Professor Joanne Cleland
Speech and Language Therapy
Personal statement
I am a Professor of Speech and Language Therapy in the Department of Psychological Sciences and Health. My expertise is in developmental Speech Sound Disorders with an emphasis on innovative assessment and intervention tools. My work spans theoretical research using instrumental articulatory approaches to applied clinical research working with practitioners. I joined the department in 2015 having previously worked at Queen Margaret University where I completed my PhD in 2010 and my clinical qualification as a Speech and Language Therapist in 2002.
I am the vice president of the International Clinical Linguistics and Phonetics Association; the UK representative on the Child Speech committee for the International Association of Communication Sciences and Disorders; and a member of the UK and Ireland Child Speech Research Network. My work is funded by the ESRC, NIHR, Chief Scientist Office of Scotland and the EPSRC.
Area of Expertise
I am a Speech and Language Therapist with expertise in articulatory analysis, clinical trials, include single case experimental designs, mixed methods including qualitative research, and co-production.
Prize And Awards
- Meritorious Poster Submission
- Recipient
- 21/8/2023
- Manuel Garcia Prize
- Recipient
- 1/8/2023
Publications
- Developmental variability in voice quality : acoustic reference data from 275 children aged 5–12 years
- Murali Mridhula, Cleland Joanne, Taylor Lauren, Young David, Stuart-Smith Jane, Kuschmann Anja
- 2025 International Clinical Phonetics and Linguistics Association Conference (2025)
- A study of voice quality and acoustic variability in sound prolongation performance in a large corpus of 5–12-year-old children
- Murali Mridhula, Cleland Joanne, Taylor Lauren, Young David, Stuart-Smith Jane, Kuschmann Anja
- Folia Phoniatrica et Logopaedica (2025)
- Towards an agreed labelling system and protocol for the diagnosis of Speech Sound Disorder subtypes in the United Kingdom
- Cleland Joanne, Burr Samantha, Harding Samantha, Stringer Helen, Wren Yvonne
- International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders Vol 60 (2025)
- https://doi.org/10.1111/1460-6984.70052
- Quantitative results of SonoSpeech Cleft Pilot : a mixed-methods pilot randomised control trial of ultrasound visual biofeedback versus standard intervention for children with cleft palate ± cleft lip
- Cairney Maria, Crampin Lisa, Campbell Linsay, Cleland Joanne
- Pilot and Feasibility Studies Vol 11 (2025)
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s40814-025-01640-6
- Instrumental articulatory techniques investigating lingual variability in typically developing children: A scoping review
- Smith Amy, Kuschmann Anja, Lawson Eleanor, Cairney Maria, Cleland Joanne
- Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics, pp. 1-23 (2025)
- https://doi.org/10.1080/02699206.2025.2486626
- Clinicians’ perspectives on using ultrasound visual biofeedback for research and practice with people with cleft palate ± cleft lip
- Cleland Joanne, McCluskey Robyn, Cairney Maria, Crampin Lisa, Campbell Linsay
- The Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal (2025)
- https://doi.org/10.1177/10556656251322279
Research Interests
My research focuses on developmental Speech Sound Disorders in children. I am interested in how we can optimise the diagnosis and treatment of Speech Sound Disorders to improve patient outcomes. I have a particular interest in visual biofeedback, that is, technologies which can be used to image the articulators (principally the tongue) moving when we speak. My most recent research uses ultrasound tongue imaging to measure tongue movement and allow children with speech sound disorders a method of using real-time visual biofeedback of their own tongue movements to modify incorrect articulations and therefore improve their speech. I work with families of children with Speech Sound Disorders and clinicians to determine how we can make ultrasound technology accessible to clinicians and parents.
Current and recent research projects include:
Speech Therapy Animation and Imaging Resources
Professional Activities
- An Ultrasound Study of Tongue Shape Variability in English-Speaking Typically Developing Children
- Contributor
- 24/6/2025
- Investigating variability in a large cohort of typically developing children in Scotland – preliminary analysis of non-speech tasks
- Contributor
- 22/10/2024
- Glasgow Science Festival
- Contributor
- 6/2024
- Variability in DDK rate productions in typically-developing children in Scotland
- Contributor
- 22/2/2024
- Introduction to using Articulate Assistant Advanced for tongue imaging research
- Consultant
- 6/12/2023
- Introduction to using Articulate Assistant Advanced for tongue imaging research
- Consultant
- 25/10/2023
Projects
- Variability in child speech (VariCS)
- Kuschmann, Anja (Principal Investigator) Barry, Sarah (Co-investigator) Cleland, Joanne (Co-investigator) Young, David (Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2022 - 25-Jan-2026
- EPSRC IAA: Translating Ultrasound Speech Technology into Clinical Practice
- Cleland, Joanne (Co-investigator) Lawson, Eleanor (Research Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2022 - 31-Jan-2025
- Maximising the impact of speech and language therapy for children with speech sound disorder
- Cleland, Joanne (Principal Investigator)
- 01-Jan-2022 - 29-Jan-2024
- SonoSpeech Cleft Pilot: A pilot randomised control trial of ultrasound visual biofeedback versus standard intervention for children with cleft lip and palate
- Cleland, Joanne (Principal Investigator)
- 01-Jan-2021 - 31-Jan-2024
- Speech Therapy Animation and imaging Resource (STAR)
- Lawson, Eleanor (Principal Investigator) Cleland, Joanne (Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2021 - 21-Jan-2024
- A Speech Therapy Animation and imaging Resource
- Lawson, Eleanor (Principal Investigator) Cleland, Joanne (Co-investigator) Stuart-Smith, Jane (Co-investigator)
- ESRC (SDAI) -funded: Creating a vocal-tract-imaging-based resource for Speech and Language Therapy teaching and training and for use in Clinic.
- 01-Jan-2021 - 25-Jan-2023
Contact
Professor
Joanne
Cleland
Speech and Language Therapy
Email: joanne.cleland@strath.ac.uk
Tel: 548 3037