Speech Pathology and Audiology assistant professor will present her research on assessment, treatment of childhood apraxia of speech
By Alex Nemec, marketing communication specialist in the Office of University Relations
A College of Health Sciences faculty member this semester will have the distinguished honor of serving as keynote speaker at a prestigious international conference concerning communication disorders.
Dr. Jenya Iuzzini-Seigel, assistant professor of speech pathology and audiology, will serve as a keynote speaker at Apraxia Brazil, an international conference in October on apraxia of speech in São Paulo. She will present on care for the whole child.
Apraxia of speech is a neurological disorder in which a person has trouble saying what they want correctly and consistently. Those affected by apraxia of speech know what they want to say but cannot properly plan and sequence the required speech sound movements.
Iuzzini-Seigel will discuss the various co-occurring challenges and diagnoses researchers see in children with apraxia of speech, as well as the grief parents can feel when they have a child with a major diagnosis or multiple diagnoses.
“This is a really exciting conference to be a part of,” Iuzzini-Seigel says. “It is wonderful that my work is reaching new audiences and that I will have the opportunity to help share the evidence with clinicians and families in Brazil.”
Dr. William E. Cullinan, dean of the College of the Health Sciences, noted that Dr. Iuzzini-Seigel’s extensive research on childhood apraxia of speech has the potential to affect clinical practice worldwide.
“Dr. Iuzzini-Seigel’s work to discover and reinvent treatment options can benefit all children with apraxia of speech,” Cullinan says. “Her being chosen to speak at Apraxia Brazil is a high honor that will showcase her research program in a powerful way.”
Dr. Emily Patterson, chair of the department of speech pathology and audiology, says she is proud to see Iuzzini-Seigel earn this elite opportunity.
“Jenya has been working tirelessly for years on her research in the areas of assessment and treatment for childhood apraxia of speech,” Patterson says. “It makes me proud to see her selected as one of the keynote speakers at Apraxia Brazil and to be recognized as a leader in her field.”
