Karla K.
McGregor, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Board Certified Specialist-child language
Lab
Projects
The Children's Vocabulary Project, 2024-2030
Karla McGregor, PI
Funding provided by the National Institutes of Health
In this project, we explore the contributions of attention and long-term memory to the word learning problems that are often associated with developmental language disorder.
The Children's Vocabulary Project, 2017-2022
Karla McGregor, PI
Funding provided by the National Institutes of Health
The objective of this project is to discover how children's word learning changes over developmental time.
The Language and Me Project
Karla McGregor, PI
Funding provided by the National Institutes of Health
We know boys are twice as likely to receive language intervention as girls. The Language and Me Project is designed to explore gender differences in the need for and receipt of language services.
Improving STEM Outcomes for Young Children with Language Learning Disabilities by Intervening at the Intersection of Language and Scientific Thought, 2017-2022
Karla McGregor PI, Amanda Van Horne, Susan Wagner Cook, Renee Cole, Co-PIs
Funding provided by the National Institutes of Health
The purpose of this project is to test interventions that have the potential to ameliorate language as a barrier to science learning.
Early Word Learning, 2011-2022
Munro and Baker, PIs
Funding provided by the University of Sydney
We are fortunate to have an ongoing collaboration with Drs. Natalie Munro and Elise Baker in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Sydney. We have been particularly active in exploring word learning in typical toddlers and those who are late to talk. Our long-term goal is to inform early identification and interventions for children at risk for developmental language disorders, broadly defined.
"Where do we start?" A Roadmap to Identify, Assess, and Support Children with Developmental Language Disorder in Low- and Middle-income Countries
Kalandadze & Gabunia, PIs
McGregor, Advisory Board Member
Funding provided by the National Institutes of Health
SHAPE: The system of shape representations in cognition, development and across languages, 2024
Vulchanova, PI
McGregor, Supervisory Board Fellow
Funding by the European Research Council
Maximizing the benefits of intervention research to support language and communication in children, 2024-2028
Frizelle, PI
McGregor, co-lead for US work package
Funded by the Health Research Board of Ireland
Meet The Team
Karla McGregor, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Senior Research Associate
Karla McGregor is a Senior Scientist and the Director of the Word Learning Laboratory in the Center for Childhood Deafness, Language, and Learning at Boys Town National Research Hospital. She is also a Professor Emerita at the University of Iowa, a Fellow of the American Speech, Language, Hearing Association, and a clinical speech-language pathologist with board certification in child language. She loves words, dogs, and a good cup of tea.
Timothy Arbisi-Kelm, Ph.D., Senior Research Associate
Tim earned his Ph.D. in Linguistics at the University of California, Los Angeles, and completed a postdoctoral training in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research interests are in phonological and lexical development, and the role of prosody in language disorders.
Nichole Eden, M.A., CCC-SLP, Research Language Speech Pathologist
Nichole is a certified speech-language pathologist with a background in early language intervention. She received her degree from the University of Iowa.
Jacob Oleson, Ph.D., Lead Biostatistician
Jacob is an Associate Professor in Biostatistics, Director of Graduate Studies, and Director of the Center for Public Health Statistics for the College of Public Health at the University of Iowa. He conducts both biostatistical methodologic research and collaborative clinical research for a variety of research ventures.
Margo Appenzeller, Ph.D, Lab Manager
Margo Appenzeller is the Word Learning Lab Manager. She earned a Ph.D. in Specialized Education Services at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She is a teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing who taught children in early intervention to elementary to high school in various settings. Outside of work she enjoys socializing with family and friends, reading a good book, or working on her Duo Lingo streak.
Colin Guibault, M.S., CCC-SLP Research Language Speech Pathologist
Colin Guibault is a licensed and certified research speech-language pathologist with a background in adolescent language intervention, neurologic communication disorders, and cognitive wellness research. He has been a practicing speech-language pathologist for over seven years. He takes great pride and joy in providing service for others and would be hard-pressed to pass on a conversation to deepen a relationship, especially over a cup of coffee.
Emma Hennessey, Research Assistant
Emma assists team members with data collection and analysis. She is currently completing a bachelor's degree in psychology at Creighton University. In her free time, she enjoys painting and photography.