I received a B.S. and M.S. degree from Texas Tech University in Speech-Language Pathology and a Ph.D. in Child Language Development and Disorders from Purdue University. I began my academic career at the University of Montana and then moved to Case Western Reserve University where I served as Department Chair. I am currently a Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Utah. I teach classes in phonological disorders in young children, cleft palate, and research methods. I was the PI on a multi-centered longitudinal study (funded by the NIH) of speech and language development of young children with cleft palate. I have an extensive record of scholarly publications and departmental, university, and professional service.
Research Statement
My current research focuses on speech development of children with cleft palate (CP) up to to age 3. I am intrigued with questions related to the impact of clefting on early speech/language development and how these early deficits impact later speech/language learning. My longitudinal study (NIH funded) of speech/language development of children with CP provided data related to these questions and challenged current views on the timing of primary palatal surgery. Additionally, this work has answered questions related to early babbling skills, mother-child interaction patterns, pragmatic skills, and the impact of intervention (to name a few) for infants and young children with CP. I have also been involved in numerous projects related to the genetic bases of speech disorders. That research (which includes collecting behavioral and DNA samples on multigenerational families) is ongoing as well.
