DALS Faculty & Staff

Introduction

I was first a part of Brock and the department of Applied Linguistics as an undergraduate student. After graduating, I pursued a graduate degree in Speech and Language Pathology at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York. Upon graduating with my Masters degree in 2000, I worked locally in the Niagara community for Speech Services Niagara with children birth to five years. During my time with Speech Services Niagara, I pursued additional training in Auditory-Verbal Therapy for children with hearing loss, and certification in the Lidcombe program for stuttering and PROMPT therapy for children with oral motor difficulties. Working for Speech Services Niagara provided me with very practical experience in working with an array of speech and language disorders, experience I am now able to share with my students in the classroom.

I joined the faculty of the Department of Applied Linguistics in January 2003 as a part-time instructor. I enjoyed being able to relate my clinical experience to the classroom and was happy to receive a more full-time position within the department as a limited term appointee in 2004. Teaching renewed my love of learning and I finally decided to pursue a PhD at the University at Buffalo in 2005.

Now that I have completed my PhD (2008), I am happy to be a more active, full-time member of the Department of Applied Linguistics. During my years within this department, I have served on various committees, assisting with admissions into our certificate programs and providing information to students regarding the strenuous application process for graduate school. I also work closely with Brock’s Centre for Teaching and Learning, facilitating faculty and graduate teaching assistants’ Instructional Skills Workshops.

Publications

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Teaching

I believe that teaching brings with it the opportunity to encourage growth and learning in students that goes beyond academic achievement. My primary aim in teaching is to create an enthusiasm for learning though a facilitative environment that challenges students to think independently.

During my years at Brock, I have taught a variety of courses integral to the Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences majors in the Department of Applied Linguistics. My courseload typically includes the following courses:
LING 1P93: Introduction to Communication Disorders
LING 2P91: Acoustics and Physiological Phonetics
LING 4P27: Assistive Listening Devices and Aural Rehabilitation
LING 4P32: Speech Disorders in Children and Youth

I also frequently working with students in a research capacity either through a research practicum (LING 4P25) or a thesis project (LING 4F01).

Research

My research interests include speech and emotion perception in children and adults. I am particularly interested how we make use of visual and auditory cues during the perception of speech and emotion. Research has shown that people of different ages place different emphasis on these cues during perception and that an inability to accurately interpret these cues may lead to breakdowns in communication and social interactions. My research in speech perception is currently focused on children with severe to profound hearing impairment. My research in emotion perception has two primary areas of concentration: 1) How persons of various ages make use of facial and vocal cues in perception, particularly when these cues don’t match, and 2) recognition of affect in persons with traumatic brain injury.

Service

I assist the Centre for Teaching and Learning, Education and Technology at Brock University by facilitating faculty and graduate TA Instructor Skills Workshops.  I have also recently become of a member of Brock University’s Lifespan Development Centre.