CO Motor Speech Lab

New paper from the Colorado Motor Speech Lab!

Our latest article, “A Motor Speech Disorder Framework for a Neurogenic Voice Disorder: The Speech-Language Pathologist’s Role in Pediatric Bilateral Vocal Fold Paralysis,” has been published in Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups (SIG 3).

In this clinical focus article, we examine pediatric bilateral vocal fold paralysis (BVFP) through a motor speech disorder framework and describe the important role speech-language pathologists can play in the acute management of these medically complex patients.

Using a case series of three pediatric patients, we show how motor speech concepts can help guide assessment, provider communication, and treatment planning for children with BVFP.

This work highlights how SLP involvement early in care can support better clinical decision-making and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Huge congratulations to Drew Mancini, Allison Hilger, and Marie Jetté on this publication!

Read the paper here: https://pubs-asha-org.colorado.idm.oclc.org/doi/full/10.1044/2026_PERSP-25-00274

Feel free to message our page for a copy of the article.

BIG UPDATES to the CMSF Tool!

We’ve been listening to your feedback, and the Colorado Motor Speech Framework just got a major glow-up! Documentation just got a lot faster (and your assessments a lot more objective).

What’s new:
🧠 Blind Mode: Hide the "answers" while you assess to keep your perceptual findings 100% objective.
📝 Smart Phrase Generator: Instantly copy your observations and scores directly into EPIC or your medical records.
📊 Interactive Heat Map: Watch your findings light up to show clear diagnostic patterns.
ℹ️ On-Demand Definitions: Hover over any speech characteristic to see clinical definitions and task suggestions instantly.
✅ The FITI Module: High-priority phrase testing built right into the tool. Distinguish between distortions and functional breakdowns with a modular approach. (Gurevich, N., & Kim, H. (2024). Modular FITI Phrase List Analysis.)

Diagnostic precision meets clinical efficiency. Try it out now at 🔗 http://cmsf.info

CMSF Tool Colorado Motor Speech Framework - Clinical Assessment Tool

Check this out 🎧🧠
Dr. Hilger was recently interviewed on Radiolab for an episode exploring speech and the cerebellum. The conversation highlights how this often-overlooked brain structure contributes to timing, coordination, and the sound of speech, and why it matters for understanding motor speech disorders.

Episode: Song of the Cerebellum
🔗 link https://open.spotify.com/episode/5W7bXJCsouuGzr33J0Dgje?si=aS6yarxDTxW1JopTNh3BKQ&ct=1934&t=2157

Song of the Cerebellum Radiolab · Episode

Remember how quickly COVID spread in indoor spaces where people were simply talking? We have a new paper out examining how different types of voice production influence the aerosols released during speech and why this matters for infectious disease transmission. Our study tested six vocal tasks and found that the amount of airflow and how open the vocal folds are during speech are the strongest predictors of aerosol output. Loud speech and forced whispering produced the highest concentrations of particles, while glottal fry produced the lowest. We also found that the smallest particles dominate across all voice types and these are the ones that stay airborne the longest. One of the most important findings is that vocal fold vibration is not required for high aerosol emission. Whispering, which does not involve vocal fold vibration, still produced substantial aerosol output because of its high airflow and wide glottal opening. These results highlight the importance of airflow and vocal strategy, not just loudness, when considering how speech contributes to airborne disease transmission.

You can find the free Open Access paper here: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0321909

I am co-organizing a Walk n' Roll fundraiser on July 19th to raise money for the research and community support for cerebellar ataxia. Cerebellar ataxia is a condition that affects the cerebellum, usually caused by degenerative diseases such as spinocerebellar ataxia and Friedreich's Ataxia. It is the main condition I work with in my research on how neurological disease affects speech and swallowing. Cerebellar ataxia is gaining more awareness, mostly due to the advocacy work by Bill Nye the Science Guy whose family is affected by spinocerebellar ataxia. With increased funding support, we hope to develop more effective treatment and rehabilitation programs for people with ataxia.

This year is especially meaningful because a good friend of mine with ataxia, Michael Williams, passed away unexpectedly in June. Michael and I co-lead an ataxia support group here in Colorado along with our other co-leader, Becky Williams. Michael was a good friend and did amazing work for the ataxia community. This year's event is dedicated in his memory.

If you would like to donate to the event, feel free to click on the link below and click "Donate Now." If you knew Michael and would like to dedicate your donation, you can click "Dedicate this gift."

If you are in the area and would like to attend the event, it is going to be a gorgeous day at Sloane's Lake in Denver. Come on out!

Denver Walk N Roll I’m thrilled to be participating in Denver Walk N Roll, a fundraiser supporting National Ataxia Foundation! I’m passionate about this cause and need your help! Every donation—big or small—helps me reach my fundraising goal and directly impacts this important cause.

The CU Boulder Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences Clinic is offering a new therapy group, services provided at no cost. Details and contact info at bottom of flyer. Please share to anyone who may know people who might be interested.

Congratulations to our MA-SLP student Caitlin Cain for successfully defending her Master’s Thesis titled, “Acquired Dysarthria and Dysphagia in Pediatric Acquired Brain Injury!"

Congrats to University of Colorado Boulder SLHS Senior Ramey Yost for successfully defending her Honors Thesis titled, “Respiratory Coordination for Speech in Cerebellar Ataxia.” Amazing work Ramey!

Congratulations to our very own lab manager and University of Colorado Boulder SLHS senior Karis Lowe for successfully defending her Honors Thesis titled, “Analyzing Speech Characteristics of Spinocerebellar Ataxia Subtype 3 and Subtype 6!” Amazing work Karis!

Dr. Hilger is part part of a team of researchers running a study looking at how mothers provide instructions for their children. We finished recruiting mothers of typically developing children and are now looking for mothers of autistic children or children with autism. If you have an autistic child or child with autism who is 3-5 years of age, or know someone who is, feel free to reach out to [email protected]. The study is entirely online and you will receive a $20 Amazon gift card. You do not have to live in Colorado to participate as well! Message me with any questions. Thank you!