Research: Child Language Lab


				Child Language Lab
Home \| Early CLASS Preschool \| Early CLASS Services \| Research \| Resources \| Classes \| Contact Us


				About the Child Language Lab Dr. Rollins' research focuses on the continuity between early social-pragmatic skills and the acquisition of later vocabulary, grammar, and narrative. Of particular interest is the co-construction of joint attention within infant-caregiver dyads -- and how this process varies in children with autism and other language impairments. She employs a longitudinal research design that uses microanalyses of within-child and between-child development to systematically compare and contrast typically developing children with children who are autistic, language impaired, and deaf. This technique allows Dr. Rollins to understand how variation in the rate of socio-pragmatic development affects the acquisition of joint attention and later linguistic skills. Dr. Rollins' work has demonstrated that communicative acts that regulate and sustain joint attention play a substantive role in the language acquisition process, while communicative acts that regulate behavior do not. The limited appreciation of the differential affects that joint attention and behavioral regulations on language acquisition undermine the precision and power of theory, research, and clinical practice. Current studies in the laboratory investigate (a) early social and cognitive skills necessary for the development of language in typical children and children with autism; and (b) emotional regulation abilities in children with autism as it relates to attention and language. Dr. Rollins uses the results to devise pragmatic-based intervention techniques for children with autism.


	Projects and Publications Maternal Pragmatic Input to 9-Month Olds Emotional Regulation and Language Development in Young Autistic Children SCERTS Case Study Other Published Articles



		Child Language Lab Members
			Pam Rollins, M.S., CCC-SLP, Ed.D., Principal Investigator. Dr. Rollins is an Associate Professor of Communication Disorders at UTD/Callier Center. Dr. Rollins teaches clinical courses which address the assessment and intervention of early social and communicative skills in children on the autistic spectrum. Her research focuses on the association between early social-communicative skills and the acquisition of vocabulary, grammar, and narrative in typically developing children and children with autism. rollins@utdallas.edu



			Lisa Greenwald, M.S., CCC-SLP, Ph.D. candidate. Lisa is doctoral candidate in Communication Sciences and Disorders. She was a speech-language pathologist and Program Director for Kindering Center just east of Seattle, WA, for many years until she returned to complete her PhD. Her dissertation is on the "Social Cognitive Bases for Early Language Development: Affect Attunement and Joint Attention between Mothers and Infants." Her interests include early intervention for infants and toddlers with developmental delays and disabilities, and non-profit management. lisacgreen@student.utdallas.edu


			Carol Trautman, M.A., Ph.D. student. Carol is a doctoral student in Developmental Psychology. She holds an M.A. in Early Childhood Special Education and has over 15 years of teaching experience working with children who have communication and social disabilities. Her research interests include the relationship among caregiver's child-centered interactions, joint engagement, and later language development in typically developing children and in children with autism. carolt@utdallas.edu

			Emily Connery, Ph.D. student. Emily is a doctoral student in Communication Sciences and Disorders. econnery@gmail.com