Conference Faculty

Birth to Three: Working Together to Serve Children and Their Families

December 4–16, 2019 | Online Conference

Maia Braden, MS, CCC-SLP, is a speech-language pathologist and pediatric voice supervisor at the UW Madison Voice and Swallow Clinics at American Family Children's Hospital. She specializes in cleft palate and craniofacial anomalies as well as pediatric voice, airway, and resonance disorders, and has strong clinical and research interests in improving feeding and communication outcomes in children born with cleft palate and craniofacial conditions.

Financial Disclosures:

• Salary from UW Medical Foundation
• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

• No nonfinancial relationships to disclose

Catherine Cronin Carotta, EdD, CCC-SLP, is the associate director of the Center for Childhood Deafness at Boys Town National Research Hospital. She is a speech-language pathologist with many years of experience in the assessment and education of children who are deaf or hard of hearing, using sign and spoken language modalities. Carotta has worked in public/private school settings, hospitals, and university-based clinical programs. With a doctorate in leadership education, she works to create learning organizations using current leadership models. She is actively involved in providing consultation nationally to organizations regarding leadership, team development, multidisciplinary assessment, best practices in early childhood education, and school-age services for students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Financial Disclosures:

• Salary from Boys Town National Research Hospital and consultant fees, which are paid directly to Boys Town National Research Hospital
• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation to be paid directly to Boys Town National Research Hospital

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

• No nonfinancial relationships to disclose

​Jennifer Casteix, MS, CCC-SLP, is a clinical associate professor in the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at The University of Arizona, where she regularly lectures on the complex needs of babies in the NICU and teaches a graduate course in pediatric feeding and swallowing disorders. She has 30 years of experience working with children with complex medical and special health care needs in the NICU, PICU, and outpatient settings. Casteix is a faculty member of the Arizona Leadership and Education in Neurodevelopmental Disorders (ArizonaLEND) Program. Her favorite part of her workday is teaching and mentoring graduate students as they learn to become speech-language pathologists in the university clinic.

Financial Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

• No nonfinancial relationships to disclose

Memorie M. Gosa, PhD, CCC-SLP, BCS-S, is a pediatric speech-language pathologist and board-certified specialist in swallowing and swallowing disorders with more than 15 years of clinical and research experience. She is the current chairperson of the American Board of Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders and an assistant professor at The University of Alabama. Gosa has published and presented nationally and internationally on the topic of pediatric dysphagia. Her research focuses on establishing the efficacy of common diagnostic and treatment methods used for the diagnosis and management of dysphagia in pediatric populations.

Financial Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

• No nonfinancial relationships to disclose

Toby Long, PhD, PT, FAPTA, is a professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Georgetown University (GU), Director of Professional Development at the Center for Child and Human Development, and the director of the Georgetown University Certificate in Early Intervention Program. She teaches within the GU Disability Studies and the Education, Inquiry, and Justice Minors. She is a consultant for the Early Childhood Personnel Center at the University of Connecticut. Long received her physical therapy degree from Boston University, a master's degree in early childhood special education from George Washington University, and a doctoral degree in human development from University of Maryland. Long collaborates with colleagues on serving infants and toddlers with disabilities and delays using contemporary, evidence-based practices throughout the world. She is on the editorial boards of the Journal of Early Intervention, Physical and Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics, and Infants and Young Children. The author of more than 60 peer-reviewed publications, including The Handbook of Pediatric Physical Therapy (3rd ed.), she is the recepient of the Lucy Blair Service Award from the APTA, and Jeanne Fisher Distinguished Mentorship Award and the Bud Dehaven Award from the American Academy of Pediatric Physical Therapists. She is an APTA Catherine Worthingham Fellow.

Financial Disclosures:

• Early Childhood Personnel Center provided salary support 
• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

• Professional presentation participation at professional conferences from 2013–2018, including APTA, ASHA, and AOTA
• Peer reviewed publications in Infants and Young Children

Rhea Paul, PhD, CCC-SLP, is a professor and Chair of Speech-Language Pathology at Sacred Heart University. She was the editor of the Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research from 2013-2017. She is author of more than 100 refereed journal articles, more than 50 book chapters, and nine books. Paul has served as the principal investigator on grants from the National Institutes of Health, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation, Autism Speaks, and the Meyer Memorial Trust. She has been elected Vice President for Program for both the Oregon and Connecticut Speech-Language-Hearing Associations, and was President of the Connecticut Speech-Language Hearing Association from 2010-2014. Winner of the National 1996 Editor’s Award of the American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, and the Slifka Foundation Award for Clinical Research from the International Society for Autism Research in 2010, she received Honors of the Association in 2014 from both the Connecticut Speech-Language-Hearing Association and ASHA. She was also awarded the Annual Faculty Scholarship Award for her book, Let’s Talk: Navigating Social Communication Supports for Your Young Child with Autism from Sacred Heart in 2016.

