Ellika Schalling
Affiliated to research
About me
Employed as associate professor (lektor) in Speech and Language Pathology at the Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology/Division of Speech and Language Pathology at the Karolinska Institutet, combined with employment as a Speech and Language Pathologist at Medical Unit, Speech and Language Pathology, Karolinska University Hospital.
Main area of interest is neurogenic speech and language disorders in adults. My work includes teaching, supervision of master- and doctoral students, research and clinical work within this area. I received a bachelor in Speech and Language Pathology (SLP) from the Karolinska Institutet in 1986, a Master of Science in SLP from Boston University, USA in 1992 and a doctoral degree from the Karolinska Institute in 2007 with the thesis “Speech, voice, language and cognition in individuals with Spinocerebellar ataxia”. Associate professor (docent) in Speech and Language Pathology at Karolinska Institutet 2018.
Research description
Research interests
Studies of speech, voice and language in individuals with neurological disease or injury. Symtoms and prevalence are studied and related to neuroimaging findings. Assessment methods, also including assessment of communicative participation, are developed and studies of self-perceived communication problems and intervention received in different neurological conditions are performed.
Effects of SLP-interventions, especially intensive treatment for individuals with communication disorders secondary to neurological disease and injury are also studied.
Voice use in everyday life, data from recordings in studio environment and everyday life situations are compared and effects of feedback regarding voice sound pressure level is studied with an ambulatory phonation monitor in individuals with Parkinson’s disease.
Aims of the main project are to
-describe voice function in individuals with Parkinsons disease compared to matched controls in field-environments and to compare data on voice function from field-environments with data from controlled studio-recordings.
-study effects of biofeedback on voice intensity in individuals with Parkinsons disease.
- translate and validate a questionnaire for effects of speech impairment on communicative participation
-increase knowledge about self-reported problems related to speech impairment, and about SLP interventions provided, in individuals with neurological disease/injury
-study effects of intensive intervention, including changes in the brain, in individuals with Parkinson’s disease and in people with speech- and language disorders following stroke
- study prevalence and clinical presentation in acquired apraxia of speech as well as neurological correlates and longitudinal outcome
-investigate symptoms and strategies in young women and men who stutter
For more information see:
http://ki.se/clintec/tal-och-sprakstorningar-hos-vuxna
Teaching portfolio
Director of the Board of education at CLINTEC (grundutbildningsansvarig, GUA) 2020-
Programme Director for the Study programme in Speech and Language Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, 2010-2015.
Coordinator for the doctoral programme Hearing, Otolaryngology, Language, Speech (Hörsel, Öron, Språk, Tal, HÖST) 2009-2012 (member of the steering committe 2006-2015)
Member of the steering committee for the doctoral programme Neuroscience 2016-2018
Education
Teaching interests
I mainly teach at the study programme in speech and language pathology. I have an administrative responsibility for the third year of the programme. I am involved in teaching in several courses and I am currently course coordinator for the course:
-Speech and Language Disorders in Adults (10.5 ECTS)
I am also regularly responsible for courses at advanced level (free-standing courses) and I have been the course director of several doctoral courses.
Additional teaching activities include supervision of degree projects for the Study programme in SLP and Master’s degree (30 credits) and supervision of doctoral students (at present Ineke Samson, Marika Schütz and Hanna Steurer as main supervisor and Helena Hybbinette as co-supervisor).
I have a strong commitment to internationalization and to providing opportunities for international exchange for students at the Karolinska Institute. I am responsible for internationalization activities at the study programme in SLP, KI since 2016.