Who We Are

Meet Our Founding Members

Our goal is to raise awareness about developmental language disorder (DLD) and to offer support and resources for parents, teachers and individuals impacted by DLD.

This site was created by collaborators from several institutions.

Karla McGregor, Ph.D.

Boys Town National Research Hospital

Karla McGregor is the Director of the Center for Childhood Deafness, Language & Learning at Boys Town National Research Hospital and Professor Emeritus at the University of Iowa. She conducts research on word learning and use among people with DLD.

Karla McGregor

Lisa Archibald, Ph.D.

University of Western Ontario

Lisa Archibald is an Associate Professor in the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders at The University of Western Ontario. One focus of her research is on links between language and working memory. She also employs a practice-based research approach to partner with school-based speech-language pathologists in exploring services for children with DLD.

Lisa Archibald

Tiffany P. Hogan, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

MGH Institute of Health Professions

Tiffany Hogan is the Director of the Speech and Language  (SAiL) Literacy Lab and Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the MGH Institute in Boston MA. Dr. Hogan studies the genetic, neurological, and behavioral links between oral and written language development, with a focus on co-morbid speech, language and literacy disorders.

Tiffany Hogan

Jacob Michaelson, Ph.D.

University of Iowa Healthcare

Jake Michaelson is an associate professor and chair of the Division of Computational and Molecular Psychiatry within the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Iowa. He also holds a secondary appointment in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders.  He conducts research on the genetic basis of neurodevelopmental conditions like autism and DLD.

Jacob Michaelson

Amanda J. Owen Van Horne, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

University of Delaware

Amanda Owen Van Horne is an Associate Professor and directs the Treatment Efficacy and Language Learning Lab at the University of Delaware.  Her research is focused on how to improve treatment for grammatical difficulties in children with DLD.

Amanda Van Horne

Jodi Oliver, MS, CCC-SLP

Intermountain Healthcare

Jodi Oliver is a clinical Speech Language Pathologist in Outpatient Neuro Rehabilitation and the mother of two amazing teenagers with communication disorders.  She is passionate about spreading awareness and advocating for individuals with DLD in school, work and community settings.

Jodi Oliver

Elizabeth Peña, Ph.D.

University of California, Irvine

Elizabeth Peña is Professor & Associate Dean of Faculty Development and Diversity in the School of Education at the University of California, Irvine. She directs the Human Abilities in Bilingual Language Acquisition (HABLA) lab @ UCI. She studies bilingualism and focuses on how to identify DLD in children who speak English as a second language.

Sean Redmond, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

University of Utah

Sean Redmond is a Professor at the University of Utah in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. His research focusses on the differential diagnosis of DLD from ADHD and on the social and emotional consequences of DLD.

Sean Redmond

Karla N. Washington, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, S-LP(C)

University of Toronto

Karla N. Washington, PhD, CCC-SLP, S-LP(C) is a tenured associate professor in pediatric language disorders. Dr. Washington’s research and clinical interests focus on speech-language development for monolingual and multilingual preschoolers. Dr. Washington is active in NIH- and US Department of Education-sponsored research characterizing children’s expressive language, functional communication, and speech productions. She is an invited member of the International Expert Panel on Multilingual Children’s Speech and was the 2021 Chair of ASHA’s Academic Affairs Board. Dr. Washington is an Editor for Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools and an ASHA Fellow.

Boys Town National Research Hospital

Karla McGregor is the Director of the Center for Childhood Deafness, Language & Learning at Boys Town National Research Hospital and Professor Emeritus at the University of Iowa. She conducts research on word learning and use among people with DLD.

University of Western Ontario

Lisa Archibald is an Associate Professor in the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders at The University of Western Ontario. One focus of her research is on links between language and working memory. She also employs a practice-based research approach to partner with school-based speech-language pathologists in exploring services for children with DLD.

MGH Institute of Health Professions

Tiffany Hogan is the Director of the Speech and Language (SAiL) Literacy Lab and Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the MGH Institute in Boston MA. Dr. Hogan studies the genetic, neurological, and behavioral links between oral and written language development, with a focus on co-morbid speech, language and literacy disorders.

University of Iowa Healthcare

Jake Michaelson is an associate professor and chair of the Division of Computational and Molecular Psychiatry within the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Iowa. He also holds a secondary appointment in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. He conducts research on the genetic basis of neurodevelopmental conditions like autism and DLD.

University of Delaware

Amanda Owen Van Horne is an Associate Professor and directs the Treatment Efficacy and Language Learning Lab at the University of Delaware. Her research is focused on how to improve treatment for grammatical difficulties in children with DLD.

