Table Of ContentCOVID-19 AND
SPEECH-LANGUAGE
PATHOLOGY
This collection is the frst of its kind to examine the impact of the COVID-19
pandemic on the caseloads and clinical practice of speech-language pathologists.
The volume synthesises existing data on the wide-ranging efects of
COVID-19 on the communication, swallowing, and language skills of i ndividuals
with COVID infection. Featuring perspectives of scholars and practitioners
from around the globe, the book examines the ways in which clinicians have
had to modify their working practices to prioritise patient and clinician safety,
including the signifcant increase in the use of telepractice during the pandemic.
The volume also refects on changes in training and education which have seen
educators in the feld redesign their clinical practicum in order to best prepare
students for professional practice in an age of COVID-19 and beyond, as the feld
continues to grapple with the long-term efects of the pandemic.
Ofering a holistic treatment of the impact of COVID-19 on the work of
speech-language pathologists, this book will be of interest to students, r esearchers,
and clinicians working in the discipline.
Louise Cummings is Professor in the Department of English and C ommunication
at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Her research interests in speech-l anguage
pathology are pragmatic disorders, language impairment in COVID-19, and
communication in neurodegenerative disorders. In 2020, she published the volume
Language in Dementia with Cambridge University Press.
Routledge Research in Speech-Language Pathology
Series editor: Louise Cummings
Routledge Research in Speech-Language Pathology looks beyond traditional areas
of study within the discipline to showcase topics historically underserved in
research on communication disorders, highlighting fresh perspectives on issues of
key importance in speech-language pathology. The series ofers comprehensive
treatments of communication disorders and the work of speech-language
pathology with an eye toward pushing the feld forward, critically examining
challenges in addressing disparities in speech-language pathology and exploring
the latest developments in related disciplines with implications for the future of
research on communication disorders. Volumes in this series will be of particular
interest to students, scholars, and clinicians in speech-language pathology, speech
and language therapy, and clinical linguistics, as well as related felds such as special
education, psychology, neurology, psychiatry, social work, and nursing.
Language Case Files in Neurological Disorders
Louise Cummings
COVID-19 and Speech-Language Pathology
Louise Cummings
For more information about this series, please visit: www.routledge.com/
Routledge-Research-on-Speech-Language-Pathology/book-series/RRSLP
COVID-19 AND
SPEECH-LANGUAGE
PATHOLOGY
Edited by Louise Cummings
Cover image: Getty Images
First published 2023
by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
and by Routledge
4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2023 selection and editorial matter, Louise Cummings; individual
chapters, the contributors
The right of Louise Cummings to be identifed as the author of the
editorial material, and of the authors for their individual chapters, has
been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced
or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other
means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and
recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without
permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks, and are used only for identifcation and explanation
without intent to infringe.
ISBN: 978-1-03219-0-075 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-03219-0-068 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-00325-7-318 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003257318
Typeset in Bembo
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
CONTENTS
List of contributors vii
1 COVID-19: a new challenge in speech-language pathology 1
Bijoyaa Mohapatra and Ranjini Mohan
2 The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children’s
speech and language development 20
Sara A. Charney, Stephen M. Camarata, and
Alexander Chern
3 Telepractice in child speech-language pathology during
COVID-19 38
Megan Overby
4 Neurolinguistic defcits and other cognitive disorders in
adults with severe COVID-19 infection 53
Konstantinos Priftis
5 Cognitive-linguistic difculties in adults with Long COVID 72
Louise Cummings
6 Communication-related quality of life in adults with
Long COVID 96
Louise Cummings
vi Contents
7 Management of voice disorders in COVID-19 130
Emerald J. Doll
8 Clinical presentation of patients with COVID-19 in
critical care following intubation and tracheostomy 146
Sarah Wallace
9 Swallowing difculties in adults after COVID-19 167
Anna Miles
10 Telepractice in adult speech-language pathology during
COVID-19 182
Elizabeth C. Ward and Ashley E. Cameron
11 Psychological efects of COVID-19 on adults with
aphasia and their caregivers: six-month consequences of
COVID-19 lockdowns in Hong Kong 199
Anthony Pak-Hin Kong, Dustin Kai-Yan Lau, and
Vivian Nga-Ying Chai
12 The impact of COVID-19 on education and training in
speech-language pathology 221
Janet Ho-yee Ng
13 Case studies of adults with COVID-19 infection 243
Louise Cummings
Index 269
CONTRIBUTORS
Stephen M. Camarata received a doctorate from Purdue University and com
pleted a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Arizona. His expertise
includes speech and language intervention in children with autism spectrum dis
order, Down syndrome, hearing loss, and specifc language impairment. He is
the past chair of the NIH study section on Developmental Disabilities and Child
Psychopathology, the current chair of the NIH study section on Communication
Disorders Research, and an editor-in-chief for the Journal of Speech- Language-
Hearing Research. He has published over 100 papers and two books related to
development, Late Talking Children: A Symptom or a Stage and The Intuitive Parent.
Ashley E. Cameron holds a bachelor of psychology from the Queensland
U niversity of Technology and a master of speech-pathology studies from the
University of Queensland. She completed her PhD at the University of Queens
land, where she investigated approaches to enhance the participation of indi
viduals with acquired communication difculties. Dr Cameron has worked as
a speech-language pathologist for Queensland Health since graduation. She is
also the lead of the Allied Health – Translating Research into Practice initia
tive programme, which supports the Queensland Health workforce in translating
knowledge within healthcare settings.
