Jon F. Miller, Emeritus Professor, Communication Sciences and Disorders, received the 2017 Frank R. Kleffner Lifetime Clinical Career Award from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation. This award honors exemplary contributions to science and practice.
Dr. Miller was recognized for more than five decades of leadership in clinical research, service, supervision and administration. His early and ongoing concerns for individuals with severe disabilities informed his pursuit of excellence. Dr. Miller’s innovative work to develop the Systematic Analysis of Language Transcripts (SALT), a computer-based coding system to analyze language samples, has transformed the work of clinicians to more accurately and efficiently code details of children’s language. His visionary work contributed worldwide to increased awareness for analyzing non-native English speakers’ language with the framework adapted to yield valid, reliable and culturally sensitive methods. With support from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the National Institutes of Health, he established the Symposium on Research in Child Language Disorders to address issues concerning child language disorders.
His lifetime contributions have altered the course of science and practice, substantially increasing availability of effective services for people with disabilities.