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 50 OF 205 · NEWEST FIRST

• SLPQualitative2019Qualitative research methods to investigate communication within a group aural rehabilitation intervention.International journal of audiologyTen older Hispanic/Latino adults and their partners described hearing loss as an emotional struggle, not just a physical deficit. They moved from denial to advocacy, sharing strategies with family. Observation revealed communication breakdowns that standardized questionnaires missed, suggesting clinicians should probe daily interactions rather than relying solely on self-reported disability scores.
• OTSLPOther2020Increasing Extrinsic Motivation Improves Time-Based Prospective Memory in Adults with Autism: Relations with Executive Functioning and Mentalizing.Journal of autism and developmental disordersTelling adults with autism that a time-based memory task was more important than the main activity significantly improved their performance. This happened because they checked the clock more often, not because they ignored the main task.
• SLPOther2020A Surgical Mouse Model for Advancing Laryngeal Nerve Regeneration Strategies.DysphagiaIn mice, cutting the recurrent laryngeal nerve caused lasting vocal fold immobility and brief swallowing changes. Vagus nerve stimulation after nerve crush showed preliminary signs of faster vocal fold recovery.
• SLPCase Report2020Whiplash-Associated Dysphagia: Considerations of Potential Incidence and Mechanisms.DysphagiaThree people with chronic whiplash and swallowing changes showed shrinking throat space and high stress. Three recovered people had no swallowing changes and growing throat space. This suggests a link but does not prove whiplash causes dysphagia.
• SLPOther2020A Comparison of Intracochlear Pressures During Ipsilateral and Contralateral Stimulation With a Bone Conduction Implant.Ear and hearingContralateral bone conduction stimulation loses 10–15 dB at high frequencies compared to ipsilateral. This attenuation worsens to 25–30 dB with transcutaneous implants and thicker skin flaps. Direct bone conduction implants preserve high-frequency audibility better in single-sided deafness.
• SLPCohort2020Relationship Between Diet, Tinnitus, and Hearing Difficulties.Ear and hearingHigher fat, calcium, and iron intake linked to more tinnitus; vitamin B12 and high-protein diets linked to less. For hearing, high fat and saturated fat linked to difficulties, while vitamin D and high-protein diets linked to better outcomes. These are cross-sectional associations, not proof that diet causes these conditions.
• SLPOther2019Familiality of behavioral flexibility and response inhibition deficits in autism spectrum disorder (ASD).Molecular autismParents of children with autism made more errors when told to stop a response than controls, and this ability clustered in families. Their children with autism also made more errors and slowed less before stopping. Flexibility and inhibition were separate.
• PTOTSLPCohort2019Deviation from normative brain development is associated with symptom severity in autism spectrum disorder.Molecular autismChildren and young adults with autism whose brain scans predicted an older age than their actual age had milder symptoms. Those with a younger predicted brain age had more severe symptoms. This links brain development speed to symptom severity, not IQ.
• SLPSystematic Review2019Autism and the right to education in the EU: policy mapping and scoping review of Nordic countries Denmark, Finland, and Sweden.Molecular autismNordic education policies for autistic children aim to keep them in mainstream schools with support, moving to special settings only when mainstream no longer serves the child. The paper maps written policy, not therapy outcomes.
• PTOTSLPCohort2019Walking velocity and modified rivermead mobility index as discriminatory measures for functional ambulation classification of chronic stroke patients.Hong Kong physiotherapy journal : official publication of the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association Limited = Wu li chih liaoMaximum walking speed above 0.92 m/s and modified Rivermead Mobility Index scores above 26.5 accurately identified chronic stroke patients capable of outdoor ambulation. These simple measures help therapists distinguish high-level walkers from those needing assistance without relying solely on observation.
• SLPOther2020Quantifying the Range of Signal Modification in Clinically Fit Hearing Aids.Ear and hearingClinically fit hearing aids changed speech signals over a range from 0.36 to 0.94 on a scale where 1 means least change. The change was greater in noisier and louder conditions, differed by manufacturer, and was not explained by premium versus basic technology.
• SLPOther2020Perspective on the Development of a Large-Scale Clinical Data Repository for Pediatric Hearing Research.Ear and hearingNo therapy finding is reported here. The paper describes a pediatric hearing research database, not patient outcomes or treatment effects.
