Throughout ASHA’s 100 years, researchers and clinicians have been changing the discipline of communication sciences and disorders in impactful, meaningful ways. The work of these changemakers has affected the work you do every day, positively impacting patient outcomes.

The latest issue of Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools (LSHSS) includes six articles from modern-day changemakers who are focused on igniting innovation. Read below to learn more about this forum compiled by Guest Editors Shari L. Deveney and Christina Pelatti.

Changemakers Igniting Innovation

The forum opens with an introduction from the guest editors describing the origins of the forum as a series of papers submitted to the 2023 ASHA Convention. They write that although each article highlights a different topic, “all expand our disciplines’ understanding, refine clinical practice, or challenge existing paradigms,” (DeVeney & Pelatti, 2025, p. 441).

Benway and Preston provide school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs) with a framework that they can use when evaluating artificial intelligence (AI) tools. Next, Washington and colleagues present a tutorial to help clinicians in schools better identify speech sound disorders in multilingual children.

Howland et al. describe six key elements that contribute to the success of a preschool language intervention program. Then, Green and Wolter discuss a literacy intervention approach for school-age children, including those with developmental language disorder (DLD) and dyslexia.

A number of factors influence hearing aid use in adolescents who are deaf and hard of hearing, although Walker and colleagues found generally consistent hearing aid use in students. Finally, Kent-Walsh et al. found that play-based augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) interventions improved expressive grammar in children with Down syndrome.

Celebrating Changemakers in LSHSS

We’d like to thank Drs. DeVeney and Pelatti for their dedication to bringing this forum to ASHA members. We hope that these articles inspire you to continue to push for positive change in the communities you work in and for the students you serve.

LSHSS has been publishing changemaking research for ASHA members for more than 50 years. Once you’re done with the forum, be sure to check out the rest of the issue, containing 20 more articles full of new resources and ideas for school-based practitioners.

Explore the Forum

Benway, N. R., & Preston, J. L. (2025). Equipping speech-language clinicians for the critical appraisal of an artificial intelligence–driven, evidence-based future. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 56(3), 442–⁠468. https://doi.org/10.1044/2025_LSHSS-24-00085

DeVeney, S. L., & Pelatti, C. (2025). Introduction to the forum: Changemakers igniting innovation. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 56(3), 439–⁠441. https://doi.org/10.1044/2025_LSHSS-25-00077

Green, L. B., & Wolter, J. (2025). Morphological awareness: Connecting language foundations and academic literacy success for students with language and literacy deficits. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 56(3), 506–⁠521. https://doi.org/10.1044/2025_LSHSS-24-00119

Howland, K. A., Graham, M. G., & Mentis, M. (2025). Maximizing treatment effectiveness: Six critical elements of a successful intensive preschool language program for children with language disorders. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 56(3), 488–⁠505. https://doi.org/10.1044/2025_LSHSS-24-00097

Kent-Walsh, J., Binger, C., Harrington, N., & Hahs-Vaughn, D. (2025). Generative language intervention for young children with Down syndrome using augmentative and alternative communication: A randomized controlled trial. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 56(3), 542–⁠564. https://doi.org/10.1044/2025_LSHSS-24-00117

Walker , E. A., Spratford, M., Foody, M., McCreery, R. W. (2025). Characteristics of hearing aid use in adolescents who are deaf and hard of hearing. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 56(3), 522–⁠541. https://doi.org/10.1044/2025_LSHSS-24-00096

Washington, K. N., Crowe, K., McLeod, S., Margetson, K., Bazzocchi, N., Kokotek, L. E., Van der Straten Waillet, P., Másdóttir, T., & Volhardt, M. D. S. (2025). Methods of diagnosing speech sound disorders in multilingual children. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 56(3), 469–⁠487. https://doi.org/10.1044/2025_LSHSS-24-00099