Geralyn Schulz

Geralyn Schulz

U.S. Fulbright Senior Scholar

Media Profile

“Speech impairments from stroke, traumatic brain injury and Parkinson’s disease are extremely common. Current techniques often fail to remediate speech because they rely on auditory feedback to shape oral-lingual movements, a process which is impaired by brain damage.”

Associate Professor Schulz is one of six Americans to be granted a Fulbright Senior Scholar Award to Australia in 2006. Working with state of the art technology at the University of Queensland Dr Schulz will explore alternative methods of treatment to assist brain damaged individuals regain their speech.

Schulz is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Speech and Hearing Science at George Washington University in Washington D.C. She has extensive experience in researching adult neurological disorders, with a focus on their impact on speech disorders. Her work has been recognised as being at the cutting edge of speech science and pathology, combining both scientific research and clinical experience.

At the University of Queensland (UQ), Schulz will undertake collaborative work with the Motor Speech Research Centre into the visual biofeedback of lingual movement in relearning speech following neurological damage. She will also present lectures and seminars in speech and language pathology.

“All the traditional techniques for re-training speech rely primarily on the adequacy of auditory feedback to shape the movements of the tongue, lips, jaw and soft palate”, explains Schulz. “People suffering from neurological damage may have difficulty in accurately using auditory feedback. We are therefore exploring the use of visual (bio) feedback electrical measurement systems and visual feedback as being a more effective treatment in re-learning speech. We will also be exploring if different treatments work better for different disabilities to assist people re-learn speech.”

“In the United States and Australia the incidence and prevalence of neurologic disorders such as stroke, traumatic brain injury (TBI) and Parkinson’s disease (PD) is extremely high. Approximately 1.5 million American and 25,000 Australians suffer from a TBI each year. For each of the disorders over one third then also suffer from a speech production impairment.”

“Loss of ability to communicate through speech is a significant contributor to reduced quality of life and can lead to social exclusion and loss of employment. It is therefore critically important that effective remediation techniques are used to assist people recover their speech as quickly as possible so they remain engaged and active in their lives and communities”, states Schulz.