Feb 23, 2024

Dr. Pam Hart, CCC-SLP, director of the Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology program, was invited to speak at the Alabama Speech-Language Hearing Association Convention, held Feb. 7-9 in Birmingham, Alabama. 

Hart presented two 90-minute sessions related to her research in language and literacy skills of children with complex communication needs who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) strategies.

The presentations were based on outcomes from intervention studies led by Hart over the past several years in which children who used AAC were matched by overall reading and spelling levels to children with typical speech skills. Analysis of reading and spelling errors indicated broad, between-group differences in abilities to use phonological, orthographic, and morphological knowledge in reading and spelling tasks.

In future work, Hart plans to explore the role and development of phonological processing in children with complex communication needs and the associated implications for treatment.