Key research themes
1. How can articulatory phonology unify phonetic and phonological perspectives in understanding childhood speech sound disorders?
This theme investigates integrating linguistic (phonological) and motor (phonetic/articulatory) processes within a unified articulatory phonology (AP) framework to better characterize, diagnose, and treat speech sound disorders (SSD) in children. It explores the complex interactions between distal causes (e.g., genetics), proximal processing deficits (e.g., motor control, phonological representation), and observed speech symptoms, aiming to overcome limitations of traditional dichotomies separating articulation and phonology.
2. What is the role of phonological awareness deficits in developmental language disorders and dyslexia, and how can this inform assessment and intervention?
This research theme centers on the nature and measurement of phonological awareness deficits in children with developmental language disorder (DLD) and dyslexia, including their neurocognitive underpinnings. It evaluates phonological processing impairments such as phonemic segmentation and manipulation, rapid automatized naming, and phonological working memory, and explores how these deficits correlate with reading disabilities and inform effective therapeutic approaches.
3. How do phonological and articulatory impairments interact in neurodevelopmental disorders and what are the implications for speech intelligibility and therapy?
This research area investigates the interplay between phonological representations and articulatory motor planning deficits in neurodevelopmental disorders such as dyslexia, Williams syndrome, and motor coordination disorder, extending to acquired disorders like aphasia and foreign accent syndrome. It examines neural, behavioral, and acoustic correlates of speech impairment and explores measurement techniques and therapeutic strategies to improve speech intelligibility and functional communication.