Brooks Rehabilitation has joined forces with the University of Central Florida (UCF), Jacksonville University (JU), and the University of Florida (UF) to create the Eric Sorensen Motor Speech Program (ESMSP). This initiative aims to enhance services for adults diagnosed with motor speech disorders, addressing a significant gap in available care.
The program was inspired by Eric Sorensen, who suffered a traumatic brain injury in 2020 and subsequently developed severe apraxia, a motor speech disorder affecting the brain's ability to coordinate speech movements. Existing services at Brooks Rehabilitation were insufficient to meet his intensive treatment needs, prompting the development of a specialized program.
With the support of Jodi Morgan, manager of the Brooks Rehabilitation Aphasia Center (BRAC), and guidance from Lauren Bislick, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, CBIS, an apraxia expert from UCF, Eric's speech therapist, Jackie Hurst, MS, CCC-SLP, provided skilled apraxia treatment. A generous donation from Eric's parents, Chris and Puschel Sorensen, enabled the establishment of the intensive program.
"It brings me so much joy to see the Sorensen’s vision come to life," said Hurst, who now serves as the program manager. "The university collaboration allows us to provide our clinicians with specialized training and evidence-based resources, in order to achieve higher outcomes for our patients living with motor speech disorders."
The ESMSP officially began in October 2023, offering both virtual and in-person support groups led by Hurst. Six Brooks speech-language pathologists (SLPs) were selected to undergo specialized training, learning to use advanced instrumentation for assessing and treating acquired motor speech impairments. The leadership team includes Hurst and Morgan from Brooks Rehabilitation, along with university partners Christine Sapienza, Ph.D., CCC-SLP (JU), Karen Hegland, Ph.D., CCC-SLP (UF), Bari Hoffman, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, ASHAF (UCF), and Lauren Bislick, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, CBIS (UCF).
Sorensen Integrated Motor Speech (SIMS) Program
The university partners developed the Sorensen Integrated Motor Speech (SIMS) continuing education program. The initial cohort of six Brooks SLPs has already completed this certification. The ESMSP is structured in two phases. Phase I involves SIMS-trained SLPs—four in outpatient care and two in home health—equipped with advanced training and resources to improve treatment for the motor speech community. Phase II will focus on the study of acquired motor speech disorders using both traditional and intensive service delivery models.
