Rick Welland

Rank: Assistant Professor
Department: DALS
Ext: 4091
E-mail:rwelland@spartan.ca

Work currently in progress, or about to be begun, along with indication of when the project is likely to culminate and what form it will take:
1. Comprehension of spoken discourse in typical and atypical older adults-- dissertation work and first publications have dealt with older adults with Alzheimer Disease; work about to be begun deals with adults with Parkinson Disease. Data collection for latter population to begin during winter term, through summer; findings to be presented at major conference(s) and published in peer-reviewed journal(s). Collaborative effort between neurologist and speech-language pathologist(s) at U.W.O. and me. (Other research in this area will focus on increasing normative data regarding typical aging. This project currently being negotiated with speech-language pathologists at St. Joseph's Healthcare, Hamilton, Ontario.)

2. Speech and co-occuring spontaneous gestures in typical and atypical adults-- relatively new area of research for me. Have collected some data on this behaviour previously, but not yet published finding (one presentation made). Data on speech and co-occuring gestures have been collected by speech-language pathologists at Niagara Aphasia Centre on adults with aphasia-- awaiting REB approval and data analysis. Future work to include other individuals from atypical populations and variability among typical adults. These findings will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at major conferences.

Work previously undertaken, research achievements or projects completed:
1. Dissertation research-- discourse comprehension in adults with and without Alzheimer Disease, facilitation of discourse comprehension using standardized system of gestures.

2. Speech accomodation to perceived dementia-- data collected and partially analyzed.

3. Speech and co-occuring spontaneous gestures by older adults with dementia-- some data collected.

Research Grants Held (including dates) and Research Awards or Honours:
1995: Mark Diamond Memorial Graduate Research Award, SUNY at Buffalo
1996-1997: Research Fellowship at R. Samuel McLaughlin Centre for Gerontological Research
1997: Research Seed Grant, Brock University
2000: Research Seed Grant, Brock University

Areas of Research Interest (in brief):
1. Communication skills of typical older adults.
2. Communication skills of atypical older adults.
3. Speech and gesture co-occurence in adult discourse.