Meet Our Experts

Dr. Strand is internationally recognized for her expertise in childhood apraxia of speech. Dr. Strand’s research has focused on developmental, acquired and progressive apraxia of speech, and issues related to intelligibility and comprehensibility in degenerative dysarthria. She has a long history of clinical experience, including the public schools, private practice, and hospital and clinic settings. Dr. Strand developed the Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing (DTTC) approach for CAS treatment, which was found to be one of two motor-based treatment approaches with sufficient evidence for clinical use (Murray, et. al., 2014). Dr. Strand’s publications include many articles and book chapters related to motor speech disorders. She is the co-author of the books: Management of Speech and Swallowing in Degenerative Disease and Clinical Management of Motor Speech Disorders in Children and Adults, and she is co-editor of the book, Clinical Management of Motor Speech Disorders in Children. She is an ASHA Fellow and has been awarded Honors of the Association of the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association.

Sue Caspari is an instructor and clinical supervisor in the department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD). Prior to joining the Temple CSD faculty, Caspari worked as a speech-language pathologist with children and adults in a variety of settings including early intervention, private practice and inpatient and outpatient hospital settings, including the Mayo Clinic. Over the years, she has come to specialize her practice in the assessment and treatment of children with childhood apraxia of speech (CAS). Her specific research interests and publications focus on the early identification and treatment of motor speech disorders, including CAS.

Caspari is an advisory board member of Apraxia Kids, an associate member of the Academy of Neurologic Communication Disorders and Sciences, and a member of ASHA’s Neurophysiology and Neurogenic Speech and Language Disorders Special Interest Division. She is also the owner of Caspari and Colleagues, LLC, a group of SLPs dedicated to providing consultation, evaluation and therapy services for children with CAS and other severe speech sound disorders; and the director of an intensive 5-week summer program for children with CAS.

Maria Grigos is an Associate Professor and Vice Chair in the Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders at New York University. Dr. Grigos directs the Motor Speech Laboratory at NYU. Her scholarly work uses kinematic, acoustic and perceptual methods and pursues two lines of research. The first examines speech motor development in children with speech sound disorders, which includes studying the efficacy of speech intervention for children with apraxia of speech. The second examines changes in speech production and facial movement in adults following facial transplant surgery, together with an interdisciplinary team from the NYU Langone Health System. Funding from the National Institutes of Health, NYU Steinhardt and Apraxia-Kids has supported her research. Dr. Grigos holds clinical certification from the American Speech, Language and Hearing Association, and is licensed in speech-language pathology in New York State.

Ruth Stoeckel recently retired from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN where she specialized in the assessment and intervention of children with apraxia of speech. With 30 years of experience, Dr. Stoeckel has delivered services to children in schools, outpatient clinics, and rehabilitation hospital settings. She was often consulted for 2nd opinions on CAS diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment progress. Dr. Stoeckel has presented lectures, workshops and advanced training on Childhood Apraxia of Speech on an international level, including the United States, Canada, Austria, and Australia. Additionally, Dr. Stoeckel has authored and delivered numerous web-based courses focused on CAS. She has co-authored articles on CAS assessment and treatment in numerous peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Stoeckel is a member of the Professional Advisory Council of Apraxia Kids.