ASHA members on the go need news and research they can use in their day-to-day work, regardless of the job setting. ASHA Journals publishes the latest translational research in a number of ways, most notably through Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups (SIGs).

For more than 30 years, Perspectives authors have helped SIG affiliates bridge the gap between research and practice. Check out just a few articles from the latest issue of Perspectives!

School-Aged Children From a Variety of Language Backgrounds

SIG 1, Language Learning and Education, has two articles in the latest issue focusing on treatment for bilingual and Spanish-speaking children. First, Ebert and Pham studied Spanish–English bilingual children with developmental language disorder (DLD), reporting gains in each language after an intensive language treatment program. Then, Larson and colleagues studied a new technology-based caregiver-coaching intervention to increase caregivers’ use of Spanish language–promoting strategies in everyday activities.

Later in the issue, an article from SIG 9, Pediatric Hearing and Hearing Disorders, investigated whether a student’s language background influenced their performance on a dichotic listening task. Given that one in four children in Sweden have a background in a language other than Swedish, this research may inform future work on dichotic listening in children with diverse language backgrounds.

Telepractice, Aphasia, and University Programs

With ASHA’s 100th anniversary coming up, SIG 18, Telepractice, looked ahead to 2025 and highlighted how speech-language pathologists (SLPs) can meet current telepractice challenges during the next 2 years. The authors outlined not only these challenges but opportunities for ASHA members as we imagine telepractice beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although university programs in communication sciences and disorders (CSD) require training for cultural and linguistic diversity for students, current models may fall short. An article from SIG 10, Issues in Higher Education, describes how professors can incorporate active learning into these courses, including sample activities and lesson plans.

An article from SIG 2, Neurogenic Communication Disorders, discusses how SLPs can implement real-world communication skills into aphasia rehabilitation services. The authors show how clinicians can design interventions that are specific to a patient’s individual discourse needs.

More Free Articles From Perspectives

Perspectives is included free for the 20,000 ASHA members who choose to affiliate with a SIG. If you’d like access to the entire Perspectives archive, learn more about joining a SIG!

Not seeing what you’re looking for? We’ve recently updated our Free Sample Article Page with one recent article from each of the 19 already-established SIGs. These articles are available for free for the rest of the year. In addition, we created our 20th SIG, Counseling, just this year.

You can check out the articles below, or explore the entire April issue of Perspectives. These articles will be free to read for the next 2 weeks. We hope that these articles in the latest issue of Perspectives inspire you in your daily work helping others!

Featured Articles From the Issue

Brännström, K. J., Rudner, M., Carlie, J., Andersson, K., Johansson, R., Gulz, A., & Sahlén, B. (2023). The influence of language background on dichotic listening in primary school children. Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, 8(2), 298–307. https://doi.org/10.1044/2022_PERSP-22-00199

Ebert, K. D., & Pham, G. T. (2023). What predicts individual response to language treatment in bilingual children with developmental language disorder? Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, 8(2), 226–233. https://doi.org/10.1044/2022_PERSP-22-00170

Edwards-Gaither, L., Harris, O., & Perry, V. (2023). Viewpoint telepractice 2025: Exploring telepractice service delivery during COVID-19 and beyond. Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, 8(2), 412–417. https://doi.org/10.1044/2022_PERSP-22-00095

Larson, A. L., Caballero, R., Snyder, P., Griebel, S., Valentin, R., & Bourret, C. (2023). Gathering perspectives on video- and app-based language instruction: A technology-based coaching intervention to increase Spanish-speaking Latino caregivers’ use of naturalistic language intervention strategies. Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, 8(2), 234–253. https://doi.org/10.1044/2023_PERSP-22-00194

Leaman, M. C., & Archer, B. (2023). Choosing discourse types that align with person-centered goals in aphasia rehabilitation: A clinical tutorial. Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, 8(2), 254–273. https://doi.org/10.1044/2023_PERSP-22-00160

O’Fallon, M., & Garcia, F. (2023). Using active learning strategies to strengthen cultural and linguistic diversity training in communication sciences and disorders programs. Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, 8(2), 308–321. https://doi.org/10.1044/2022_PERSP-22-00033