• SLPOther2020Improving Sensitivity of the Digits-In-Noise Test Using Antiphasic Stimuli.Ear and hearingAntiphasic digit presentation in a smartphone hearing screen detects hearing loss better than standard methods. It identifies unilateral, asymmetric, and conductive losses that standard tests miss. This improves screening sensitivity for diverse hearing issues without increasing test time.
• PTOTSLPCase-Control2020Learning of skilled movements via imitation in ASD.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchChildren with autism imitated novel gestures less accurately than peers. Their learning curves were flatter early on, catching up by the fourth repetition. This specific pattern of slow initial learning predicted worse motor planning skills and higher autism symptom severity.
• PTOTSLPCohort2020The Longitudinal Effects of Comorbid Health Burden on Functional Outcomes for Adults With Moderate to Severe Traumatic Brain Injury.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationAmong 10-year survivors of moderate to severe TBI, higher physical burden was associated with worse motor, cognitive, and life satisfaction trajectories; higher mental burden was associated with worse cognition and life satisfaction.
• PTOTSLPCohort2020Implementation of a gait center training to improve walking ability and vital parameters in inpatient neurological rehabilitation- a cohort study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIn this large cohort, patients who could not walk at admission gained the most walking ability. However, vital capacity improved only in those who could not walk, and blood pressure did not change. Gait center training may help non-ambulatory patients regain mobility.
• PTOTSLPOther2020Disparities in Documented Diagnoses of Autism Spectrum Disorder Based on Demographic, Individual, and Service Factors.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research25.2% of children whose records showed enough ASD symptoms to meet surveillance criteria had no documented ASD diagnosis. They were more likely to be non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, or other non-Hispanic race, evaluated after age 3, have no intellectual disability, or need fewer supports.
• PTOTSLPRCT2020Changes in leg cycling muscle synergies after training augmented by functional electrical stimulation in subacute stroke survivors: a pilot study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationNine subacute stroke survivors improved clinically and in cycling work after three weeks of FES-cycling. However, the number of muscle synergies did not increase, and changes were not compared to usual care alone. You cannot attribute these gains specifically to the electrical stimulation.
• PTOTSLPOther2020Explicit and implicit disability attitudes of healthcare providers.Rehabilitation psychologyMost healthcare providers report no conscious bias against people with disabilities, but the vast majority show implicit preference for nondisabled people. This mismatch suggests well-meaning clinicians may still act on unconscious biases, impacting care decisions without realizing it.
• PTOTSLPPilot2020Adaptive multichannel FES neuroprosthesis with learning control and automatic gait assessment.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationFour people with spinal cord injury tested a learning electrical stimulation device. Two felt it helped and showed small angle changes, but one had technical failures and one could not tolerate the stimulation. It is not yet a usable clinical tool.
• SLPCohort2019Using Polygenic Profiles to Predict Variation in Language and Psychosocial Outcomes in Early and Middle Childhood.Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHRA genetic profile for expressive language in middle childhood weakly predicted expressive language and later peer problems. The signal was small, and only the peer-problem link held up after chance checks.
• SLPOther2019Dónde está la ball? Examining the effect of code switching on bilingual children's word recognition.Journal of child languageSame-language sentences helped bilingual toddlers recognize words (63%), while code-switched sentences (57%) did not beat single words (54%).
• PTOTSLPCohort2020Female adolescents demonstrate greater oculomotor and vestibular dysfunction than male adolescents following concussion.Physical therapy in sport : official journal of the Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Sports MedicineFemale adolescents tested within three weeks of a sports concussion were more likely to fail near point of convergence and tandem gait tests than males. No sex differences were found on static balance or gaze stability. These specific deficits may guide early vestibular rehab referral.
• SLPCase-Control2020Subclinical Auditory Neural Deficits in Patients With Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus.Ear and hearingABR results were similar between groups, but young adults with type 1 diabetes and normal hearing thresholds showed weaker brainstem timing encoding, worse temporal discrimination, poorer speech in noise, and more reported hearing disability.
• SLPCohort2020Vocal Turn-Taking Between Mothers and Their Children With Cochlear Implants.Ear and hearingMothers and children with cochlear implants took turns less often and spoke over each other more at 3 months after implant activation than hearing peers. By 12 months, child turn-taking and overlap caught up, but mothers still followed their child less often.
