Speak up

The Speak up research team brings together research interests in communication, spoken and signed language and hearing.

Our research focuses on children's and students' language learning and the challenges that speech and developmental language disorders, reading and writing difficulties, hearing loss and intellectual disabilities can pose for the interaction with the surrounding environment. The research often has an interdisciplinary perspective, which means that specialized knowledge in special pedagogy, speech therapy and hearing science are integrated to create new and specific knowledge that is beneficial for these children.

The team's researchers have an interest in investigating the relationship between speech and language ability and hearing, in understanding the structure and role of sign language, and in finding ways to support children's speech, language, reading and writing skills with digital innovations. We also investigate school and society's practices, for example how the right to participation is realized for children and young people with developmental language disorder.

External team member: Malin Wass, Luleå Technical University