support were the main positive experiences.
• SLPOther2026Labyrinth scale in the differential diagnosis between autism spectrum disorder and language disorder.CoDASThe Labirinto Scale separated children with autism from those with a language disorder on all four symptom subscales. Social Interaction was the one subscale where the language-disorder group looked the same as typically developing children.
• OTSLPCase Report2026Ethnographic Perspectives of Unreliable, Minimal and Non-Speaking Autism Associated With Apraxia.OTJR : occupation, participation and healthThree autistic self-advocates describe their speech difficulties as a motor planning problem, not a thinking problem. All three were misdiagnosed as intellectually delayed, then reassessed after gaining AAC access and the diagnosis was reversed.
• SLPOther2026Thin Liquid Sip Sizes in Outpatient Adults with Normal and Disordered Swallowing: Modifying Factors and Relationships with Swallowing Safety and Efficiency.Folia phoniatrica et logopaedica : official organ of the International Association of Logopedics and Phoniatrics (IALP)Self-selected thin-liquid sip size did not predict swallowing safety or efficiency in 74 outpatient adults. Testing conditions like straws, colored liquids, and partial cup fills systematically shifted sip size away from the 24 mL patients choose under natural conditions.
• SLPOther2026Impact of Circulating Estrogen and Mild Systemic Dehydration on Ultrasonic Vocalizations in Female Rats.Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHRIn female rats, removing estrogen made vocalizations shorter and quieter, but replacing it with estradiol did not restore them to normal. Mild dehydration narrowed the frequency range of calls. The changes were modest.
• SLPPilot2026Speech Perception and Phonological Awareness Skills in Thai-Speaking Children with Speech Sound Disorders.Folia phoniatrica et logopaedica : official organ of the International Association of Logopedics and Phoniatrics (IALP)Thai-speaking preschoolers with mild-to-moderate speech sound disorders scored the same as typically developing peers on five speech perception and phonological awareness tasks once age and vocabulary were taken into account. A few individual children fell below the typical range.
• SLPOther2026Inhibitory inputs to avian ITD circuits.Trends in hearingBlocking GABA and glycine receptors in the barn owl's auditory brainstem increased the synaptic signal without shifting its timing sensitivity. The inhibition widens the dynamic range of what the circuit can detect, rather than retuning which timing differences it picks up.
• SLPCohort2026Pharyngeal Dysphagia in Cancer: Characterizing Functional and Physiological Swallow Targets Across 12 Cancer Types.DysphagiaDysphagia is common across all 12 cancer types studied, but severity and the specific swallowing muscles affected differ by diagnosis. Multiple cancers including head and neck carried the highest rates of severe impairment. SLPs should expect different swallowing problems depending on cancer type.
• SLPPilot2026Quantitative assessment of geniohyoid before and after rehabilitation in stroke patients with dysphagia by ultrasound.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesSix weeks of electrical stimulation to the throat muscles improved how far and how fast the geniohyoid muscle moved during swallowing in 30 stroke patients. Movement distance was no longer different from healthy adults, but speed and timing still were.
• SLPSurvey2026Multiple Modalities of Sensory Gating Are Affected in Decompensated Tinnitus.Ear and hearingPeople with tinnitus report more difficulty filtering out irrelevant sensory input than people without tinnitus. In the auditory domain, all tinnitus patients score higher than controls. In visual and attention domains, only those with severe tinnitus differ from controls.
• PTOTSLPSurvey2025Chinese Graduate Health Science Students' Perceptions of Teaching Pedagogies on Their Educational Experience.Occupational therapy internationalHands-on clinical practice, instructor demonstration, and clear written communication were rated most helpful for learning by Chinese graduate health science students. Quick-response classroom tools and fast speech were rated lowest.