- Associate Professor, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine
- Institute Faculty, Jefferson Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute
- Associate Professor, Department of Special Education at the University of Tartu
Speech & Language Recovery Laboratory
Jefferson Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute
50 Township Line Road, Elkins Park, PA 19027
Dr. Mailend investigates the cognitive architecture of speech and language production and its disorders. With a primary emphasis on impairments of phonological encoding and speech motor planning, the long-term goal of her work is to develop theory-driven and evidence-based assessments and treatment programs to strengthen functional communication in people with aphasia and apraxia of speech. Research in her laboratory employs various methods including behavioral speech and language assessments, acoustic analysis, and psycholinguistic reaction time studies.
Research Focus Area
The underlying impairment in apraxia of speech & aphasia
A major focus in our lab is developing and specifying concrete hypotheses about the speech motor planning impairment in apraxia of speech within the framework of current models of speech/language production. Through a series of experiments, we have provided support to the idea that activating intended speech motor programs is impaired in apraxia of speech and concomitant aphasia but not in aphasia without apraxia of speech. This detailed understanding of the speech motor planning impairment will guide development of targeted interventions, such as speech entrainment practice, particularly as we begin to understand the mechanisms of action for this treatment in relation to the individual characteristics of those who benefit.