Rate My Professor Sharon Smart

Dr. Sharon Smart is a Senior Lecturer in the Curtin School of Allied Health, Faculty of Health Sciences at Curtin University, specializing in speech pathology. She teaches undergraduate and postgraduate units in paediatric speech, language, feeding, and swallowing disorders. Dr. Smart earned a Bachelor of Science in Human Communication Science from Curtin University in 2000 and a PhD in Human Communication Science from the School of Psychology and Speech Pathology at Curtin University in 2008. She is a Certified Practicing Speech Pathologist (CPSP), holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education Innovative Learning, and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA). With over a decade of experience in academia, she has coordinated and delivered courses emphasizing evidence-based practices and previously served as Course Coordinator for the Graduate Entry Masters Speech Pathology program. Her dedication to student learning has been recognized through teaching awards.

Dr. Smart's research interests include speech sound development and disorders, infant feeding development, paediatric dysphagia including swallowing and feeding disorders, ankyloglossia (tongue-tie) assessment and treatment, and orofacial myofunctional therapy. Her key publications encompass "Mindfulness-based approaches for managing stress, anxiety and depression for health students in tertiary education: a scoping review" (Parsons, Gardner, Parry & Smart, 2022, Mindfulness), "Speech production in young children with tongue-tie" (Salt, Claessen, Johnston & Smart, 2020, International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology), "Investigating tongue strength and endurance in children aged 6 to 11 years" (McKay, Smart & Cocks, 2020, Dysphagia), "Chewing skills in two and three year old children: Gender and age comparisons on an adapted version of the test of mastication and swallowing (TOMASS-C)" (Porter, Smart, Hennessey & Cocks, 2024, International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology), "Beyond surgery: Pre- and post-operative care in children with ankyloglossia" (Smart, Grant & Tseng, 2025, International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry), and co-authorship on the "International Consortium of Oral Ankylofrenula Professionals (ICAP) practice guidelines for ankylofrenula management" (Smart et al., 2024, International Journal of Orofacial Myology and Myofunctional Therapy). These works contribute to clinical guidelines and multidisciplinary management in paediatric oral and communication health. Dr. Smart has received the Curtin University Aspire Award, the 2020 Curtin University Teaching Award for Excellence in Teaching, and the 2021 Australian Awards for University Teaching Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning. She serves as Chair of the Australasian Society of Tethered Oral Tissues (ASTOT) and a board member of the International Consortium of Ankylofrenula Professionals (ICAP).