Acquired Neurogenic Communication Disorders Lab
The Acquired Neurogenic Communication Disorders Lab focuses on the treatment of aphasia and apraxia of speech (AOS).
About the Lab
Led by Drs. Julie Wambaugh and Shannon Mauszycki, our team consists of research speech-language pathologists (SLPs) with expertise in treating aphasia and AOS, as well as in research methods. Our treatment research is primarily conducted by ASHA certified SLPs who have extensive experience in treating aphasia and AOS. Students are occasionally involved in our treatment studies, under 100% supervision. Our lab is dedicated to advancing evidence-based interventions for individuals with acquired communication disorders, with a focus on improving functional communication and quality of life.
Our main laboratory is located at the VA Salt Lake City Health Care System (Building 2) with another smaller laboratory at the University of Utah, Behavioral Sciences Building (13th Floor).
Our Research
Our interests in developing and evaluating treatments coincides with an interest in improving our understanding of vaiability in neurogenic speech and language disorders. Consequently, we also conduct investigations of performance variability.
In addition, our research includes development of outcome measures for use in treatment studies and research to identify factors that may be used to predict response to treatment.
Most of our research involves persons who are stroke survivors, but we also include persons whose aphasia/AOS stems from other causes.
Lab Members
Our Mission
The overarching mission of our laboratory is to design and test clinically applicable treatments for person with aphasia and/or acquired apraxia of speech (AOS) utilizing sound theoretical bases for treatment and rigorous experimental methods. We have and are continuing to examine treatments for:
- Word-retrieval difficulties in aphasia
- Language production impairments in aphasia
- Speech production disruptions in AOS
Contact Us
Behavioral Health Science
390 S 1530 E, Suite 1201
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
