“Colette has made tremendous progress,” says��SLP graduate��student researcher Alexis Gallagher, who has been working with her throughout the study. “It can be disheartening in the beginning because they’re trying something new, and it’s not changing. Then, I think it was session four or five, suddenly, there was the ‘r’ sound. It’s thrilling.”

The software program they are using was designed by Hitchcock, a leading expert in speech-sound disorders, who, along with more than 20 colleagues across three universities, published “gold-standard evidence that biofeedback accelerates early progress with children” in the.

A Rapid Breakthrough for a Young Learner

After nearly three years of school-based therapy in Florida, improvement on the ‘r’ sound remained painfully slow for Colette, a general indicator of a Residual Speech Sound Disorder (RSSD). “While she’d made gains with other sounds, we just never saw progress with the ‘r’ sound,” says Colette’s mother, Meghan Fougere, a speech-language pathologist herself. A 2014 Montclair SLP alumna, she also tried helping her daughter.

“I kept thinking, ‘I can fix it,’ and I wasn’t fixing it. I had done my best at home with her until she realized that she didn’t want her mommy working on her speech sounds with her. She wanted me to just be mommy.”

After moving back to New Jersey and before investing in private therapy, Fougere reached out to her former professor, Hitchcock, who invited Colette to participate in a new research project using biofeedback technology. “In just a few weeks, we started hearing a difference,” Fougere says.

Hitchcock says: “We managed to create this pilot study for Colette to work on a sound that has long been difficult for her, but to also work on a developing aspect of our treatment program.” Hitchcock’s research is funded by a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant focused on improving children’s speech therapy. The goal is to better understand how kids hear and produce speech sounds, and to see whether new visual biofeedback tools and listening-based training work just as well online as they do in person. So far, more than 100 children ages 8 to 18 have taken part in the study. Gallagher then applied for – and received – a��Montclair Graduate Student Research Award��to move the pilot program forward.

How the Game-Changing Technology Works

The visual-acoustic biofeedback software program provides a real-time display of Colette’s ‘r’ compared to a target representing the desired output, enabling her to both hear and see when she pronounces her ‘r’ correctly. Biofeedback has shown promising results in people with RSSD who have not responded to previous treatments.

This new research has tremendous potential to improve outcomes for children and in much less time.” ~��Elaine Hitchcock, Communication Sciences and Disorders Chairperson

More traditional motor-based treatment for speech disorders often relies on imitation, sound modeling or props such as a mouth-and-tongue puppet. But the ‘r’ sound is uniquely challenging: there is no single right tongue placement, as partly evidenced by 22 different ultrasound images of ‘r’ production pinned to the wall where Colette practices.

“We’ve had a lot of success in situations that have not been successful before with the use of visual biofeedback,” Hitchcock explains. “They’re using the biofeedback as a way to ‘see’ if they’re saying the sound correctly; we’re working around a flawed auditory feedback system to utilize the visual system.”

Why Early Speech Intervention Matters��

Many children struggle with but self-correct the ‘r’ sound. When the issue persists, however, it�� can become problematic when teasing or frustration begins and lead to obstacles in both social and academic environments.

The biofeedback technology “is more effective, and a faster means to an end,” says Hitchcock.
The stakes are surprisingly high. Left unaddressed, speech sound disorders and articulation challenges can affect people well into adulthood – impacting confidence, relationships and even income, says Hitchcock. “So, across the lifespan, it’s a surprisingly large impact, given that it can be as simple as one sound error.”

Montclair’s Nationally Recognized����������Program Offers Research Opportunities

The long-term goal is to train clinicians in the effective use of biofeedback technology including in telehealth practices, making speech therapy more accessible to people, including those in rural areas, who may need treatment for speech sound disorders.

����vlog’s Speech-Language Pathology program is nationally recognized for integrating clinical training with faculty-led research, giving graduate students hands-on experience with innovative treatments like visual biofeedback. Currently, Montclair is vetting an app developed by an NYU researcher, which could be more accessible to clinicians.

I wanted to join Dr. Hitchcock in her work because this opportunity does not exist anywhere else.” ~��Alexis Gallagher, SLP graduate student

Making a Lasting Impact as an SLP Graduate Student

For Gallagher, the project is more than just a research opportunity – it’s personal. A former theater, TV and film actor who changed careers post-COVID, she came to Montclair specifically to work with Hitchcock. She also witnessed firsthand the life-changing impact that speech therapy had on her own daughter, who overcame similar speech difficulties as Colette’s.

Gallagher explains that Montclair offers her “a biofeedback clinic where you can learn” from one of the best researchers in the field. “She literally wrote the program we were doing. Why would I not take the opportunity to learn how to teach a child how to do their ‘r’s using this equipment when the author of it is standing over my shoulder, training me, helping me, guiding me?”

