Department
Speech-Language Pathology
Format of Presentation
Poster
Research Category
Health Sciences
Description
Students who are misdiagnosed with speech and language disorders often miss out on necessary class time and can fall behind their peers. In order to decrease the prevalence of misdiagnoses due to dialectal and linguistic differences, we must first understand how SLPs currently differentiate between typical and disordered speech. In this study, information will be gathered on the current abilities of Mississippi public school SLPs to identify the difference between a speaker that is linguistically diverse and a speaker with disordered speech or language. SLPs will listen to AI generated speech samples–some disordered, some typical, but with non-mainstream dialects–and be asked to rate the speech on a scale of typical to disordered. The findings of this study will indicate the current strengths and weaknesses of public school SLPs in the identification of disorders in linguistically diverse students, allowing a greater understanding of possible educational needs and, in turn, less linguistically diverse students being misidentified as having a disorder.
Recommended Citation
Leachman, Lori and Cotton, Catherine Dr., "Difference or Disorder? Misidentification of Speech and Language Disorders in Mississippi’s Public Schools" (2025). Undergraduate Research Conference. 5.
https://athenacommons.muw.edu/urc/2025/posters/5
Included in
Difference or Disorder? Misidentification of Speech and Language Disorders in Mississippi’s Public Schools
Students who are misdiagnosed with speech and language disorders often miss out on necessary class time and can fall behind their peers. In order to decrease the prevalence of misdiagnoses due to dialectal and linguistic differences, we must first understand how SLPs currently differentiate between typical and disordered speech. In this study, information will be gathered on the current abilities of Mississippi public school SLPs to identify the difference between a speaker that is linguistically diverse and a speaker with disordered speech or language. SLPs will listen to AI generated speech samples–some disordered, some typical, but with non-mainstream dialects–and be asked to rate the speech on a scale of typical to disordered. The findings of this study will indicate the current strengths and weaknesses of public school SLPs in the identification of disorders in linguistically diverse students, allowing a greater understanding of possible educational needs and, in turn, less linguistically diverse students being misidentified as having a disorder.