• Adults with swallowing difficulties
• Children with motor speech disorders

• Swallowing difficulties in Adults
• Dysphonia in individuals with degenrative diseases
• Acquired communication difficulties in adults
• Motor speech disorders in children
• Speech sound development in children
• Disability studies

• Awarded with a ‘Faculty of Science fee support doctoral student scholarship’, University of Auckland (2021)
• Awarded with a 3-year scholarship to pursue Ph.D. in Speech Science at the University of Auckland by Accelerating Higher Education Expansion and Development (AHEAD)(2018-round 1).
• Merit pass for Master of Public Health in Epidemiology, the University of Kelaniya in 2017
• Travel award for the poster presentation on ‘Understanding the communication developmental trajectories when working with children with developmental disorders and autism: capacity building for primary care service providers in a semi- urban district of Sri Lanka’ in the Regional Asia Pacific International Meeting For Autism Research (IMFAR), November, 2015, Shanghai, China.
• Meritorious award for the poster presentation on ‘Validating an Assessment for Sinhala Phonological Development in Children Age 3 to 5 Years’ in American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA) Annual Convention 2014, November 2014, Florida, USA.
• Meritorious award for the poster presentation on ‘The development of language- specific speech norms for Sri Lankan Tamil’ in American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA) Annual Convention 2013, November 2013, Chicago, USA. 

Publication in Journals

• Hettiarachchi, S., Subramaniam, V., Rajah, E., Gowritharan, P., Nizar, S. & Saleem, S. (2019). ‘Enabling Access’: A pilot study on access and use of assistive products in the northern province, Sri Lanka. https://doi.org/10.5463/dcid.v30i3.842.
• Saleem, S., and Hettiarachchi, S. (2014). Typical phonemic and phonological development of three-year-old Sri Lankan Tamil-speaking children in the Colombo district. Journal of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Vol. 03, p 44-60.
• Saleem, S., M. M. K. Bandara, A. A. N. Subajini, K. L. L. G. Udugama, I. Dharmarathna, G. Kitnasamy, and S. Hettiarachchi (2014). Views of Teachers, Caregivers and Children with Cerebral Palsy on the Understanding and Use of Augmentative and Alternative Communication Systems in Sri Lanka. Published at the e-repository of the University of Kelaniya. http://repository.kln.ac.lk/handle/123456789/5475

Publications in Conference Proceedings (Oral and Poster Presentations)

• Saleem, S., Miles, A. & Jacqui, A. (2021). A systematic review of physical rehabilitation for improving swallow and cough function in Parkinson's Disease. 4^th Laryngology Society of Australasia Conference (Virtual), November 2021.
• Saleem, S., Miles, A. & Jacqui, A. (2020). Effects of Parkinson’s disease on cough function: A retrospective observational study. 10^th European Society for Swallowing Disorders (ESSD) Online Virtual Congress, October 2020.
• Saleem, S., Miles, A. & Jacqui, A. (2020). Deteriorating Parkinson’s swallow characteristics: A retrospective cross-sectional study. 10^th European Society for Swallowing Disorders (ESSD) Online Virtual Congress, October 2020.
• Saleem, S., Miles, A. & Jacqui, A. (2020). Effects of intensive voice therapy-LSVT LOUD in individuals with Parkinson’s. 17^th Annual Inhouse Convention, School of Psychology, University of Auckland, New Zealand.
• Saleem, S. & Miles, A. (2019). Are exercise-based approaches beneficial for neurogenic dysphagia in Parkinson’s disease?. Research Showcase 2019, Faculty of Science, University of Auckland, New Zealand.
• Saleem, S., Shadden, B., & Wickramasinghe, R. (2017). Validation of a new Language Screening Test (LAST) for post-stroke Tamil speaking patients in Sri Lanka. Asia Pacific Conference on Speech, Language and Hearing, September 2017, Narita, Japan.

• Dharmarathna, I.,Saleem, S., Udugama, K.L.L.G., Lokubalasuriya, T., Sivasubramaniam, G., Nonis, D., Gunathilake, G., Priyangika, I., Perera, N., Hettiarachchi, S., Saafeer, M., Nagoor, R., Sajana, F., Najimudeen, N., and Gowritharan, P. (2016). “Developing and Validating a Speech & Phonology Assessment in Sri Lankan Tamil for Young Children”, Annual Convention of American Speech-Language and Hearing Association, November 2016, Philadelphia, USA.

