Proposals appropriate for submission to this topic area include those that focus on the etiologies, characteristics, prevention, assessment, and intervention of speech sound development/disorders in children with typical hearing. Interprofessional education, practice, and/or research specific to speech sound disorders/development should also be included in this topic area along with proposals that include multilingual children.

Research

• Basic, translational, applied, or implementation research related to speech sound disorders in children
• Theoretical models of speech production and speech development in children with typical hearing
• Genetic bases of speech sound disorders in children
• Characteristics of children with speech sound disorders

Professional Education

• Prevention of speech sound disorders in children
• Supporting communication access for speech production and development
• Identification, assessment, differential diagnosis, and treatment of speech sound disorders in pediatric populations
• Phonological awareness and literacy in relation to speech sound development in children
• Best practices for data collection and progress monitoring of speech sound development
• Methods of service delivery for children developing speech, including early intervention and parent coaching
• The impact of service delivery setting on the provision of services for speech development
• Access and participation
• Advancing justice in speech development for children with developmental speech differences
• Accessing services including the supports and barriers to those services for developmental speech difficulties/disorders
• Interprofessional issues related to speech sound disorders
• Policy, regulatory, and program administration issues specific to speech sound development in
  children
• The role of SLPAs in the provision of services for children with speech sound disorders/development—scope of practice

Related Topics

Proposals dealing with speech sound disorders but primarily focus on:

• Motor speech disorders in children, such as childhood apraxia of speech, should be submitted to the Motor Speech Disorders Across the Lifespan topic area.
• Cleft palate or other craniofacial anomalies should be submitted to the Craniofacial and Velopharyngeal Disorders topic area.
• Motor-based disorders contributing to pediatric feeding and swallowing disorders should be considered for submission to the Pediatric Feeding and Swallowing topic area.
• Speech production of children who are deaf and hard of hearing should be considered for submission to the Listening, Language, and Speech in Children Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing topic area.