Short Course Description

Developing goals focused on speech motor control for children with speech sound disorders involves dynamic, measurable targets to support learning and generalization. This presentation offers research-based strategies and efficient data collection methods to guide goal-setting and to monitor performance over time.

Full Course Description

Developing speech motor goals and collecting data for children with motor speech disorders is a complex process influenced by numerous variables. Motor speech skills are refined through practice and feedback (Maas, 2008), with changes in accuracy, consistency (Grigos et al., 2024), and motor speech control (Namasivayam et al., 2013) serving as key indicators of progress and speech intelligibility. Effective goals must be dynamic, measurable, achievable, and account for the rapid changes in the motor speech system, extending beyond session performance to support learning and generalization. This presentation aims to provide practical, research-based strategies for creating and implementing dynamic motor speech goals. Additionally, methods for efficient data collection and goal-setting that reflect motor performance and promote long-term learning through a dynamic model will be demonstrated.

Learning Outcomes

• Explain two core components of dynamic motor speech goals.
• Describe two strategies for generating dynamic motor speech goals.
• Identify methods for efficient data collection to reflect progression of motor learning.

Agenda

20:00 - 20:05 → Registration and Welcome
20:05 - 20:15 → Movement Control
20:15 - 20:25 → Movement Transitions
20:25 - 20:35 → Syllable Structure
20:35 - 20:50 → Probes to Goals
20:50 - 21:05 → Monitoring Treatment Progression
21:05 - 21:15 → 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 Wednesday, May 28th, 2025 - 11:59 PM EDT!

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.

"The instructors were super knowledgable and explained very technical research info in a way that we could all understand."

"I liked the support of scientific studies used in the explanation and verification of the information provided."

"Fantastic blend of research and real-world clinical applications. "

"I love that the course was 1 hour in the evening! It was concise and filled with valuable, easily applicable informative."