SLP Coffee Talk

Motivation in Secondary-Age Students with Speech Sound Disorders

• Hallie Sherman • Episode 338

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0:00 | 27:23

In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, Hallie sits down with researchers Klaire Brumbaugh and Katy Cabbage, who are part of a team building a nationwide study around something secondary SLPs know all too well: the older student still working on that R who has zero interest in being in the speech room. They're developing tools to actually measure student motivation—so SLPs have real data behind decisions like when to keep kids on, when to discharge, and how to catch that window when a student is finally ready to do the work.



Bullet Points to Discuss: 

  • What one SLP noticed in her high school speech room that kicked off this whole research project 
  • Why motivation is already being used as a dismissal criteria—but no one's actually measuring it 
  • What the research is finding so far—and where the big gaps still are 
  • What a nationwide study looks like and how SLPs can get involved



Here’s what we learned: 

  • When a student is intrinsically motivated, progress can happen in weeks—not years. 
  • Low motivation is already being used to dismiss kids from therapy, but there's no real way to measure or track it. 
  • Parents, teachers, and students often see the same speech sound disorder in completely different ways—and that gap can affect every decision you make. 
  • The best research ideas are already happening in school speech rooms. This whole study started because one SLP spoke up at a conference.



Learn more about Klaire Brumbaugh & Katy Cabbage: 


Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cablab_wsu/ 



Learn more about Hallie Sherman and SLP Elevate:  


📝 Website: https://speechtimefun.com/


🎲✨ Check out the Secondary Secret Podcast here! https://www.speechtimefunpd.com/secret-podcast-signup


📘✨ Grab your copy of The Secondary SLP Roadmap here! https://www.speechtimefunpd.com/stf-book


🎓✨ Grab your free spot at CF Bootcamp 2026 here! https://www.speechtimefun.com/cfbootcamp2026


🎤✨ The Speech Retreat is Back! Learn more and register here!

https://www.speechretreat.com ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ 



Subscribe today and get access to my secret podcast filled with my juicy secrets for planning with ease for secondary speech students. 6 quick episodes that you can quickly listen to and feel refreshed and inspired! https://speechtimefun.com/secondarysecrets