Vivian Nga-Ying Chai obtained a bachelor’s degree in translation from the Chi
nese University of Hong Kong and a master’s degree in speech therapy from The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University. She has a wide-ranging interest in rehabili
tating communication disorders in children and adults in Hong Kong. During
the pandemic, she completed her master’s thesis on investigating the psychosocial
implications of the COVID-19 lockdown on individuals with aphasia and their
viii Contributors
caretakers in Hong Kong. She currently works as a qualifed speech therapist in
an early education and training centre (with a primary caseload of preschool chil-
dren) at the Hong Kong Christian Service.
Sara A. Charney is a speech-language pathologist who specialises in voice, swal-
lowing, and upper airway disorders at Mayo Clinic in Arizona. She received
her master’s degree in communication sciences and disorders from Vanderbilt
University and her BS in cognitive science degree from Occidental College. She
completed her clinical fellowship at the NW Clinic of Voice and Swallowing
at Oregon Health Science University. Her research interests include voice and
swallowing disorders, including those secondary to head and neck cancer, as
well as inducible laryngeal obstruction. She has recently developed an interest in
the potential long-term impact of COVID-19 on the feld of speech-language
pathology.
Alexander Chern is a resident physician in otolaryngology – head and neck sur-
gery at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital (Columbia and Weill Cornell campuses).
He received his MD from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and his
BS in molecular biophysics and biochemistry from Yale University. His research
interests include music perception and cognition, cochlear implantation, and the
efects of hearing loss on the brain. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic,
Dr Chern has been investigating otolaryngologic manifestations of the disease, as
well as the wider implications of the pandemic on the feld of otolaryngology –
head and neck surgery.
Louise Cummings is Professor in the Department of English and Communica-
tion and Associate Dean for Research in the Faculty of Humanities at The Hong
Kong Polytechnic University. She teaches and conducts research in pragmatics,
clinical linguistics, and health communication. She is the author and editor of
18 books, including most recently Language Case Files in Neurological Disorders
(Routledge, 2021); Fallacies in Medicine and Health (Palgrave Macmillan, 2020);
Language in Dementia (Cambridge University Press, 2020); and the Handbook of
Pragmatic Language Disorders (Springer, 2021). She is editor of the book series
Routledge Research in Speech-Language Pathology and online series Cambridge Ele-
ments in Health Communication.
Emerald J. Doll, MS, CCC-SLP, is the supervisor of the Adult Voice Clinic
and a practicing speech-language pathologist at University of Wisconsin (UW)
Hospital and Clinics. She specialises in voice and upper airway disorders with an
emphasis on vocal performers, including singers and actors, and patients with
heavy vocal demands and needs. She received her bachelor of music and master
of science in speech-language pathology from the University of Wisconsin –
Madison.
Contributors ix
Anthony Pak-Hin Kong is Associate Professor in Human Communication,
Development, and Information Sciences at the University of Hong Kong. His
research interests include aphasia, discourse analyses, and neurogenic commu-
nication disorders in multilingual speakers. His research has received continuous
funding from the National Institutes of Health, the Hong Kong government, and
multiple (inter)national universities and private foundations. Apart from serving
as a consultant to provide research, clinical, and/or professional consultations to
many (inter)national agencies, such as Aphasia United, Project BRIDGE (Build-
ing Research Initiatives by Developing Group Efort, USA), the Hong Kong
Hospital Authority, and the Hong Kong Society for Rehabilitation, Professor
Kong is currently Section Editor (Inaugural Linguistics Section) of PLOS-ONE
and Editorial Board Member of Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups.
Dustin Kai-Yan Lau is Associate Professor in the Department of Chinese and
Bilingual Studies, Faculty of Humanities at The Hong Kong Polytechnic Uni-
versity. He has worked as a speech therapist and clinical instructor in a variety of
settings, which equipped him with frontline experience in assessing and treating
clients with diferent communication disorders. His research interests lie mainly
in psycholinguistics and neurolinguistics. He is also interested in developing clini-
cal assessments and evidence-based treatments for diferent communication dis-
orders in Chinese.
Anna Miles, PhD, is a practising speech-language therapist with over 25 years of
experience working in the acute and community setting. She is a researcher, lec-
turer, and clinician in the area of voice and swallowing disorders at the University
of Auckland. Dr Miles runs a hospital-based student teaching clinic as well as an
outpatient voice and swallowing rehabilitation clinic. She is the New Zealand
Speech-Language Therapists’ Association Clinical Expert in Adult Dysphagia and
COVID-19 and chaired the Dysphagia Research Society’s COVID-19 Taskforce
from 2020 to 2021. Dr Miles has approximately100 peer reviewed publications
and around 1,000 citations. The Swallowing Research Laboratory in the Cen-
tre of Brain Research at the University of Auckland, led by Dr Miles, strives to
improve the lives of people with swallowing difculties through improved assess-
ment, treatment, and medical education.
Ranjini Mohan, PhD, CCC-SLP is an Assistant Professor in the Department of
Communication Disorders at Texas State University, USA. Dr Mohan earned
her PhD in cognitive neuroscience and gerontology at Purdue University. Her
research explores the behavioural and electrophysiological bases of cognitive-
linguistic processes in typically aging adults and those with neurogenic disor-
ders. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr Mohan has been studying the efects
of the disease on swallowing and its implications for speech-language pathol-
ogy services. She has extensive clinical experience performing diagnostic and
