OMI ANNUAL UPDATE LETTER 2012
The OMI was launched on September 25, 2007 when its first article was published. This letter is to update the Board of Directors and regular readers about the accomplishments and the status of the OMI as 2012 opens.
The OMI can be viewed as a success from many perspectives. It was started as a forum for practicing speech-language pathologists to publish articles related to oral sensory-motor function in articulation and feeding therapy. It continues to function in that capacity and has published five articles to date. Currently one more article has finished the review process and will be posted soon, and another is in review. The institute functions as a study/resource group for clinicians and researchers interested in oral sensory-motor theories and clinical applications.
Articles published on the OMI website are making a definitive impact on clinical practice and research within the field of speech-language pathology. Articles published on the OMI website have been referenced in other journal articles (e.g., Kamhi, 2008), and several OMI articles have been reprinted (in full and with permission) for inclusion in university courses and continuing education seminars. OMI articles also have been reprinted in other journals and newsletters, including one in The International Journal of Orofacial Myology.
Thousands of people are accessing the information posted on to OMI website (Chart 1 below). The website received over 88,000 hits in 2011 and over 11,000 of these were unique hits (people who had never been to the site before). The OMI has a steady low average of about 6000 hits per month, and a high average of more than 14,000. Months that received the most hits have been those in which new monographs are published (September and November). The second most visited months have been those immediately following these publications (October and December).
OMI articles are being accessed globally (Chart 2). Visitors to the OMI website primarily live in the United States, but many additional readers live in Germany, Russia, Ukraine, China, Great Britain, Canada, India, Japan, and other countries. Readers from India and Canada download monographs the most frequently. Anecdotal information gathered from emails posted to the website reveals that those who access OMI articles include speech-language pathology clinicians and researchers, linguists, educators, and parents.
The OMI has given clinicians a voice in the public discussion of oral sensory motor issues related to speech and feeding. To date, every article has been written by one of the co-chairs (e.g., Bahr, 2011 and Marshalla, 2008) but this was not the original intent and it is hoped that this will change. These first papers have allowed the OMI to "iron out" the review process, and several changes resulted. Articles now are reviewed by the co-chairs first, and then put blindly before the Board of Directors. Outside masked peer-reviewers are solicited on an individual basis. The shaping of the review process has expanded our skill in writing and editing clinical and theoretical articles. Co-chair Diane Bahr now coordinates this process.
The OMI invites clinical SLPs and others to submit papers on oral sensory-motor assessment and treatment. The papers must follow APA format and be clinical in nature. Since the OMI Board primarily consists of clinical service providers, empirical research articles with complex statistical analyses are currently beyond the scope of the OMI.
Special recognition should be given to board member Stephen Sacks, MA, CCC-SLP, who received the 2011 Rolland J. Van Hattum Award for Contribution in the Schools from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation. Stephen was honored for developing the Systematic Articulation Training Program Accessing Computers (SATPAC), a software program designed to generate words, phrases, and nonsense words for phoneme targets. SATPAC is used to quickly access a huge assortment of client-specific practice material for repetition and drill for school-age children. The prize included $1,000 for the honoree and $500 to the affiliated school system. The award recognizes outstanding commitment and contribution to service delivery in the schools. Congratulations, Stephen!
The co-chairs of the OMI Board hopes this information is useful to you. Questions or comments may be directed to them.
Diane Bahr, MS, CCC-SLP, CMT, CIMI
Co-chair Oral Motor Institute
dibahr@cox.net
Pam Marshalla, MA, CCC-SLP
Co-chair Oral Motor Institute
pam@pammarshalla.com
Shanti Marshalla
Coordinator
shanti@oralmotorinstitute.org
- Bahr, D. (2011) The oral motor debate, part I: Understanding the problem. Oral Motor Institute, 3, 1.
- Kamhi, A. G. (2008) A meme's-eye view of nonspeech oral-motor exercises. Seminars in Speech and Language 29, 4, p. 331-338.
- Marshalla, P. (2008) Oral motor treatment versus nonspeech oral motor exercises: Historical clinical evidence of 22 fundamental methods. Oral Motor Institute, 2, 1.
