Northwestern University has initiated a community-based partnership aimed at addressing systemic barriers to speech and language services for preschool-aged children. This initiative, known as the Communication Justice Project, seeks to screen hundreds of children, particularly those from historically underrepresented groups in scientific research.
The project builds on research led by Marisha Speights from Northwestern's School of Communication. Her lab, Pediatric Speech Technologies and Acoustic Research (PedzSTAR), focuses on early detection of speech disorders in young children and aims to identify racial inequities in current testing methods.
PedzSTAR collaborates with the Childcare Network of Evanston (CNE) and local nonprofit CHAT (Communication Health, Advocacy & Therapy) to expand the scope of Speights' research. This partnership also builds on CHAT’s efforts to provide speech-language services in underserved communities.
Speights highlights critical flaws in existing testing models that do not adequately consider variations in speech and language patterns among different racial or ethnic groups. She notes that “whiteness” has been centered in both test design and scoring, leading to potential misidentification and harmful consequences for children.
The project initially piloted last year has now expanded to eight preschools across Evanston and Skokie. CHAT speech-language pathologists conduct screenings, collect data, and provide services onsite. Karine Fiore, CHAT president and CEO, emphasizes the importance of sustainable identification and support for all children, not just those with private insurance or at well-funded schools.
In 17 classrooms for children aged three to five, CHAT SLPs lead activities focused on language and literacy while conducting screenings for potential delays or disorders. Families can share their child’s results with the PedzSTAR lab to contribute to ongoing research. Children identified as needing further intervention will have access to additional assessments and therapy services provided by CHAT SLPs.
“Partnering with CHAT enables us to center community stakeholders in our research,” said Speights. “CHAT’s team is dedicated to delivering culturally responsive care.”
The PedzSTAR lab is also conducting two separate research projects across eight geographic areas in the U.S., supported by grants from Northwestern's Racial Equity and Community Partnership Grant and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.