While Colette can now produce her ‘r’s in syllables, words and phrases, she occasionally slips back into losing the ‘r’ in casual conversation and will continue working with the research therapist in the spring, until Gallagher graduates with a master’s in SLP.

Meanwhile, Gallagher is determined to make a difference for Colette. “I know what that feels like as a parent, it’s devastating,” she says, “I want to help this child.”

Story by��Sylvia A. Martinez

Ready to shape the future of speech-language pathology?��Apply to��Montclair’s SLP graduate program.�� Explore other nationally ranked��programs,��visit campus,��, or.

Journalists:��Contact the media relations team��for assets or to schedule an interview.

Doctor of Audiology students at ����vlog Grace Gleba and Nicole Genser were both born with hearing loss and fitted with hearing aids as infants. This week, they graduate with��Audiology��degrees and don white coats, marking their transition from students to professionals, during a ceremony at the��Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders.

Their story is a full-circle journey that started at Summit Speech School, a preschool dedicated to teaching spoken language to children who are deaf or hard of hearing. They were not close at the time and only discovered that coincidence years later when they reconnected at Montclair, drawn independently to the same program by personal experiences and a shared desire to help others.

“It feels like an invisible string tied us together,” says Gleba. “This shared experience from our early years somehow strengthened our connection in adulthood. Reconnecting in grad school felt like the culmination of a journey that began long ago.”

Genser agrees: “We’ve supported one another while learning to navigate this field – not just as patients, but now as providers. Being able to lean on someone who gets it makes the challenges feel less overwhelming and lonely. It’s comforting to know our bond is now lifelong.”

Doctor of Audiology Program Director Maryrose McInerney says Gleba and Genser have been exceptional students. “Grace and Nicole bring a unique and empathetic perspective to audiology shaped by their hearing loss,” she says. “Both are academic standouts, servant-leaders and passionate advocates.”

Fueling Purpose Through Advocacy

Gleba’s advocacy began early. As a child, she became the namesake of “Grace’s Law,” enacted in 2009 to require insurance coverage for children’s hearing aids in New Jersey. Last year, the law expanded to include cochlear implants.

Her diagnosis resulted from voluntary newborn hearing screening; today,����are mandated statewide. Her mother, Jeanine Gleba, discovered that hearing aids weren’t covered by insurance for newborns. Mother and daughter fought for legislative change for nearly a decade.

“When a parent learns at birth that their child is deaf, it is devastating,” Jeanine says. “You don’t know if they will ever hear words such as ‘I love you,’ speak like the rest of the hearing world or have a successful career. You wonder if many doors might not be opened for a child with a disability and what challenges lie ahead.”

But the Glebas helped prepare Grace to succeed in a hearing world. “We never let her deafness define her, and we always had high expectations for her,” Jeanine says.

How Montclair’s Audiology Program Made the Difference

Gleba and Genser thrived in Montclair’s research-based, patient-centered program, the only doctoral audiology program in New Jersey.

They collaborated on pioneering research that addressed challenges faced by audiologists with hearing loss, focusing on clinical tools like listening scopes. Gleba, who presented her findings on “Assessment of Modified Listening Stethoscopes for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Audiologists with Emphasis on Gain and Frequency Shifting” at the New Jersey Speech-Language-Hearing Association (NJSLHA) explains that standard listening checks weren’t always accessible due to her own hearing loss.

“I was unable to dependably listen to hearing aids programmed for individuals with milder hearing loss. As a result, I found myself depending either on verified objective measurements or on my normal-hearing peers to complete listening checks,” Gleba says. “I realized this wasn’t just a personal hurdle – it was a broader issue of equity in clinical practice.”

Genser explored a related topic: “.” She presented at state and national conferences and published in the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s academic journal. ��“I feel fortunate to have spent four years in a program that not only provided a strong clinical foundation, but also truly encouraged student initiative and ideas,” she says. “I was supported in my desire to share my work beyond the classroom through widespread means that help move our field forward, establish the narrative, and amplify underrepresented perspectives.”

Leadership Beyond the Classroom

Both women balanced rigorous academic and clinical schedules with part-time jobs and extensive community service. They:

• Conducted hearing screenings at events such as New Jersey Special Olympics, Head Start Screening Days or at senior centers
• Served as co-presidents of the Student Academy of Audiology
• Participated in NJSLHA’s Advocacy Day at the state capitol in Trenton
• Serve on the Board of Trustees for the Hearing Loss Association of America – New Jersey chapter

In addition, Gleba served two years as a doctoral assistant on the New Jersey Hearing Aid Project, playing a key role in coordinating services statewide for low-income seniors.

