Dr. Joe Lau presented exciting findings from a collaborative project with Dr. Rob Voigt from NU Linguistics titled, Using AI Large Language Models to Detect Pragmatic Language Markers of Autism during the 2024 Meeting on Language in Autism (MoLA) at[...]

We are proud to announce that Jiayin Xing, 6th Year Communication Sciences & Disorders doctoral student, successfully defended her dissertation titled, "Multi-Modal Skill Coordination in Social Communication: An Investigation in Autism Spectrum Disorder and First-Degree Relatives." Congratulations, Jiayin!!!

Our lab has recently published important findings showing how machine learning, a branch of artificial intelligence (AI), may be used to capture clinically significant features of speech impacted in autism across different cultures and languages. This work was recently featured in[...]

We have received new NIH funding to continue our lab’s research focused on identifying specific language traits linked to brain and gene function involved in autism. This important award represents the 3rd cycle of continuous NIH funding for this project, which began in 2010.[...]

We are excited to welcome Lindsay Goldman to the NDL in the role of research assistant. Prior to joining as a research assistant, Lindsay volunteered in the NDL while completing her undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan. In December[...]

Work from our lab was recently featured in Northwestern Now. Click here to learn more about how machine learning can be used to identify potential speech patterns characteristic of autism across languages. Photo by Emily Wade on Unsplash

We had fun during our lab retreat as we developed new research ideas and projects. We are so excited for our upcoming studies and collaborations!

Check out our recently published paper in Frontiers! This paper was published in collaboration with former NDL students, Dr. Michelle Lee and Dr. Nell Maltman, and colleagues, Dr. Gary Martin, Dr. Klinton Bicknell, and Dr. Adam Goodkind. This work characterizes potentially[...]

July 1st marked the beginning of National Fragile X Awareness Month, and July 22 is World Fragile X Day.  The National Fragile X Foundation reports that the prevalence of FXS in males is approximately 1 in 7,000 and in females 1[...]

Emily Landau (bottom left), fourth-year clinical psychology graduate student, presented her research at INSAR this year, and her study explored narrative (i.e. storytelling) ability, which is an important skill for social communication. Her project characterized narrative ability in autistic individuals[...]

We are happy and sad to share that Lauren deTorres, NDL research assistant, will be leaving Northwestern to pursue a master’s degree at the University of Pennsylvania’s M.S.Ed program for Counseling and Mental Health Services. Lauren is planning to become a[...]

Maureen Butler, NDL first-year doctoral student in clinical psychology, has just been announced a Randi J. Hagerman Summer Scholar by the National Fragile X Foundation! In her project proposal titled,” The Biological Basis of Pragmatic Language in Fragile X Premutation Carriers,” Maureen aims[...]