Topic Areas: Motor Speech Disorders Across the Lifespan

Topic Chairs: Julie Case and Mili Kuruvilla-Dugdale

Content Area: Speech-Language Pathology

Proposals appropriate for submission to this topic area include those that focus on examining the etiologies, nature, assessment, differential diagnosis, and treatment of pediatric or adult motor speech disorders. Submissions in this topic area may address clinical, translational, or basic research that advances understanding of speech motor planning, programming, and execution associated with neurologic, developmental, genetic, or degenerative conditions. Studies can include perceptual, acoustic, physiological, and/or kinematic correlates of motor speech performance. Submissions may also focus on clinical innovations related to differential diagnosis, treatment efficacy, outcome measurement, or technology-assisted interventions (e.g., biofeedback, neurostimulation). Interprofessional education, practice, and/or research that emphasize interprofessional competencies integrated within curricular or practice models, or the evaluation of collaborative care outcomes specific to motor speech disorders should be included in this topic area.

Research

  • Translational, applied, or implementation research related to motor speech disorders
  • Outcomes/efficacy research in motor speech disorders

Professional Education

  • Application of theory to motor speech disorders
  • Comparison of normal and disordered motor speech control
  • Developmental disorders in motor speech control
  • Identification, assessment, treatment, and theoretical models of childhood apraxia of speech (CAS)
  • Changes in motor speech disorders associated with aging
  • Acquired and progressive apraxia of speech in adults
  • Dysarthria in children and adults
  • Motor speech disorders associated with progressive/degenerative neurologic disease
  • Non-organic (functional) speech disorders
  • Neurologic syndromes resulting in motor speech disorders
  • Intelligibility and comprehensibility in motor speech disorders
  • Instrumental/objective assessment of motor speech disorders
  • Behavioral interventions in motor speech disorders
  • Pharmacological, surgical, behavioral, and other interventions in motor speech disorders
  • Multidisciplinary/interdisciplinary/interprofessional aspects associated with motor speech disorders
  • Technological advances specific to motor speech disorders
  • Case studies
  • Ethical issues associated with service delivery in motor speech disorders
  • Long-term functional outcomes and the impact of MSDs on participation
  • Cross-linguistic research of motor speech disorders in languages other than English and multilingual speakers

Related Topics

Proposals involving motor speech disorders but with a primary focus on:

  • Studies related to the development of speech motor control or theories of speech production should be considered for submission to the Speech and Language Science topic area.
  • Speech disorders associated with the treatment of head and neck cancers should be submitted to the Head and Neck Cancer Practices and Considerations topic area.

About ASHA

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) is the national professional, scientific, and credentialing association for members and affiliates who are audiologists; speech-language pathologists; speech, language, and hearing scientists; audiology and speech-language pathology assistants; and students.

About the Convention

The ASHA Convention is one of the largest professional development events for audiologists; speech-language pathologists; speech, language, and hearing scientists; and speech-language pathology and audiology assistants. Bringing together approximately 15,000 attendees, the annual Convention offers more than 2,500 sessions eligible for ASHA continuing education credit covering the latest research, clinical skills, and techniques in communication sciences and disorders.

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For inquiries about the ASHA Convention: convention@asha.org

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