Professor Joanne Cleland

Speech and Language Therapy

Contact

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.

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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

More prizes and awards

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Publications

Clinicians’ perspectives on using ultrasound visual biofeedback for research and practice with people with cleft palate ± cleft lip
Cleland Joanne, McCluskey Robyn, Dokovova Marie, Crampin Lisa, Campbell Linsay
The Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal (2025)
https://doi.org/10.1177/10556656251322279
Investigating Variability in Child Speech (VariCS) – the VariCS corpus
Kuschmann Anja, Murali Mridhula, Taylor Lauren, Smith Amy, Cleland Joanne, Stuart-Smith Jane, Young David
(2024)
https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/WF2R9
A mixed-methods pilot randomized control trial of ultrasound visual biofeedback versus standard intervention for children with cleft palate ± cleft lip : parents’ and children's perspectives
Cleland Joanne, McCluskey Robyn, Dokovova Marie, Crampin Lisa, Campbell Linsay
International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders Vol 60 (2024)
https://doi.org/10.1111/1460-6984.13144
Speech sound disorder or DLD (phonology)? : towards a consensus agreement on terminology.
Stringer Helen, Cleland Joanne, Wren Yvonne, Rees Rachel, Williams Pam
International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders Vol 59, pp. 2131-2145 (2024)
https://doi.org/10.1111/1460-6984.12989
Clinical application of usage-based phonology : treatment of cleft palate speech using usage-based electropalotography
Patrick Kathryn, Fricke Silke, Rutter Ben, Cleland Joanne
International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology Vol 26, pp. 595-610 (2024)
https://doi.org/10.1080/17549507.2023.2238924
Gradient speech change during intervention for school-aged children and adults with cleft palate +/- lip
Patrick Kathryn, Cleland Joanne, Rutter Ben, Fricke Silke
Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics Vol 39, pp. 166-197 (2024)
https://doi.org/10.1080/02699206.2024.2355472

More publications

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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:

Variability in Child Speech.

MISLToe_SSD

SonoSpeech Cleft Pilot

Speech Therapy Animation and Imaging Resources

Professional Activities

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
International Congress of Phonetic Sciences
Participant
7/8/2023

More professional activities

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
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
Speech Therapy Animation and imaging Resource (STAR)
Lawson, Eleanor (Principal Investigator) Cleland, Joanne (Co-investigator)
01-Jan-2021 - 21-Jan-2024

More projects

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Contact

Professor Joanne Cleland
Speech and Language Therapy

Email: joanne.cleland@strath.ac.uk
Tel: 548 3037