Communication Justice Project launched at Northwestern

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Communication Justice Project launched at Northwestern

New partnership to enable inclusive research and equitable access to speech-language therapy for young children

• Partnership is designed to help hundreds of underserved children and provide them with access to speech-language services

• Researcher aims to improve access to early identification, assessment and intervention for speech and language challenges in preschool-aged children

• Data collection efforts expanding to additional early learning centers across Evanston and Skokie

Evanston, Ill. --- Northwestern University has launched an innovative, community-based partnership that aims to dismantle systemic barriers to speech and language services by screening hundreds of preschool-aged children, including many whose voices have been historically underrepresented in scientific research.

This work builds on a research initiative led by the Northwestern School of Communication's Marisha Speights, who specializes in early detection of speech disorders in young children. Her lab, Pediatric Speech Technologies and Acoustic Research(PedzSTAR), is working to identify racial inequities in current testing methods.

PedzSTAR's partnership with the Childcare Network of Evanston(CNE) and local nonprofit CHAT(Communication Health, Advocacy & Therapy) creates the Communication Justice Project, expanding the scope of Speights' research and building on CHAT's work bringing speech-language services into underserved communities.

The critical need to update current biased screening methods

Speights points to critical flaws in current testing models that do not adequately account for variations in speech and language patterns among different racial or ethnic groups because 'whiteness' has been centered in both test design and scoring, Speights said.

"This kind of bias at the root of normative models can result in misidentification. This can have harmful, long-lasting consequences, particularly by delaying appropriate interventions or unnecessarily labeling children with disorders they do not have," she said. "My research team is focused on redesigning measures for early identification using an equity-based lens."

Expanding data collection, removing barriers to therapy and providing support

Speights piloted this work last year, collecting data and providing free language development support in one Evanston preschool. It has now expanded to eight preschools across Evanston and Skokie, where CHAT speech-language pathologists (SLPs) conduct screenings, collect data and provide services onsite.

"Outside the world of speech-language pathology, there is little awareness of the societal impact of undiagnosed, untreated communication disorders," said Karine Fiore, CHAT president and CEO. "Sustainable identification and support should be the norm for everyone, not just for those with private insurance or at well-funded schools."

In 17 classrooms of children ages three to five, CHAT SLPs lead full class activities focused on language and literacy and conduct screenings to identify children at risk for speech-language delays or disorders. After the screenings, families are given an opportunity to share their child's results with the PedzSTAR lab and contribute to Speights' research. Children who would benefit from additional interventions will have access to deeper assessments, individual and small group therapy services provided onsite by CHAT SLPs.

"Partnering with CHAT enables us to center community stakeholders in our research, ensuring our work is guided by diverse perspectives," Speights said. "CHAT's team of SLPs is dedicated to delivering culturally responsive care, allowing us to quickly screen and assess children within culturally diverse communities and create individualized plans for those who might otherwise face long wait times."

The PedzSTAR lab is simultaneously conducting two separate research projects spread across eight geographic areas in the U.S., including the work that is underway locally with CHAT and CNE. The projects are supported through grant funding provided by Northwestern's Racial Equity and Community Partnership Grantand the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

About PedzSTAR
The PedzSTAR research team is devoted to innovative, high-impact research that translates to clinical practice and caregiver support. The mission of PedzSTAR is to advance the early detection of communication disorders in young children through world-class research, scholarship and innovation. PedzSTAR envisions using computer-based technologies to increase access to screening and to aid in the early detection of developmental communication concerns for all children.

About CHAT
For 45 years, CHAT has provided children in need with the gift of communication. Centered in social justice and inclusion, CHAT, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, delivers life-changing speech and language therapy to individuals with few, if any, other options. Grounded in cultural humility, CHAT tailors services to each client's needs while building on their strengths, advancing communication justice by serving under-resourced and neurodivergent individuals whose communication challenges often lead to inequitable treatment. CHAT actively removes structural barriers to care by accepting Medicaid, offering scholarships and bringing community-based therapeutic services to areas where they are most needed.