Socioeconomic Status and Speech Disorders

 

Gianna Saitta, Verrazzano Class of 2026, completed a major in English Linguistics and minors in Spanish and Speech Language Pathology

The purpose of this project was to explore how socioeconomic status (SES) influences the development of speech and language skills in young children. Specifically, I examined why children from lower-income backgrounds are more likely to experience speech and language delays or disorders compared to their higher-income peers. Through a review of existing research, I focused on the social and environmental factors that contribute to these differences, such as language exposure, caregiver interaction, access to healthcare, educational resources, and levels of household stress. Overall, the research shows that differences in communication development are not caused by a child's individual ability, but rather by the environments in which children grow up in. Children from lower-income households are often exposed to fewer words and less interactive conversation, which can slow vocabulary growth and language processing. These early gaps can continue into school and affect academic performance. In contrast, children from higher-income households are more likely to experience richer language environments, including more conversation, responsive caregiving, and early learning opportunities that support communication development. 

Another key finding is that environmental stress plays an important role. Families facing financial instability, housing insecurity, or limited access to healthcare may have fewer opportunities for consistent, high-quality interaction with children. Over time, these combined stressors can impact both cognitive and language development. The research also shows that early intervention and access to speech-language services can significantly improve outcomes, especially when communication concerns are identified early. One of the most important conclusions from this project is that speech and language disparities are shaped by multiple factors working together. These include reduced language input, caregiver stress, and limited access to supportive resources. Addressing communication delays requires more than focusing on the child alone, it requires improving the broader systems and environments that support early development. 

I identified my research area because I have always been interested in child development and communication, especially how environment and upbringing shape learning outcomes. I was motivated by the fact that communication skills are essential for success in school and everyday life, yet not all children have equal access to the experiences that support these skills. I wanted to better understand why these differences exist and what can be done to reduce them. Before starting my capstone, I expected it to feel more like a traditional research assignment with a clear beginning and end. In reality, it felt much more like an ongoing process of reading, connecting ideas, and refining my understanding over time. As I reviewed more sources, my perspective kept expanding, and I had to constantly adjust how I organized and explained my ideas. One of the most challenging aspects was combining a large amount of research into a clear and cohesive argument. Many studies focused on different but related factors, so it was difficult at times to decide how to connect them without repeating information. On the other hand, one of the easier parts was finding research that supported my topic, since there is a strong body of literature on SES and language development. What surprised me most was how consistently the research emphasized environmental influence rather than individual ability. I also did not expect caregiver interaction and stress to play such a large role in language development. 

If I were to expand this research further, I would like to explore specific intervention programs that have been successful in reducing language gaps. I would also be interested in studying how bilingual or multilingual environments interact with SES in shaping language development. Additionally, I think it would be valuable to look more closely at school-based programs and how early education systems can help close communication gaps. From this experience, I am taking away a stronger understanding of how deeply a child's environment influences their development. I also learned how important early intervention and access to resources are in supporting communication skills. Most importantly, I gained an appreciation for how research can be used to highlight social inequalities and guide efforts to create more equitable support systems for children.

Treatment Efficacy for Childhood Apraxia of Speech

Raijan Peters, Verrazzano Class of 2024, complete major in English Linguistics and minor in Speech Language Pathology 

A review of the literature for my capstone began in the spring semester of my junior year in 2023. I felt sure that this research would make a difference in my field. I knew that I had to reach out to someone that knows a lot about the field, but who also has firsthand experience with those who struggle with all types of speech. My mentor, Lorenza Colonna is a licensed Speech and Language Pathologist and offered up so much valuable information in the research and in the writing.

As knowledgeable as my classes were throughout my undergraduate degree, I realized that the field of Speech and Language Pathology is a vast profession in which I could not possibly know everything about every disorder and pathologies. Professor Colonna gave me time to research Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) so that I could know the topic thoroughly.

After researching this topic for myself, my mentor and I thought about how we wanted this topic to be unique. We decided that we wouldn’t only research CAS, but we would look into which treatments are the most effective, in the sense that the patient is able to maintain the skills that they learned well after therapy is done. Professor Colonna informed me that treatments for CAS have been researched before but what makes our research unique is that we are focusing on treatment plans that are the most effective long term. She provided me with an article entitled “A Systematic Review of Treatment Outcomes for Children with Childhood Apraxia of Speech”, that outlined the population we would be focused on and each treatment plan that was used. There were six different treatment approaches that we researched, some being motor based, linguistic based, and then a treatment called AAC.

