Dr. Shelley Velleman’s educational and professional experience has been extensive and varied, with a common theme of speech production in children. Her PhD from the University of Texas at Austin (1983) is in Linguistics, with a specialization in child phonology (speech development). She has one master’s degree in Applied Linguistics (teaching English as a second language) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (1978) and one in Communication Disorders/Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Massachusetts (1985). She has many years of pediatric clinical experience as well as many years of teaching as a tenure system faculty member at the undergraduate and graduate levels at Elms College in Chicopee, MA and at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst, where she was an associate professor of communication disorders from 2005- 2011.

Dr. Velleman’s research focuses on speech sound development in typically-developing (TD) children and in children with disorders. Her studies of TD children have focused on how the language or dialect of exposure affects the process of learning to talk, including such languages as English, French, Japanese, Finnish, and Welsh as well as the African American English dialect. With respect to disorders, she specializes in motor speech disorders, especially Childhood Apraxia of Speech. She seeks to identify and remediate the motor speech, phonological, and literacy difficulties associated with neurodevelopmental syndromes, such as autism spectrum disorders, Down syndrome, Williams syndrome, and 7q11.23 Duplication syndrome (which was just identified in 2004).

How did you first become interested in CAS? 

Way back in 1990 or so, I had some very challenging clinical cases. I began to try to find out about what might be wrong with those children and what to do about it. Luckily, Kristine Strand was presenting a workshop in Boston (with Tony Bashir, I think) about what we called Developmental Verbal Dyspraxia back then. I put together some of the ideas that they had presented with what I had learned from doing my dissertation, and suggested to Kristine that maybe the problem was not the segments themselves but the transitions between the segments. Kristine and I had a long conversation at the end of the workshop and many more after that as we both read all we could, shared ideas, and tried them out on the children with CAS on our caseloads. I started actively seeking to add more such children to my caseload and my colleagues were happy to refer to me. Soon, Kristine and I were presenting CAS workshops together all over the U.S. and we wrote a chapter for Bernthal and Bankson’s 1994 book. I was seriously hooked.

How long have you been interested in CAS?

Since about 1990; see above.

What is your “why” for being involved with Apraxia Kids?

Once I started giving workshops about CAS, I started getting emails from parents (as well as SLPs) from all over the U.S. (and even other countries). They consistently asked me whether or not there was a parent support organization for CAS. I consistently answered, “No, but if you start one, I’ll support you.” Sharon Gretz was the first – and only – parent who took me up on it! Thus, I have supported the organization from its conception. I have been thrilled to watch Apraxia Kids evolve and thrive.

What is your vision for the next 2-3 years for Apraxia Kids?

Continue to do all of the fantastic things you’re/we’re already doing! I’m especially interested in the outreach to people and organizations in other countries. Understanding of CAS – even among SLPs – is seriously underdeveloped in some countries.  It’s heartbreaking to think of the children who are so challenged to communicate in environments where there are essentially no resources for them or their families. Those children and their families, and the slowly but consistently growing number of SLPs in those countries, need our support desperately.

A couple of fun things about you – favorite pastime, latest non-professional book you read, hobby or favorite pastime, person you would most love to have dinner with (living now or in the past), dream vacation, or anything else that might be of interest that you want to share! Pick 2 or 3 things to tell us about yourself!  

I love to swim, canoe, hike, and bicycle. My husband and I have just retired to a waterfront home in Annapolis, MD where we can do those things almost whenever we want. I’ve been a member of a wonderful creative writing group for decades that now meets via zoom; I’m hoping to do more and more of that as I gradually get better at this retirement thing. (Keep your eyes peeled for my forthcoming novel – ha, ha!) My husband and I also love to travel and we are trying to do even more of that now, as well.