Contributions to Science
Prelinguistic and early speech development in neurodevelopmental disorders
2019 - ongoing
My programmatic line of research evaluates longitudinal prelinguistic and early speech development in children with neurodevelopmental disabilities at risk for speech or language impairments like cerebral palsy. The goal of this research is to identify vocal developmental patterns that can be used to predict and treat speech and language disorders in children at risk.
Featured papers:
Longitudinal change in speech classification between 4 and 10 years in children with cerebral palsy (Long et al., under review)
A probe study on vocal development in two infants at risk for cerebral palsy (Long, Eichorn, & Oller, under review)
Functional communication abilities in youth with cerebral palsy: Association with impairment profiles and school-based therapy goals (Koopmans et al., 2021)
Open science practices in CSD
2020 - ongoing
This secondary line of research evaluates attitudes and behaviors associated with communication sciences and disorders (CSD) scientists' participation in open science practices such as self-archiving. We seek to learn more about knowledge, interests, and perceived barriers in actively engaging in open sciences practices.
Featured papers:
Open science practices in communication sciences and disorders: A Survey. (El Amin et. al., in preparation). Preregistration.
Evolutionary origins of language and infant vocal fitness signaling
2015 - 2021
My predoctoral work evaluated endogenous and social factors influencing infant vocalizations as indicators of developmental progress or, with respect to evolutionary-developmental biology, "fitness signals." This research is founded in the notion that prelinguistic vocal stages follow a natural logic of development foundational to language in humans and high rates of prelinguistic speech-like vocalizations, or "protophones," may be under positive selection pressures to signal wellness and development to caregivers.
Featured papers:
Social and endogenous motivations in the emergence of canonical babbling in infants at low and high risk for autism (Long et al., under review)
Protophones, the precursors to speech, dominate the human infant vocal landscape (Oller et al., 2021)
Social and endogenous infant vocalizations (Long et al., 2020)
Reliability of listener judgments of infant vocal imitation (Long, Oller, & Bowman, 2019)
Upcoming and recent
Conference Presentations
Motor Speech Conference
2022 Biannual meeting
Charleston, SC February 17-20, 2022Longitudinal development of marginal and canonical babbling in young children at risk for cerebral palsy
ASHA 2021
American Speech-Language Hearing Association Annual Convention
Washington, D.C. November 18-21, 2021