Short Course Description

This course critiques standard age norms, highlighting how negatively skewed data and 90% mastery bars can unfairly delay treatment. Shift from misleading charts to Synergy-Based Goal Selection. Focus on Ability (motor skills), Stability, Stimulability (multi-sensory cues), and developmental Sequence over chronological timelines.

Full Course Description

This course explores the critical role and inherent limitations of using standardized age norms in the assessment and treatment of pediatric speech sound disorders. While norms provide a general framework for typical development, practitioners must navigate significant psychometric challenges, such as the negative skewing of raw scores as children age. Participants will examine how traditional "age of acquisition" bar charts can be misleading, often holding children with disorders to a higher standard than their typically developing peers by focusing on 90% mastery levels. The curriculum highlights how over-reliance on these metrics can result in the unnecessary withholding of treatment for sounds like /r/, /l/, and /s/.

Moving beyond simple age bands, the course introduces Synergy-Based Goal Selection as a robust alternative. Key clinical pillars include:

• Ability: Assessing prerequisite motor skills and their consistency across different vowel environments.
• Stimulability: Utilizing multi-sensory and multi-modal inputs to facilitate sound retention.
• Sequencing: Prioritizing the natural order of speech motor development over chronological timelines.

The course is based on recent publication:
Namasivayam et al., 2025

Learning Outcomes

• Identify common psychometric errors in the use of standardized speech norms.
• Explain the clinical rationale for moving from age-based milestones to a synergy-based model of goal selection that prioritizes speech motor control development.
• Describe the four clinical pillars of the synergy-based approach—ability, stability, stimulability, and sequence as alternatives to chronological age bands.

Agenda

19:45 - 19:50 → Welcome

19:50 - 20:15 → Overview of speech sound charts

20:15 - 20:35→ Issues with using speech sound norms and charts

20:35 - 20:50 → Alternatives to speech sound norms

20:50 - 21:00 → Q & A followed by wrap-up of the day

Certificate of Completion Requirements

To receive the certificate of completion and/or ASHA CEUs, participants must meet the following criteria:

• Attend the full duration of the course (attendance will be tracked automatically).
• Complete a test based on the learning outcomes and receive a score of >80%.
• Complete a post-course program evaluation survey.

Deadline: Complete the test and post-evaluation survey by Monday, February 16th, 2026 - 11:59 PM EST!

Jennifer Moore, EdD CCC-SLP, PC/I, COM

Dr. Jennifer Moore is a speech-language pathologist who co-owns a multidisciplinary private practice in northern NJ. Dr. Moore has previously held positions in academia, home health, public schools, and pediatric hospitals before creating her integrative center. Dr. Moore is a PROMPT Certified Instructor, certified orofacial myologist (COM) and a subject matter expert in motor speech development and disorders. Her research projects pertain to the sub population of children who present with coexisting motor speech dysfunction and autism as well as various topics in pediatric motor speech disorders. Dr. Moore has been both selected and invited to present on various topics related to her expertise at conferences at the state, national and international levels. She currently offers advanced training to SLPs through her online community, Next Level Motor. Her mission is to lessen the research-to-clinic knowledge gap by creating resources using evidence-based practices for clinical application. 

Aravind Namasivayam, Ph.D., S-LP(C)., Reg. CASLPO

Dr. Aravind Namasivayam is an internationally recognized expert in speech motor control and pediatric speech disorders. He holds a clinical degree in Speech-Language Pathology, with advanced specialization in Neuroscience at the doctoral and post-doctoral levels. Dr. Namasivayam has led several government- and industry-funded randomized clinical trials, driving policy changes and shaping evidence-based care pathways for children. He has authored 53 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters and delivered over 80 presentations and workshops at international conferences. He has received numerous prestigious awards, including recognition from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), the Stuttering Foundation of America (SFA), Apraxia Kids, and the National Award for Excellence in Applied Research from Speech-Language and Audiology Canada (SAC). Dr. Namasivayam teaches speech physiology, research methods, and pediatric speech sound disorders at the University of Toronto. In 2018, he founded the Speech Research Centre Inc., dedicated to making evidence-informed practices accessible to clinicians worldwide. He is also the co-founder of Hear2Speak.org, a non-profit organization committed to improving speech-language pathology and audiology services in underserved regions globally.