• SLPOther2020Binaural Optimization of Cochlear Implants: Discarding Frequency Content Without Sacrificing Head-Shadow Benefit.Ear and hearingDiscarding frequencies below 1236 Hz for single-sided deafness implants or below 886 Hz and above 3814 Hz for bilateral implants does not reduce head-shadow benefit. This allows reprogramming to match frequency places across ears without sacrificing speech recognition in noise.
• SLPOther2020Music Is More Enjoyable With Two Ears, Even If One of Them Receives a Degraded Signal Provided By a Cochlear Implant.Ear and hearingExperienced single-sided deafened cochlear implant users rated music more enjoyable when hearing it through both ears than through their normal-hearing ear alone. The implant ear alone scored low, but adding its degraded signal raised enjoyment.
• PTOTSLPCohort2020Sex differences in brain structure: a twin study on restricted and repetitive behaviors in twin pairs with and without autism.Molecular autismIn twins, higher repetitive behavior scores linked to thicker brain tissue in the right intraparietal sulcus in females only. Males showed no such structural link in the main analysis. This suggests different biological pathways for these symptoms in girls and boys.
• PTOTSLPRCT2020Adaptive conjunctive cognitive training (ACCT) in virtual reality for chronic stroke patients: a randomized controlled pilot trial.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA VR cognitive training program showed within-group improvements in attention and spatial awareness for chronic stroke patients. However, there was no significant difference compared to home-based paper-and-pencil exercises, and the authors state they cannot claim a rehabilitation effect.
• PTOTSLPCohort2020Cranial Ultrasound and Minor Motor Abnormalities at 2 Years in Extremely Low Gestational Age Infants.Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBPMinor motor issues like stiff posture or poor hand control were more common in infants with severe ultrasound findings, but not low-grade ones. Children with any minor motor abnormality used more therapy and feeding supports than peers with normal exams.
• SLPPilot2020Treatment of Adults with Autism and Major Depressive Disorder Using Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation: An Open Label Pilot Study.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchTolerability of brain stimulation was mixed, with withdrawals and a seizure from a device error. Depression symptoms improved, while self-reported autism symptoms did not change.
• OTSLPOther2019Development of the Stanford Social Dimensions Scale: initial validation in autism spectrum disorder and in neurotypicals.Molecular autismThe Stanford Social Dimensions Scale separates social motivation, affiliation, communication, recognition, and unusual approach into five distinct scores. It reliably measures these traits in children with autism and neurotypical peers, offering a clearer profile of social strengths and weaknesses than existing diagnostic tools.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2019Neuropsychiatric decompensation in adolescents and adults with Phelan-McDermid syndrome: a systematic review of the literature.Molecular autismAdolescents and adults with Phelan-McDermid syndrome show a high risk of sudden neuropsychiatric decompensation, including bipolar disorder and catatonia. Peak onset is between 16 and 20 years. Antipsychotics were often ineffective or poorly tolerated, while lithium and divalproex sodium showed more consistent benefit.
• SLPPilot2019Diurnal Cortisol Levels and Subjective Ratings of Effort and Fatigue in Adult Cochlear Implant Users: A Pilot Study.American journal of audiologyAdults with hearing loss reported significantly more listening effort and listening-related fatigue than controls, yet showed no difference in general fatigue or salivary cortisol. Generic mood scales missed these specific listening burdens, while cortisol did not track subjective effort.
• SLPOther2019Improving Patient Safety and Patient-Provider Communication.Perspectives of the ASHA special interest groupsPatients who could not use the nurse call or speak reported more favorable experiences when given the noddle switch and noddle-chat tablet than when they had no access, but less favorable experiences than patients using the standard call system.
• SLPCohort2020Chronic Conductive Hearing Loss Is Associated With Speech Intelligibility Deficits in Patients With Normal Bone Conduction Thresholds.Ear and hearingAdults with chronic unilateral conductive hearing loss and normal bone conduction thresholds had significantly poorer word recognition on the affected side. This deficit was linked to the degree and duration of the conductive loss, not inner ear sensitivity. Amplification may be needed even when standard thresholds appear normal.
• OTSLPOther2020Development of the Behavioral Inflexibility Scale for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Other Developmental Disabilities.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchA new parent-rated scale measures how much a child's rigidity disrupts daily family life, not just the behavior itself. It is reliable and stable over time, helping therapists identify which children need intervention for inflexibility and track if that help works.
