Recent Research

Children with voice disorders show differences in both their voice and speech systems. The lab is examining these systems in children with and without voice disorders. Our work primarily focuses on the relationship between acoustic measures and auditory-perceptual measures. This work is supported by an NIDCD R21 awarded to Dr. Heller Murray Intelligibility and Dysphonia in Children with Vocal Fold Nodules

This research is designed to reduce the significant gap in clinical competencies and confidence between expert SLPs who treat pediatric voice disorders in specialized voice clinics and SLPs who are less familiar with voice disorders (e.g., schools). The outcome of this work will directly address this health equity issue to allow advancements in pediatric voice therapy to benefit all children with voice disorders. Ongoing work includes the project “Investigating Barriers to Implementing Pediatric Voice Therapy in the Schools,” funded by the ASHFoundation New Century Scholars Grant awarded to Dr. Heller Murray

In collaboration with the Speech and Neurodevelopment Lab and the Speech Motor Impairment and Learning Lab the Vocal Development Lab is examining using infant non-nutritive suck as a diagnostic measure of future speech production. Dr. Heller Murray (Co-I) will examine vocal development in children from 3 months to 3 years in infants born preterm and full term.