We are thrilled to congratulate Kristen Allison, PhD, CCC-SLP on her recent publication, “Relation of speech-language profile and communication modality to participation of children with cerebral palsy,” in the American Journal of Speech Language Pathology on January 12, 2024. This is the twelfth publication for the network and, is the result of research funded by the CP Research Network for its Research CP grant program in 2019. It provides a unique analysis of the effects of speech and language impairments on participation for children with CP.

Dr. Allison directs the SMILE Lab at Northeastern University where she studies speech motor impairment and its effect on children. In 2019, the CP Research Network ran a competitive award program to advance research addressing important issues from our Research CP patient-centered research agenda. Dr. Allison’s proposed study Speech and Language study was the top ranked submission and was awarded the funding.

The study, conducted in part through our Community Registry hosted on MyCP, engaged parents to assess and understand their children’s speech and communication skills in conjunction with their participation in various life events. Participation was identified as a key issue in our Research CP program. Using validated parent reported measures of speech and language capabilities combined with assessment of the child’s involvement in activities, Dr. Allison was able to determine important new findings that could improve a child’s participation, a key component to quality of life. A significant conclusion of the research was that early intervention with augmentative and alternative communication devices for certain children could improve participation opportunities.

Dr. Allison presented her preliminary findings in a MyCP webinar in 2020. Her final manuscript is available to subscribers of the American Journal of Speech Language Pathology or to members of the MyCP platform
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