WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

This masterclass explores the development of the speech motor system from birth through early childhood and examines how motor development influences speech production. You’ll learn how speech motor skills emerge, how disruptions in the system can contribute to speech errors, and how this knowledge can inform your assessment, clinical reasoning, and treatment planning. Walk away with practical strategies and a deeper understanding of the mechanisms underlying speech sound disorders that you can apply in practice right away.

We’ll dive into…

1. Why the same error has different causes

Three kids can present with identical error patterns for completely different motor reasons. Learn to identify the underlying why, not just the what.

2. The motor speech developmental trajectory

From jaw-driven babbling to tongue differentiation…we are covering the full hierarchy of motor development and how it maps to sound acquisition.

3. How to use visual observation clinically

Take IPA transcription a step further by adding visual analysis of jaw, lip, and tongue movements.

4. The research that changes your practice

Access the landmark 2020 paper that synthesized everything we know about speech motor development for the first time, and what it means for how you treat.

5. Free clinical tools you can use right away

Walk away with access to the Motor Speech Development Checklist- a research-backed tool for your next session.

This masterclass is for you if any of this sounds familiar…

• You graduated knowing phonological patterns but not the motor system driving them.
• You may feel uncertain when a complex motor speech case walks through your door.
• You want to understand why a child is making an error, not just label the pattern.
• You've been using picture cards and word lists without thinking about what the motor system can actually handle.
• You want to get kids out of therapy faster with more targeted, efficient intervention.

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

Hi, I'm Dr. Jenn Moore!

Early in my career as a speech-language pathologist, I noticed how little support existed for clinicians treating motor speech disorders. Many SLPs are expected to assess and treat complex cases despite receiving limited training in this area during graduate school.

That gap shaped the direction of my work.

For more than 15 years, I've specialized in assessing and treating muscle- and motor-based speech disorders in infants, children, and young adults. I co-own a multidisciplinary practice in New Jersey, conduct clinical research, and am passionate about making evidence-based motor speech knowledge accessible to every SLP.

This masterclass, and everything I create, exists because no clinician should feel alone when a complex case walks through their door.

Some things about me professionally
Licensed SLP | PROMPT Certified & Instructor | Orofacial Myology Certified | Advanced DTTC Practitioner | Clinical Researcher | 15+ Years Specializing in Motor Speech | Private Practice Co-Owner

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

Dr. Namasivayam is an internationally recognized expert in speech motor control and speech disorders in children, with a clinical degree in Speech-Language Pathology and a specialization in Neuroscience at the Doctoral and Post-Doctoral level. He is based at the University of Toronto and has led multiple government-funded randomized clinical trials that have resulted in policy changes and evidence-based care pathways for children across Canada.