Before sifting through this research, my mentor made sure that I looked up each and every treatment that was used in this research so I would have my own background knowledge. Once this was done, I dove into the real research with the article. Each treatment plan was outlined in a very detailed and specific way how it was implemented, how long the treatment was given before it ended, and how long after treatment the patient still displayed skills learned in therapy (maintenance). My mentor and I were able to compare and contrast each treatment plan to see for ourselves which ones were maintained the longest.

As an aspiring Speech and Language Pathologist going to graduate school in the fall, this capstone has been nothing short of valuable and significant to not only my knowledge but to the research in the field. Speech and Language Pathologist clinicians make evidence-based decisions off of the most recent research, and it is important to be privy to every single discovery made in the field.

In addition, not only is it important to develop my proficiency in the field, but doing a capstone of this measure helped me to write in a professional manner. As I was writing, I had to organize all of my thoughts into sections, use clinical terms, and had to keep my thoughts as concise as possible. These are characteristics/ skills I know I will need in graduate school.

When we began this process, every time I wrote a section my mentor and I met on zoom to discuss edits. These edits were made, and I would send her the revisions. My professor provided me with notable edits every time that took my writing and understanding to the next level.

Throughout this entire process, my professor exhibited so much patience and offered copious amounts of support. Having a Speech and Language Pathologist as my mentor, Professor Colonna knew exactly how to organize and edit my thoughts which led all the way to this point.

As for how this project could be developed further if I were to continue, I would expand the years which I focused my research on. Additionally, I would expand my research to not just mono-lingual English-speaking children, but it would be interesting to do the research on children who know different languages, or children who are not English speaking. Ultimately, this experience was rewarding and memorable.

ASL and Speech Language Research

Nicole Ianni, Verrazano Class of 2019, completed major in English Linguistics with a minor in Speech Language Pathology 


When I began my undergraduate studies at the College of Staten Island, I was extremely undecided on the collegiate path I wanted to take. Upon registering for classes I decided to take a course in American Sign Language (ASL) as well as joining the ASL Club with hopes of becoming involved in the Deaf community both within and outside of my school. 

This club introduced me to places that I didn’t even know existed, such as the Hands for Christ community church. Attending Sunday mass weekly gave me the opportunity to get acquainted with the Pastor as well as fellow members of the church. Being exposed to the Deaf community at the Hands for Christ community church sparked my interest in learning more about Deaf culture. 

As I began researching, I came across an article that discussed use of sign language in children with Childhood Apraxia of Speech. While I was aware that American Sign Language is typically used by individuals who are Deaf or hard of hearing, I had never before considered that it might be used in other populations as well. A multi-sensory approach I learned can be extremely beneficial not only to children with Apraxia of Speech, but also children with speech and language delay. It fascinated me that utilizing visual and tactile cues in addition to verbal cues facilitates the child in creating an association between the verbal and non-verbal acts of communication, and that sign language alongside verbal communication can also be used to help control rate of speech. 

My academic, volunteer, and clinical experiences over the past two years are what have inspired me to pursue my education in the field of Speech-Language Pathology. I have a strikingly extroverted personality and love to interact and communicate with people, especially children, on a daily basis. This was a motivating factor in deciding to conduct a longitudinal study of speech motor control development for my capstone project under the supervision of Professor Christina Hagedorn. 

The participant in this case study was a 4-year-old female, who was recorded on four different occasions, in intervals of approximately 3 weeks. This was the first time I conducted a longitudinal study, and I anticipated everything to go smoothly. Little did I know there were going to be things that occurred during the recording that were unfortunately out of my control, such as the amount of energy my participant had. Most of the recordings took place once my participant got home from school and all she wanted to do was run around the house. I was not expecting this to occur but I had to do my best in order to get her to focus back in on the task and continue on with the recording. Another instance that occurred during the recording were appearances by my participant’s 7 year old brother, who thoroughly enjoyed interrupting us as well as making lots of noise while playing his video games. 

My participant was from an Italian American family, many of whom spoke Italian in their household. As a result of this environment she had acquired an Italian-American dialect. When I began to analyze my data I knew that my participant’s dialect would have an effect on her speech, although I didn’t realize how much of an impact it would have. 

At first I was frustrated that these certain instances such as lack of focus and noise, took place during the recording. But I came to realize that instances like this occur all the time, in everyday speech language therapy sessions, ones which I will have to encounter in my future career.  

Conducting this longitudinal study taught me a remarkable amount of information about the hands-on work that we don’t get to experience in a class room setting. This capstone project granted me the opportunity to administer a hands-on research project that provided me an immense amount of knowledge that I will take with me on my future academic endeavors.