Financial Disclosures:

• Royalties from Elsevier, Brookes, and Wiley publishers
• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

• No nonfinancial relationships to disclose

Mary Louise Peters, MEd, MS, serves as a consultant with the Early Childhood Technical Assistance (ECTA) Center at Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Her work has been with national technical assistance partners and states in improving the provision of special education services for children ages birth to 1st grade and their families. The focus of her work at national, state, and local levels has been focused on collaborative system building, interagency coordination, funding and grant management, personnel development, program guidance, and inclusion. She works as an educational consultant and is a Courage and Renewal Facilitator® prepared by the Center for Courage and Renewal. As a former state early childhood special education coordinator and education consultant, Peters led the early childhood special education discretionary grant projects and initiatives and was a key contributor to Wisconsin Collaborating Partners' varied work scope, including the Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards, the Pyramid Model, Tribal Gatherings, and statewide conferences. Her work as a teacher has been with children, families, and community partners in early childhood special education and Montessori multi-age early education/kindergarten. She has been an instructor in 2- and 4-year institutes of higher education.  

Financial Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation 
• Employed as a technical assistance specialist with the Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center, which is funded by a cooperative agreement with the Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP)

Nonfinancial Disclosures (apply to both conference sessions):

• No nonfinancial relationships to disclose

Sharon Ringwalt, PhD, served as a technical assistance (TA) specialist at projects funded by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) from 2002 until her retirement in 2017, most recently at the Early Childhood Technical Assistance (ECTA) Center and the IDEA Data Center (IDC). She was also a liaison between the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) programs and Part C Early Intervention programs through the Centers for Disease Control and Intervention (CDC). She provided TA to state early intervention and preschool programs around reporting required data, developing and implementing effective and efficient accountability and improvement systems to ensure compliance and improve results, and use of implementation science concepts to improve systems and scale up evidence-based/recommended practices to improve results for children and families. Additional areas of expertise include communication development and disorders; screening, evaluation, and assessment of young children; and interagency coordination. Prior to her work as a TA specialist, Ringwalt served for 21 years on the clinical faculty of the Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She holds a BA in speech/psychology from UNC-Chapel Hill, MS in speech-language pathology from Vanderbilt University, and PhD in public policy from UNC-Chapel Hill.

Financial Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation
• Previously employed by the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and its technical assistance groups (e.g., the Early Childhood TA Center) will be a resource for this session 

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

• No nonfinancial relationships to disclose

MaryAnn Romski, PhD, CCC-SLP, is the Regents Professor of Communication, Psychology, and Communication Sciences & Disorders at Georgia State University in Atlanta. She is Director of the Center for Research on Atypical Development and Learning (CRADL) and a founding member of the Center on Research on Challenges to Acquiring Language & Literacy (RCALL). She received the Honors of ASHA in 2015 and is a Fellow of the American Association of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD), ASHA, and the International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication. Her research program, funded by NICHD, NIDCD, FIC, and IES, focuses on the communication development of young children with developmental disorders who encounter difficulty speaking, particularly the development and evaluation of computerized communication interventions. Romski has published three books and more than 125 articles and chapters, and has given numerous national and international presentations. She is extending her intervention research in South Africa via the development of an APP for caregivers. She serves as Associate Editor for Infants and Young Children and Augmentative and Alternative Communication, is the past chair of the National Joint Committee on the Communication Needs of Individuals with Severe Disabilities and remains AAIDD’s representative. 

Financial Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation
• Employee of Georgia State University 

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

• Volunteer member of the National Joint Committee for the Communication Needs of Persons With Severe Disabilities

Rose A. Sevcik, PhD, is Regents Professor of Psychology at Georgia State University, Atlanta and Co-Director of the Center for Research on the Challenges of Acquiring Language and Literacy (RCALL). Her funded research program focuses on the language, literacy and communication development of children and youth with significant developmental disabilities. Dr. Sevcik has an extensive publication record and has given numerous presentations to national and international audiences. She is a Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), the International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (ISAAC), and the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD). She is past President of AAIDD’s Communication Disorders Division and former Coordinator for ASHA’s Special Interest Division 12: AAC. She has served as the Associate Editor for Language for the Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research and for the journal Augmentative and Alternative Communication. She is a member of the National Joint Committee on the Communication Needs of Individuals with Severe Disabilities.

