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Associate Professor Kirrie Ballard

Associate Professor Kirrie Ballard

Qualifications:

  • BSpThy University of Queensland 1983
  • MA Northwestern University, USA 1994
  • PhD Northwestern University, USA 1997

Positions held:

  • Faculty Position: Associate Professor
  • Head of Discipline, Speech Pathology
  • Course Director, Masters in Speech Language Pathology 

Contact information

Biography

Associate Professor Ballard was awarded the PhD from Northwestern University in the USA. She has held academic appointments in the USA and Sydney. Her major contribution has been to understanding the nature, diagnosis, and treatment of acquired disorders of speech and language production (i.e. aphasia and Apraxia of Speech).

Her work applies current theories of motor control and learning, neuroplasticity, and linguistics in two major areas: (a) analysis of deficits in patients with acquired brain injury and (b) maximising response to behavioural rehabilitation. Recently she has extended this work to studying Childhood Apraxia of Speech (i.e. verbal dyspraxia).

Associate Professor Ballard’s work has been funded by the National Institutes of Health in USA and the National Health and Medical Research Council in Australia. In 2009 she received the Editor’s Award for her co-authored paper on principles of motor learning in treatment of motor speech disorders (American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 17, 277-298). Her strong record of translational research is evident by involvement in practice guideline initiatives and regular invitations to provide continuing education for primary health care workers.


Teaching and Service Responsibilities

Teach into the undergraduate and masters speech pathology programs.


Selected Publications

  • Ballard, K.J., Robin, D.A., McCabe, P., & McDonald, J. (in press, accepted February 2010). Treating dysprosody in childhood Apraxia of Speech. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research.
  • Maas, E., Robin, D.A., Austermann-Hula, S.N., Freedman, S.E., Wulf, W., Ballard, K.J., & Schmidt, R.A. (2008). Principles of motor learning in treatment of motor speech disorders. American Journal of Speech Language Pathology. 17, 277-298. PMID: 18663111
  • Ballard, K.J., & Robin, D.A. (2007). Influence of continual biofeedback on jaw pursuit tracking in healthy adults and adults with apraxia plus aphasia. Journal of Motor Behavior, 39, 19-28. PMID: 17251168
  • Shriberg, L.D., Ballard, K.J., Tomblin, J.B., Duffy, J., Odell, K.H., & Williams, C.A. (2006). Speech, prosody, and voice characteristics of a mother and daughter with a 7;13 translocation affecting FOXP2. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 49, 500-525. PMID: 16787893
  • Ballard, K.J., Granier, J., & Robin, D.A. (2000). Understanding the nature of apraxia of speech: Theory, analysis, and treatment. Aphasiology, 14, 969-995.
  • Knock, T.R., Ballard, K.J., Robin, D.A., & Schmidt, R. (2000). Influence of order of stimulus presentation on speech motor learning: A principled approach to treatment for apraxia of speech. Aphasiology, 14, 653-668.
  • Ballard, K.J. & Thompson, C.K. (1999). Treatment and generalization of complex sentence production in agrammatism. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 42, 690-707. PMID: 10391633
  • Thompson, C.K., Ballard, K.J., Tait, M.E., Weintraub, S., & Mesulam, M. (1997). Patterns of language decline in non-fluent primary progressive aphasia. Aphasiology, 11, 297-321.

Selected Grants

  • Ballard, K.J., Robin, D.A., O’Dwyer, N., & McNeil, M.R. (2010-2013). Accurate differentiation of acquired speech and language disorders for positive rehabilitation outcomes, NHMRC Project Grant, $385,700.
  • Hodges, J., Rowe, C., Piguet, O., Pike, K., Ballard, K.J., & Villemagne, V. (2010-2013). Progressive aphasia and amyloid deposition: a multidisciplinary approach to improving dementia diagnosis, NHMRC Project Grant, $510,700.
  • Ballard, K.J. (2004-2007). Temporal coordination in the motor speech system. NIH-NIDCD RO3. $219,113.
  • Tomblin, J.B., Murray, J.C., Patil, S.K., Grabowski, T.J., Anderson, S.W., Gupta, P., & Ballard, K.J. (2005-2007). The Genetics of Specific Language Impairment. NIH-NIDCD RO1. $2,329,814 over 5 years.
  • Grabowski, T., Bolinger, L., Anderson, S., Ballard, K.J., Damasio, H. et al. (2004-2006). Time-aware fMRI for interactive naming in aphasia. NIH-NIBIB R21, $295,000.

Further grants and further publications

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