Child and Adolescent Language and Literacy Development and Disorders

(Barton-Hulsey, Catts, Hall-Mills, Wood, Farquharson, Tibi, Johnson, Therrien)

• Linguistic factors underlying reading and writing development
• Early identification, assessment, and intervention strategies for improving the speech, language and literacy skills of students with language-learning disorders or those who are English-language learners
• School-based speech-language pathology practice patterns and professional issues
• Language and literacy development in speakers of non-mainstream dialects
• Language and literacy development in children with intellectual and developmental disabilities

Early Communication Development and Intervention

(Barton-Hulsey,  Romano, Wood, Johnson, Therrien)

• Early identification of and interventions for autism
• Language and literacy development of speakers of non-mainstream dialect or English language learners
• Outcomes from embedded communication interventions in home and early care and education programs
• Early speech variability in typical and atypical speech development
• SLP-Family partnerships to support communication development
• Interventions for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities

Multicultural Issues in Communication Disorders

(Hall-Mills, Johnson, Kim, Wood, Tibi, Constantino)

• Effects of African-American English on language and literacy learning
• Differential diagnosis of communication disorders and differences in bilingual Spanish-speaking children and bidialectal speakers
• Effects of language-bridging strategies for English language learners on language and literacy outcomes
• The bilingual brain
• Cross-linguistic contributions into literacy
• Effects of native languages on manifestation of dysarthria
• Proportionate representation in speech-language services for school-age children
• Measuring how having a communication disorder as a speech-language pathologist affects clinical practice and research questions

Adult Language and Cognitive Disorders

(Madden, Bush)

• Impact of aphasia on the friendships of stroke survivors and their care partners
• Understanding perspectives of people with aphasia and speech-language pathologists regarding literacy skills and needs post-stroke
• Treatment approaches for acquired reading and writing disorders
• Examining the relationship between spoken and written language processing  in aphasia
• Effects of cognitive-linguistic load on post-stroke spoken production, gait, and fall risk

Motor Speech Disorders

(Kim, Lansford)

• Development of a perceptual complement to etiology-based MSD diagnostic practices
• Effects of acquired neurological disease on speech production
• Instrumental analysis of speech produced by individuals with various neurological conditions
• Motor learning guided (MLG) approach via web-based and face-to-face sessions for treating apraxia of speech and other speech disorders.

Swallowing and Dysphagia

(Greenhill)

• Measures of tongue function in individuals with normal and impaired swallowing
• Instrumental assessment techniques to supplement the clinical assessment of dysphagia

Healthy Aging and Longevity

(Morris)

• Age-related changes in speech motor control and motor learning, including underlying neuromotor  and autonomic nervous system function and resultant articulatory output
• Physiologic indices of speech production and perception across the aging continuum

Speech Science

 (Kim, Lansford, Morris)

• Acoustic/temporal/perceptual and physiologic measurement of speech, singing and choral performance under varying conditions
• Influence of time pressure on the efficiency, fluency and linguistic quality of communication in adults
• Acoustic characteristics of typical and disordered speech in adults and children

Audiology and Audiologic Rehabilitation

(Wood, Snowden)

• Child speech and language outcomes following newborn identification of deafness
• Impact of deafness on family quality of life
• Family satisfaction with early hearing detection and intervention
• Impact of family involvement on rate of progress for children who are deaf or hard of hearing

Research on Teaching and Clinical Processes

(Wood, Morris, Nimmons, Snowden, Constantino, K. Guynes)

• Measurement of supervisor skills in community placements using a supervisor latent scale including video conferencing
• Use of a visual analog scale to measure student clinicians’ perceptions regarding clinical skill development and outcomes
• Measurement of student competency development and satisfaction using treatment fidelity measures
• Coaching practices for implementation of communication interventions by caregivers and interdisciplinary team members
• Telepractice and distance learning strategies
• Counseling pedagogy
• Towards evidence-based practices in American Sign Language instruction
• Roles and qualifications of educational professionals/RSPs serving DHH students

Stuttering

(Constantino)

• Measuring the subjective experience of stuttering in real world settings
• Analyzing the impact of stuttering on quality of life
• Facilitating new, positive meanings around the experience of stuttering
• Integrating new findings into therapeutic practice

Augmentative & Alternative Communication

(Therrien, Barton-Hulsey)

• Development of appropriate assessments of language and literacy skills for individuals who use AAC
• Evaluating the impact of language and literacy supports for individuals who use AAC
• Investigating interventions to support development and maintenance of social relationships for individuals who use AAC
• Working with parents, teachers, and other communication partners to facilitate increased communication for individuals who use AAC across environments