Jodi Oliver

Jodi Oliver, MS, CCC-SLP

Intermountain Healthcare

Jodi Oliver is a clinical Speech Language Pathologist in Outpatient Neuro Rehabilitation and the mother of two amazing teenagers with communication disorders. She is passionate about spreading awareness and advocating for individuals with DLD in school, work and community settings.

University of Utah

Sean Redmond is a Professor at the University of Utah in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. His research focusses on the differential diagnosis of DLD from ADHD and on the social and emotional consequences of DLD.

Elizabeth Peña, Ph.D.

University of California, Irvine

Elizabeth Peña is Professor & Associate Dean of Faculty Development and Diversity in the School of Education at the University of California, Irvine. She directs the Human Abilities in Bilingual Language Acquisition (HABLA) lab @ UCI. She studies bilingualism and focuses on how to identify DLD in children who speak English as a second language.

University of Toronto

Karla N. Washington, PhD, CCC-SLP, S-LP(C) is a tenured associate professor in pediatric language disorders. Dr. Washington’s research and clinical interests focus on speech-language development for monolingual and multilingual preschoolers. Dr. Washington is active in NIH- and US Department of Education-sponsored research characterizing children’s expressive language, functional communication, and speech productions. She is an invited member of the International Expert Panel on Multilingual Children’s Speech and was the 2021 Chair of ASHA’s Academic Affairs Board. Dr. Washington is an Editor for Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools and an ASHA Fellow.

Meet Our Guest Contributors

Hope Sparks Lancaster, Ph.D.

Boys Town National Research Hospital

Erin Smolak, Ph.D.

University of South Carolina

Wendy C. Georgan, CF-SLP

Ph.D. Student at Harvard University

Janna Oetting, Ph.D.

Louisiana State University

Michelle St Clair, Ph.D.

University of Bath

Nicole Botting, Ph.D.

University of London

Suze Leitão, Ph.D.

Curtin University, Western Australia

Rachel Powell, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

SLP & Data Coach, Brookhaven School District, Brookhaven, MS

Li Sheng, Ph.D.

University of Delaware

Pumpki Lei Su, Ph.D.

University of Delware

Pascale Dubois, Ph.D.

Université Laval, McGill University

Marie-Catherine St-Pierre, Ph.D.

Université Laval

Chantal Desmarais, Ph.D.

Université Laval

Frédéric Guay, Ph.D.

Université Laval

Giang T. Pham, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

San Diego State University

Laurence B. Leonard, Ph.D.

Purdue University

Susan Ebbels, Ph.D.

Director, Moor House Research and Training Institute

Jeanne Tighe, MA, CCC-SLP, BCS-CL

Clinical Director, Beyond Communication, LLC

Tyler T. Christopulos, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

University of Utah

Lisa M. Bedore, Ph.D.

Temple University

Amy Wilder, MS

University of Utah

Pamela A. Hadley, Ph.D.

University of Illinois

Holly L. Storkel, Ph.D.

University of Kansas

Rhea Paul, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

Sacred Heart University

Rouzana Komesidou, Ph.D.

MGH Institute of Health Professions

Hope Sparks Lancaster, Ph.D.

Boys Town National Research Hospital

Erin Smolak, Ph.D.

University of South Carolina

Wendy C. Georgan, CF-SLP

Ph.D. Student at Harvard University

Janna Oetting, Ph.D.

Louisiana State University

Michelle St Clair, Ph.D.

University of Bath

Nicole Botting, Ph.D.

University of London

Suze Leitão, Ph.D.

Curtin University, Western Australia

Rachel Powell, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

SLP & Data Coach, Brookhaven School District, Brookhaven, MS

Li Sheng, Ph.D.

University of Delaware

Pumpki Lei Su, Ph.D.

University of Delware

Pascale Dubois, Ph.D.

Université Laval, McGill University

Marie-Catherine St-Pierre, Ph.D.

Université Laval

Chantal Desmarais, Ph.D.

Université Laval

Frédéric Guay, Ph.D.

Université Laval

Giang T. Pham, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

San Diego State University

Laurence B. Leonard, Ph.D.

Purdue University

Susan Ebbels, Ph.D.

Director, Moor House Research and Training Institute

Jeanne Tighe, MA, CCC-SLP, BCS-CL

Clinical Director, Beyond Communication, LLC

Tyler T. Christopulos, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

University of Utah

Lisa M. Bedore, Ph.D.

Temple University

Amy Wilder, MS

University of Utah

Pamela A. Hadley, Ph.D.

University of Illinois

Holly L. Storkel, Ph.D.

University of Kansas

Rhea Paul, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

Sacred Heart University

Rouzana Komesidou, Ph.D.

MGH Institute of Health Professions

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