Speech Drives Language in Down Syndrome, Part 1

From The Speech Link with Char Boshart by Speech Therapy PD

April 16, 2026 · 1h 3m · Season 1 · Episode 96

About this episode

The episode discusses the relationship between speech practice and language development in individuals with Down syndrome, featuring insights from guest Jennifer Gray.

Explore the powerful relationship between speech practice and language development in individuals with Down syndrome. Guest: Jennifer Gray, MS, CCC-SLP Earn 0.10 ASHA CEUs for this episode with Speech Therapy PD Watch on Youtube In this 2-part episode of Speech Link, host Char Boshart, MA, CCC-SLP, sits down with Jennifer Gray, MS, CCC-SLP. Together, they unpack why frequent speech production plays such an important role in expanding utterance length and supporting the development of grammar and syntax. Jennifer explains how repetition helps strengthen cognitive-linguistic skills while also improving voice, prosody, and overall speech clarity. Clinicians will come away with a clearer understanding of why speech practice matters and how to incorporate it intentionally into therapy to support language growth. About the Guest: Jennifer Gray, MS, CCC-SLP, is a certified speech-language pathologist with 20 years of experience treating individuals with speech, language, and feeding delays and disorders. She has spent the last 12+ years specializing in communication and feeding for individuals with intellectual disabilities and motor speech disorders. Show Notes: Contact Jennifer…

People in this episode

Host: Char Boshart

Guest: Jennifer Gray

Topics covered

speech practice
language development
Down syndrome
cognitive-linguistic skills
therapy techniques

Keywords

Down syndrome
speech therapy
language growth
cognitive skills
utterance length

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Speech Therapy PD