• Hettiarachchi, S., Udugama, L., Dharmarathna, I. Lokubalasuriya, T., Nonis, D., Saleem, S., Ranaweera, M., Walisundara, D., Wijerathna, W., Gunathilaka, G., Iroshini, P., Perera, N., Developing a Multisensory Narrative Assessment for Children aged between 3 to 5 years,30th World Congress of the International Association of Logopedics and Phoniatrics (IALP), 2st – 25th August 2016, Dublin, Ireland. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/307156207_Developing_a_Multisensory_Narrati ve_Assessment_for_Children_aged_between_3_to_5_years
• Hettiarachchi, S., Lokubalasuriya, L.B.T.C., Saleem, S., Nonis, D., Dharmarathna, I. Udugama, L., Developing & Validating a Rapid Syntactic Screening Procedure in Sinhala for Children in Sri Lanka, American Speech and Hearing Association Annual (ASHA) Convention, November 2015, Colorado, USA
• Hettiarachchi, S., Kitnasamy, G., Bandara, M., Lokubalasuriya, T., Saleem, S., Nonis, D., Dharmarathna, I., Udugama, K. L. L. G. Validating the Cerebral Palsy Quality of Life for Children (CPQOL-Child) Questionnaire for use in Sri Lanka, American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA) Annual Convention, November 2015, Colorado, USA
• Saleem, S., Bandara, M., Subajini, N., Udugama, L., Dharmaratne,I., Kitnasamy, G., and Hettiarachchi, S., Views of Teachers, Caregivers and Children with Cerebral Palsy on the Understanding and Use of Augmentative and Alternative Communication Systems in Sri Lanka (2014). Voice for All – Speech and Language Therapy, Audiology and Disability Conference Book of Abstracts, Department of Disability Studies, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka
• Nonis, D., Ranaweera, M., Saleem, S., Udugama, K.L.L.G., Lokubalasuriya, T. and Hettiarachchi, S., Developing and validating a Sinhala phonology assessment for children aged between 3 to 6 years: trends observed and lessons learnt (2014), Voice for All – Speech and Language Therapy, Audiology and Disability Conference Book of Abstracts, Department of Disability Studies, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka
• Hettiarachchi, S., Das, A., Lokubalasuriya, T., Nonis, D., and Saleem, S., Ready to Include? Perceived Training Needs Among Mainstream Teachers in Sri Lanka. American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA) Annual Convention, November 2014, Florida, USA.
• Sumanasena, S., Suveendran, T., Saleem, S., Arunoda, P., & Perera, H., Building the capacity to identify and support children with autism and other. International Seminar on Autism (ISAM), April 2014, Putrajaya, Malaysia.
• Hettiarachchi, S., Ranaweera, M., Rassool, R., Rajapaksha,R.M.W., Saleem. S., Nonis, D., Lokubalasooriya, T., Wahid, A., and Wanniarachchi, M., A Comparative Study of the Phonemic and Phonological Skills of Sinhala-speaking and Sri Lankan Tamil- speaking 3 to 5-year-old Children with Typical and Atypical Speech Patterns. 7th Annual Research Conference on the Humanities and Social Sciences, Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka RASSL, March 2014, Sri Lanka
• Hettiarachchi, S., Ranaweera, M., Rassool, R., Nonis, D., Saleem.S., Wahid, A., Wanniarachchi, M., and Rajapakshe, R. M. W., Snap shots - phonological disorder in Sinhala and Sri Lankan Tamil speaking children. 1st National Conference on General Linguistics, December 2013, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka.
• Saleem, S., and Hettiarachchi, S., Typical phonemic and phonological development of three-year-old Sri Lankan Tamil-speaking children in the Colombo district, 14th Annual Research Symposium, Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya,November 2013, Sri Lanka.
• Saleem. S., Wahid, A., and Hettiarachchi, S., Phonemic and Phonological Acquisition in Sri Lankan Tamil- speaking children aged between 3 to 4 years. The Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka (RASSL),6th Annual Research Conference, 2013, Sri Lanka.
• Wahid, A., Hamza, S., Nonis, D., Pathirana, N., Ranasinghe, G., Saleem, S., Wanniarachchi, M., Normative data on phonetic and phonological development in 3- 4year old children. Young Researchers' Symposium, December 2012, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka.

• Member of coordinating committee of Aptitude test for B.Sc Speech and Hearing Science Students, University of Kelaniya (2018).
• Member of a curriculum review committee (BSc (SHS) Curriculum review 2018 of specialist modules), Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka (2018).
• Member of a curriculum development committee – 2016 (Curriculum for proposed Bachelor of Science Honours degree programmes in Disability and Rehabilitation) at Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka (2016).

• PhD Research project:Effectiveness of Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT LOUD) and Expiratory Muscle Strength Training (EMST) on voice, swallowing and cough function in Parkinson’s: A randomized clinical trial (The University of Auckland, New Zealand)
• Developing and Validating a Speech & Phonology Assessment in Sri Lankan Tamil for Young Children

• Parkinson’s therapy specific training session on ‘ Expiratory Muscle Strength Training-(EMST) approach’ for Auckland DHB community Speech and Language therapists team on 15^th October 2021 (virtual session) organized by Sharon Collins, Practice Supervisor-Speech Language Therapy | Community & Long Term Conditions Directorate, Auckland District Health Board.

• ‘Speech and Language therapy approaches for individuals with Parkinson’s’ at Parkinson’s New Zealand monthly meeting organized by Yuvonne Glassborow, Community Educator Auckland East, on 28^th July 2021 at ST Andrews Curch Center, Howick, Auckland.

Professional membership

• Member European Society of Swallowing Disorders (2020 to date)
• Member of Dysphagia Research Society (2020 to date)
• Certified LSVT eLOUD clinician since April 2020 (tele-practice).
• Certified LSVT LOUD clinician since June 2019.
• Member of Sri Lankan Association of Speech and Language Pathologist (2017 – to date)
• Registered speech and language therapist at Sri Lankan Medical Council since 2015 (SLMC Reg. No. 86)
• Certified Counsellor (2014 – to date

Faculty level contribution

• Member of coordinating committee of Aptitude test for B.Sc Speech and Hearing Science Students, University of Kelaniya (2018).
• Member of a curriculum review committee (BSc (SHS) Curriculum review 2018 of specialist modules), Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka (2018).
• Member of a curriculum development committee – 2016 (Curriculum for proposed Bachelor of Science Honours degree programmes in Disability and Rehabilitation) at Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka (2016).