Financial Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation 

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

• Volunteer member of the National Joint Committee for the Communication Needs of Persons With Severe Disabilities

Arlene Stredler-Brown, PhD, CCC-SLP, provides consultation and technical assistance to programs working with infants, toddlers, and young children who are deaf or hard of hearing in the United States and internationally. She has graduate degrees in speech-language pathology, education of the deaf/hard of hearing, and special education. Her primary research interest focuses on telepractice, and she is the co-investigator for a Phase II Clinical Trial funded by the National Institutes of Health's National Institute on Communication Disorders and Deafness to study services delivered to young children who are deaf via telepractice. Other research interests focus on the delivery of family-centered early intervention, highlighting the use of coaching strategies, and the impact of unilateral hearing loss on the development of communication, language, and social skills After working many years in administration and policy, Stredler-Brown continues to work with initiatives promoting evidence-based early intervention practices and the use of individualized assessments to inform treatment. She publishes regularly on these topics. Stredler-Brown conducts her research at the University of Colorado and the University of Northern Colorado. She teaches at the University of British Columbia, and she is a clinical supervisor in the Speech, Language, Hearing Clinic at the University of Colorado.   

Financial Disclosures: 

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

• No nonfinancial relationships to disclose

Linda R. Watson, EdD, CCC-SLP, is a professor of Speech & Hearing Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with more than 30 years of clinical and research experience with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). She is a cofounder of the Program in Early Autism Research, Leadership, and Service (PEARLS), which began at UNC-CH and now involves collaborators across multiple institutions. The mission of PEARLS is to foster universal screening to identify infants and young toddlers who are at an elevated likelihood of later diagnoses of ASD and to develop, evaluate, and disseminate effective interventions for these children and their caregivers. In addition, Watson has worked for more than 10 years with a multidisciplinary team of collaborators, including practicing educators, to develop and test a school-based intervention to improve social communication and play skills of preschoolers with ASD, with the ultimate goal of improving their broader outcomes in areas such as socialization, language, and academic achievement.

Financial Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this and previous presentations
• Research grants from Autism Speaks, The Institute for Education Sciences, and National Institute of Child Health and Human Development  
• Contributed a chapter on a related topic to a book published by Springer in 2018; received a free copy of the book 

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

• Co-author of the First Year(s) Inventory (not currently available for clinical use), a parent report screener to detect infants and toddlers who are at an elevated likelihood of later diagnoses of ASD, which will be discussed in the presentation   

Juliann J. Woods, PhD, CCC-SLP, is a professor in the School of Communication Science and Disorders at Florida State University (FSU), associate dean of research for the College of Communication and Information, director of the Communication and Early Childhood Research and Practice (CEC-RAP) Center, and associate director of research to practice at the Autism Institute. She has more than 40 years of clinical experience, research, and teaching in early communication intervention for young children and their families, and is an ASHA Fellow and past-president of the Division of Early Childhood. She has more than 50 externally funded research, training, and demonstration grants, with many using implementation science frameworks and technology to integrate practice change in community settings. Woods publishes and presents at national conferences on early communication and intervention for young children and their families and the use of technology for coaching and professional development. She is co-developer of Autism Navigator and an investigator on an ACE Network to study individual and combined effects of engaging and coaching families by infusing mobile technology of Autism Navigator.

Financial Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation
• FSU employee
• Research and project funding from OSEP, IES, and NIH
• State contracts for professional development   

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

• No nonfinancial relationships to disclose

Naomi Younggren, PhD, is an early childhood consultant focusing on early intervention and preschool processes and best practices. She works with the Department of Defense Army Educational and Developmental Intervention Services as the Part C/Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (CSPD) Coordinator. She also supports the Early Childhood Technical Assistance (ECTA) Center as a part time consultant. Younggren’s 30 years of experience in early childhood special education include being a direct provider working with children with disabilities and their families in early intervention and preschool programs, providing technical assistance, developing early childhood guidance and training materials, and serving in a program development and leadership capacity. Her areas of focus include authentic assessment, IFSP and preschool IEP development, natural environments and inclusion, family engagement, service delivery models, and applying the Child Outcomes Summary (COS) for measuring outcomes.

Financial Disclosures:

• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

• No nonfinancial relationships to disclose