Our Research

Main Areas of Study

Our research adopts the multidimensional view of developmental disorders, which suggests that an interaction of multiple risk factors increases the likelihood of developing a given disorder, whereas ‘protective’ factors may decrease this likelihood. Our work seeks to identify factors that may provide protective contributions in an effort to employ a proactive, rather than reactive, approach to promoting positive outcomes for children at risk for developmental disorders. To this aim, our lab is currently conducting several studies focused on children from infancy to school age in which we investigate cognitive-linguistic, environmental, and neural factors that shape the trajectory of language and reading development. Here we describe our main areas of study below:

Sowing seeds of literacy: speech subskills in relation to emergent literacy development

Learning to read is a complex, multi-faceted process that is built upon several foundational speech and language-related subskills. To date, it remains unclear to what extent speech subskills (e.g., segmental and prosodic features of spoken language) impact a child’s ability to learn to read, despite evidence that many children with inaccurate speech-sound production (i.e., speech sound disorders) demonstrate reading difficulties. Therefore, our lab seeks to better understand how speech subskills in early childhood are associated with emergent literacy skills. This work has the potential to inform clinical approaches to early identification and intervention for children at risk for speech, language, and literacy difficulties.

Building a better understanding of speech variability in autism

One of the most striking attributes of autism spectrum disorder involves speech patterns – characterized by unexpected intonation, pace, and emphasis when speaking – which can be a major barrier to effective communication. To examine these speech characteristics as clinically relevant markers of communication difficulties in autism, our lab studies individual differences in children’s speech in relation to social communication and language abilities. This research will establish the groundwork necessary to inform the development of screening tools to advance the early identification of communication difficulties in children with autism and developmental disorders.

Parental influences on children’s language and literacy environments

Parent-child shared reading is understood to provide a high-quality platform for parent-child language interaction and children’s exposure to new words and concepts. Yet, it remains unclear how parents’ language and reading abilities and perceptions (e.g., self-efficacy to support their children’s development) may impact the way in which parents read to and with their children. Therefore, our research examines parental attributes in relation to (i) shared reading practices and (ii) children’s language and emergent literacy skills to identify potentially modifiable factors that can be proactively addressed to promote positive outcomes for at-risk children.

Environmental contributions to shaping brain and language development throughout childhood

In seeking to further specify risk versus protective factors that impact the likelihood of a developmental disorder, our research investigates the specific contributions of environmental factors in shaping children’s brain, language, and reading development. Our current research focuses on prominent aspects of children’s home environments (language and literacy environment, music environment) and certain environmental experiences (e.g., musical training, bilingual language exposure) that have been suggested to impact brain and language development. Overall, this work illuminates the importance of considering these environmental contributions to well-established links between the brain, language, and reading, particularly during heightened periods of brain plasticity in early childhood.

Funding Sources

We are thankful to the Hartwell Foundation and The Dyslexia Foundation for supporting our research.