From staRt to Finish: How Biofeedback Helps Tackle the Tricky /r/

Course Number: ABIO2526

When: Available December 17, 2025 – December 17, 2030

Where: Available under “Course Content” at the bottom of this page.

Description: This course reviews key findings from a randomised controlled trial on biofeedback for /r/ distortion, highlights features of the staRt app that expand access to treatment, and explores current goals and future directions in biofeedback research. Participants also examine perspectives in the motor-control vs. phonology debate in children’s speech development.

Who This Course Is Good For:

• SLPs and SLPAs working with children who have /r/ distortions or persistent speech sound errors.
• Clinicians interested in biofeedback treatment, ultrasound, or visual-acoustic tools.
• SLPs seeking research-based strategies to improve treatment efficiency and generalisation.
• Professionals exploring motor vs. phonological explanations for speech patterns.

Who This Course Isn’t Good For:

• Clinicians who do not treat speech sound disorders or have no interest in using biofeedback-based approaches.
• Individuals seeking hands-on ultrasound or instrumental certification (this course focuses on concepts, not technical training).

Presenters:

VENITA LITVACK, M.A, CCC-SLP

Venita is an Assistive Technology (AT) Consultant in south Florida. She has a passion for using AAC, AT, and literacy to support individuals with complex communication needs, autism, and other disabilities. Venita has delivered poster presentations on several topics related to AAC at ASHA and co-presented several ASHA CEU accredited courses. Venita co-authored two articles published in ASHA Leader’s online publication, as well as the Lou Knows What to Do book series published by Boys Town Press. Recently, Venita started utilizing the power of social media to empower and motivate educators across the country through the Speechie Side Up podcast, blog, Instagram account, and YouTube channel.

TARA MCALLISTER, PhD

Tara McAllister is an Associate Professor of Communicative Sciences and Disorders at New York University and an ASHA Fellow. Her research focuses on how speech skills develop in typical and clinical populations. She studies why some developmental speech patterns resolve naturally while others persist. Dr. McAllister leads NIH-funded research on acoustic and ultrasound biofeedback for residual speech sound disorders. She also directs the development of staRt, a visual-acoustic biofeedback app.

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Disclosure Statements

Venita Litvack has the following relevant relationships to disclose: ownership interest in Speechie Side Up, LLC and Tassel Learning, LLC; royalties from the Lou Knows What to Do book series. Venita is a member of the ASHA Special Interest Group 12.

Tara McAllister has the following relevant relationships to disclose: Draws a full-time salary from New York University. Tara is a member of Sonority Labs, LLC, which may commercialise the staRt visual-acoustic biofeedback app in the future. She receives research funding from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. She receives royalties as an author of Clinical Phonetics (Pearson, 5th ed.; Plural, 6th ed.).

Learning Outcomes

As a result of this activity, participants will:

• List 2 key findings from the randomized controlled trial on biofeedback for /r/ distortion.
• Identify 2 features of the staRt app that increase access to biofeedback treatment.
• Define current goals and future directions of biofeedback research.
• Describe 2 viewpoints and similarities in the ongoing debate regarding motor control versus phonological explanations for children’s speech patterns.

Agenda

5 min	Introductions and Backgrounds
15 min	Key outcomes of RCT on /r/ distortion
10 min	StaRt App Overview
15 min	Next steps and research directions in biofeedback treatment
10 min	Motor vs. Phonology Debate
10 min	Question & Answer Session
5 min	Closing, Discussion, and Resources

Complaint Policy

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Refund Policy

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Requirements