Dr. Ralf Schlosser’s research interests pertain to the efficacy of interventions in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) for individuals with developmental disabilities in general and autism spectrum disorders in particular. Specifically, his research group examines how general consumer level technologies can be repurposed to meet the needs of children with developmental disabilities and ASD. He is also interested in research methodology and evidence-based practice. Ralf is Editor-in-Chief of Augmentative and Alternative Communication and Co-Editor of Evidence-based Communication Assessment and Intervention.

Dr. Kris Brock is an Assistant Professor at Idaho State University in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. He is also the President of the Idaho Speech, Language, and Hearing Association and host of the “Speech Paths: A Journey to Revitalize Your Clinical Practice” podcast. Currently, Dr. Brock is studying the effects of animated graphic symbols on a variety of word and sentence level outcomes in children with and without complex communication needs. Additionally, he has a research line investigating the effects of different AAC interface design packages on communicative outcomes in persons with aphasia.

Professor Dada is Director and Professor for the Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (CAAC) in the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. Her research is focused on investigating that communication and participation patterns of persons with complex communication needs. Her particular focus is on how graphic symbol-based AAC systems can be used to facilitate language learning for individuals with complex communication needs. Her publications involve a wide spectrum of clinical populations with AAC needs.

Oliver Wendt is the Chairperson of Special Education at the University of Potsdam, Germany. His research interests are in Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) and autism spectrum disorders, including the efficacy of AAC strategies, graphic symbols, manual signs, Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), and speech-generating devices for individuals on the autism spectrum that present with little or no functional speech.

Melinda Corwin is the Assistant Director of the Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences Department at Texas Tech University. She is also the Director of the Stroke and Aphasia Recovery Program. Read more about Dr. Corwin’s accomplishments on her faculty page linked above.

Devender Banda is a professor of special education in the Department of Special Education. He is a board certified Behavior Analyst-Doctoral (BCBA-D). He has extensive work experience in special education, particularly dealing with social and behavioral issues in children with autism and other developmental disabilities, and has authored numerous publications on a variety of related subjects.

Marissa Mery is a board-certified anesthesiologist and critical care intensivist within the Department of Surgery and Perioperative Care’s Division of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine at Dell Medical at the University of Texas at Austin.

Prior to clinical practice, Mery worked as part of a team at Columbia University and Community Lab developing digital technologies and national implementation plans for primary care and social sector projects in Mali, Nigeria and Timor-Leste. After deciding to spend more time stateside, she moved to Houston to finish her residency and critical care training, eventually working as an attending with the cardiovascular anesthesiology and critical care group at Baylor College of Medicine and the Texas Heart Institute. Her recent nonclinical work has focused on perioperative care of older people and the intraoperative and postoperative management of patients receiving ventricular-assist devices and mechanical circulatory support.

Nouf Alzrayer is an associate professor of special education at King Saud University (KSU). She is a board certified Behavior Analyst-Doctoral (BCBA-D). She has experience providing applied behavior analysis (ABA) services to young children with autism and developmental disabilities between the ages of 2 and 10 years-old. She also has experience supervising registered behavioral technicians (RBTs) and board-certified assistant behavior analyst (BCaBA) and BCBA candidates. She is currently supervising RBTs and BCaBAs working on the field. Her research interests include augmented alternative communication (AAC) and social-communication skills in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other developmental disabilities as well as verbal behavior.

Vineetha Philip is a doctoral student in speech-language pathology at the All India Institute of Speech and Hearing, affiliated with the University of Mysore, India. She is also a faculty member at the Department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology at the National Institute of Speech and Hearing at Kerala, India. She was awarded the Fulbright Nehru Doctoral Fellowship and was a visiting researcher under Dr. Rajinder Koul in 2021. She has experience working with neuro-developmental disorders and acquired neuro-communication disorders. Her current research interest is in AAC intervention for children and adults with severe communication disorders.

Prarthana Shivabasappa completed her Ph.D. in Speech-Language Pathology at All India Institute of Speech and Hearing, India. She is a former postdoctoral fellow in the AAC Lab. Her research interests include language acquisition, assessment, and intervention in bilingual children with developmental language disorders.

HeeBaek Shin is a former postdoctoral fellow in AAC Lab. He completed his Ph.D. in voice disorders at the Hallym University, Korea. His background is in voice disorders and motor speech disorders. In the lab, HeeBaek hopes to learn how to develop and apply AAC for patients. It will be a very valuable experience to him when he goes back to his country.

Madison Morris completed her Master’s thesis entitled “Efficacy of Telepractice as a Service Delivery Model for Teaching AAC Symbols to an Adult with Severe Communication Impairment and ASD: A Case Study” under the mentorship of Dr. Koul in 2021. She is currently seeking opportunities to complete her Clinical Fellowship as a speech-language pathologist.

Katie Rayer completed her Master’s thesis entitled “Speech Output Technologies in Interventions for Individuals with Aphasia: A Scoping Review” under the mentorship of Dr. Rajinder Koul and Dr. Maya Henry in 2021. She is currently completing her Clinical Fellowship as a school-based speech-language pathologist in the Leander, Texas Integrated School District.