Topic Areas: Motor Speech Disorders Across the Lifespan

Topic Chairs: Meghan Darling-White

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 apraxia of speech and/or dysarthria in either pediatric or adult populations. Submissions can include clinical and research implications related to motor speech disorders, aspects of motor speech control across the lifespan associated with development, disease, and other relevant factors that affect its function. Interprofessional education, practice, and/or research that addresses the implementation of interprofessional competencies 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
  • Developmental disorders in motor speech control
  • Changes in motor speech disorders associated with aging
  • Comparison of normal and disordered motor speech control
  • Dysarthria in children and adults
  • Non-organic (functional) speech disorders
  • Identification, assessment, treatment, and theoretical models of childhood apraxia of speech (CAS)
  • Acquired and progressive apraxia of speech in adults
  • Motor speech disorders associated with progressive/degenerative neurologic disease
  • Intelligibility and comprehensibility in motor speech disorders
  • Instrumental/objective assessment of motor speech disorders
  • Neurologic syndromes resulting in motor speech disorders
  • Behavioral interventions in motor speech disorders
  • Case studies welcome
  • 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
  • Ethical issues associated with service delivery in motor speech disorders
  • Technology as it relates to motor speech disorders (e.g. apps)

Related Topics

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

  • Theories of production of normal speech motor control or development should be submitted to the Speech and Language Science topic area.
  • Speech disorders associated with the treatment of head and neck cancers should be submitted to the Issues in Head and Neck Cancer 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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