News

PhD Student Hooding Ceremony

Maura O'Fallon successfully defended her dissertation this past spring and will be transitioning to a Postdoctoral Research position at the University of Delaware. In this position, she will gain experience using implementation science and mixed methods to study language interventions for school-aged children with developmental language disorder. Congrats Dr. O'Fallon!

Communication Sciences & Disorders Graduation Ceremony

Undergraduate research assistant Autumn Deppe graduated with a bachelor's degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders and will be attending Northern Illinois University's M.A. Speech-Language Pathology program beginning in June where she hopes to learn how to serve clientele from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Student Awards

Undergraduate research assistant Naihua Wang was awarded with the Shana Kay Memorial Scholarship this past spring, which recognizes students with a commitment to excellence in Communication Sciences & Disorders. Congrats Naihua!

Undergraduate Symposium

Undergraduate research assistants Kallen Erlandson and Bessie Kong presented about ongoing research in the lab at the Undergraduate Symposium this past spring. Great work ladies!

Rebecca Alper on long-term impacts of early language skills

UW-Madison speech pathology professor Rebecca Alper explains how speech language disorders can affect lifelong outcomes among children and considers the role of education access in providing support.

Wisconsin educators take on the surge in early speech delays

The number of children with speech and language impairments has grown in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving teachers and researchers struggling to provide more support for kids and caregivers.

Maura O'Fallon Receives F31 Research Grants

Over the summer, three promising doctoral students began their Ruth L. Kirschstein National Institutes of Health research fellowships. They will be mentored by faculty sponsors while conducting their research in health-related fields.

Dr. Rebecca Alper Named to BEQ's 40 Leaders Under 40 for Class of 2022

Study to Examine How Caregivers Impact Childhood Language Learning

Early childhood language difficulties can have a snowball effect, impacting children’s ability to learn and express themselves. As director of the Language, Literacy, and Learning Lab in the College of Public Health, Rebecca Alper knows that parent-implemented early language intervention can be very effective—but approaches that work well for some families don’t work as well for others.

New Diamond Research Scholar

Congratulations to Melanie Thomas, who was recently selected as a Temple Diamond Research Scholar! Melanie has been a volunteer in the Language, Literacy, and Learning Lab since 2020. As part of the Diamond Research Scholar program, Melanie will complete and present an independent research study in the lab. Stay tuned for updates on the project and Melanie’s findings.

Maura O'Fallon Receives First NIH Grant

Congratulations to Maura O’Fallon, a second-year doctoral student in the LangLitLearn Lab, who was awarded a Ruth L. Kirschstein NRSA Individual Predoctoral Fellowship (F31) from the NIH National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. Maura’s project is titled “Relationship between Child Behavior and Early Language Interaction Quality.

New Open Access Article in JSLHR

Understanding variability sources in early language interaction is critical to identifying children whose development is at risk and designing interventions.

How can critical health interventions made today ensure a healthy tomorrow?

From Temple University's College of Public Health, CommonVoice provides a behind-the-scenes look at how and why we do research.