• SLPCohort2020Longitudinal analysis of communication repair skills across three neurodevelopmental disabilities.International journal of language & communication disordersAt the second time point, no significant differences were found among diagnostic groups. With age, boys generally used fewer inappropriate repairs, but boys with fragile X and autism did not gain metacomments; girls with fragile X or Down syndrome became less responsive to clarification requests.
• SLPOther2020Vagus Nerves Provide a Robust Afferent Innervation of the Mucosa Throughout the Body of the Esophagus in the Mouse.DysphagiaThis paper maps nerve endings in mouse esophagus tissue. It contains no human data, patient outcomes, or treatment results, so it offers no guidance for clinical practice.
• SLPPilot2020Interaction Between Electric and Acoustic Stimulation Influences Speech Perception in Ipsilateral EAS Users.Ear and hearingIn 15 combined implant and hearing-aid users, overlap fitting worsened speech in noise compared with standard split and masking-adjusted maps. The masking-adjusted map did not beat standard split fitting.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2020Instrumented assessment of motor function in dyskinetic cerebral palsy: a systematic review.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA systematic review of 49 studies found that while sensors and motion capture can measure movement in dyskinetic cerebral palsy, most methods require the child to understand instructions and move voluntarily. This excludes the 70-80% who are non-ambulatory and severely impaired, leaving no validated tools for them.
• PTOTSLPCohort2020How do patients pass through stroke services? Identifying stroke care pathways using national audit data.Clinical rehabilitationPatients discharged to community rehabilitation had relatively mild strokes yet the highest therapy demand. Stroke care routes varied widely, and direct discharge included many mild and very severe strokes and 27% mortality.
• PTOTSLPOther2020Association Between Saccule and Semicircular Canal Impairments and Cognitive Performance Among Vestibular Patients.Ear and hearingPatients with bilateral vestibular organ impairment made significantly more errors on a visual memory test than those with normal function. They also performed worse on a cognitive sequencing task than age-matched controls. This links severe inner ear damage to specific cognitive deficits.
• SLPOther2020Pharyngeal Area Changes in Parkinson's Disease and Its Effect on Swallowing Safety, Efficiency, and Kinematics.DysphagiaPeople with Parkinson's disease had larger resting pharyngeal areas than healthy older adults. Larger pharyngeal area was linked to poorer swallowing safety, efficiency, and pharyngeal constriction. Clinicians reviewing VFSS should consider this anatomical change.
• SLPCohort2019Efficacy of neuromuscular electrical stimulation on Wilson's disease patients with dysphagia.Journal of physical therapy scienceAdding neuromuscular electrical stimulation to standard swallowing exercises improved swallowing function in Wilson’s disease patients more than exercises alone, with no adverse effects reported.
• SLPMeta-Analysis2019Biological motion perception in autism spectrum disorder: a meta-analysis.Molecular autismAcross studies, people with autism were less accurate at detecting and interpreting human movement, especially emotions shown by body motion. The gap was largest in children and narrowed with age. Reaction-time and brain-activity results were less clear.
• SLPOther2019Specific Language Impairment in African American English and Southern White English: Measures of Tense and Agreement With Dialect-Informed Probes and Strategic Scoring.Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHRDialect-informed probes identified language impairment in African American and Southern White English-speaking kindergartners. Strategic scoring worked best. Accuracy never exceeded 90%, so these probes should profile strengths and guide goals, but never diagnose alone.
• SLPQualitative2019'It depends': Characterizing speech and language therapy for preschool children with developmental speech and language disorders.International journal of language & communication disordersSpeech-language therapists described preschool therapy as nine aims: foundation skills, comprehension, expressive language, speech, self-monitoring, generalization, functional communication, adult understanding and adult-child interaction. They chose and combined these flexibly for each child.
• PTOTSLPOther2020Altered gait mechanics are associated with severity of chondropathy after hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement syndrome.Gait & posturePatients with moderate-to-severe cartilage damage after hip arthroscopy walked slower with less total limb loading. Those with no or mild damage shifted load away from the hip to the ankle. Neither group reported better function than healthy controls.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2020Parent preferences for neurodevelopmental screening in the neonatal intensive care unit.Developmental medicine and child neurologyMost NICU parents wanted neurodevelopmental screening to plan for the future, but they insisted on autonomy to refuse. They asked for clear explanations of test accuracy and emotional support before results. Parents prioritized cognitive and independence outcomes over motor skills.