Ciullo Receives Awards to Support Dissertation Research to Improve Outcomes in School-Age Children with Communication Disorders

Brittany Ciullo, a doctoral candidate in speech, language, and hearing sciences, has been awarded a two-year, $47,537 Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award (F31) from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The grant will support her dissertation research, which focuses on improving outcomes in school-age children with communication disorders by implementing communicative participation interventions.

The F31 award supports promising predoctoral students with potential to develop into a productive, independent research scientists, and to obtain mentored research training while conducting dissertation research.

Nearly 20% of school-age children have a communication disorder that limits their ability to participate in daily life, such as classroom discussions or conversations with peers at school, Ciullo says. Intervention outcomes that focus directly on communicative participation, such as communication in these everyday life situations are essential for improving the quality of life of school-age children with communication disorders.

Although researchers have developed a relevant intervention guide, many school-based speech-language pathologists do not directly target communicative participation, which limits children's access to treatments that could improve their quality of life in the crucial developmental period between ages 5-12.

Ciullo's dissertation will address this gap between theory and practice. Using a mixed methods approach, she will combine the findings of an online survey and focus groups comprised of school-based speech-language pathologists to understand the barriers and facilitators influencing speech-language pathologists' use of communicative participation intervention outcomes. She will then use this information to adapt a research-based intervention guide for practical use in the school context, with the ultimate goal of implementing this guide to enhance outcomes for school-age children with communication disorders.

She hopes this research will lay the groundwork for future studies focused on reducing the barriers, elevating the facilitators, and supporting communicative participation in school settings with children with communication disorders.

"Ultimately, by focusing on the critical role speech-language pathologists play in supporting communicative participation, we can benefit the many school-age children currently struggling to express their ideas and communicate in everyday situations at school," Ciullo says.

More information about Ciullo's awards and research can be found on the School of Public Health and Health Sciences website.