Supported by Faculty, Family and��Friendship

Despite the demands of graduate school, both credit their success to support from family, faculty and each other.

“Having a strong, understanding support network made all the difference,” Genser says. “Without the people I leaned on, the road would have been much harder.”

Gleba adds: “I hope to pay it forward by holding the door open for others who share similar goals and dreams.”

Bright Futures in Hearing Health

Gleba and Genser have both accepted jobs as audiologists at clinics where they completed their residencies: Gleba as vestibular director at Adept Audiology in Florida, and Genser at the Center for Hearing and Communication in Manhattan.

“Completing my doctoral degree is a deeply meaningful, full-circle moment for me,” says Genser. “Now, I finally get to live that dream.”

Gleba reflects: “ Individuals with hearing loss often face additional challenges in reaching academic milestones, such as earning a doctoral degree. That’s why this moment is especially meaningful to me – it’s a personal achievement and a symbol of breaking the glass ceiling that others like me continue to face.”

Jeanine Gleba is excited to celebrate her daughter’s achievement: “For all parents, graduation is a shining moment and a joy to witness. This is quite a culmination for Grace and our family, much more so than Grace’s Law. Our daughter is now a doctor! Proud is an understatement.”

The University will��celebrate its graduates at Commencement��exercises on Wednesday, May 7 and Thursday, May 8, 2025, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.��

Story by��Sylvia A. Martinez, University Communications and Marketing

Ready to Start Your Montclair Journey?

• Prospective Students and Parents:��Learn more about��Montclair admissions, our��Audiology��graduate program and the��Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders.
• Journalists:��Contact the��Media Relations team��for assets or to schedule an interview with a member of the Class of 2025.

The SHWV Festival is a statewide intergenerational community-based health and wellness festival that brings together youth, seniors and families. The goal of the event is to advance health equity and improve positive public health outcomes in Black and Brown communities in New Jersey by providing participants with ready access to healthcare and community resources within a culturally relevant, festival-like atmosphere. The festival was created and is hosted by (CCC), a non-profit organization whose mission is to collaborate with underserved communities, service providers, and thought leaders on effective solutions to advance health equity and improve positive public health outcomes.��

College for Community Health and University staff and students volunteered their time on Saturday, September 21st to share resources, offer services, and connect with the Newark community. The following departments participated in this community initiative:

• Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders: Audiology doctoral students provided education on noise exposure and safe listening practices by using a mannequin equipped with a sound level meter and providing an interactive demonstration. They also gave out hearing protection for attendees!��
• Department of Kinesiology: Attendees were able to get their strength, body composition, and blood pressure tested for free. These services were provided by Nathalie Pfeifer and students from her Physiology of Exercise class.
• Department of Nutrition and Food Studies: While the adults were visiting our other tables, Jane Pilanski and her Dietetics students offered interactive games for children to learn about good nutrition, food shopping, and how to build a balanced meal.
• Office of Community Engagement and Partnerships: Colleagues from the President’s Office were connecting��with other community organizations to discuss opportunities for Montclair students as well as faculty and staff to get more involved in local communities.��
• Rocky the Red Hawk: Rocky was the star of the show taking pictures with families, dancing to live music, and encouraging Newark residents to check out the services we were offering.��
• Undergraduate Admissions: Future Red Hawks had the opportunity to learn more about Montclair’s program offerings, application process, and student life from an Admissions Counselor.��

Ayanna Brantley and David Mata, both Kinesiology students, discuss test results with a festival attendee. (Photo by John LaRosa)

Andrea Uguna, Dietetics student, shows a young festival attendee how to make a food shopping list. (Photo by John LaRosa)

Other offerings and highlights from the festival included clinical screenings, family activities, access to health insurance, a carnival, live music and performances, giveaways, and health education panels and workshops led by experts in nutrition, mental health, fitness, and other health-related fields. With a focus on overall well-being, the SHWV festival also provided residents with invaluable opportunities like:

• Free eye exams and glasses for the first 100 children
• Free haircuts for all ages
• A farmer’s market providing healthy food options and free bags of fresh produce
• Free lunch for the first 600 attendees
• A mobile health unit providing free mammography exams��
• A mobile unit from the Motor Vehicle Commision offering full services to residents��

The festival was made accessible to all Newark residents, specifically senior citizens who were bussed in and brought directly to the entrance of the park by Newark Department of Senior Services. This event was possible because of the time and commitment from community leaders, local government, and organizations with a mission to serve. The College for Community Health is honored to have participated as an event sponsor and looks forward to furthering our partnership with CCC.