Biography

Mary Ann Romski (Ph.D., University of Kansas, 1981) is Professor of Communication and Associate Dean for the Social and Behavioral Sciences for the College of Arts and Sciences. Romski specializes in speech-language pathology; she studies augmentative technologies able to foster language development in children with communication disorders. Her four books include Breaking the Speech Barrier: Language Development Through Augmented Means (Brookes 1996, with R.A. Sevcik). She has produced more than 70 research articles, as well as having received more than $5 million of external funding from the U.S. Department of Education, the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communicative Disorders, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and the National Institute for Disability and Rehabilitation Research. Romski has served as Chair of the National Arc Research Committee, the National Joint Committee on the Communication Needs of Persons with Severe Disabilities, the ASHA Publications Board and the State of Georgia Assistive Technology Advisory Board. She has also served on the Board of Directors for the International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication, the US Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication, and the American Association on Mental Retardation. Research Areas: Developmental Communication. Degree Track Affiliations: Ph.D. (Public Communication), M.A. (Human Communication & Social Influence). Core Graduate Seminars Regularly Taught: Research Methods in Communication.

I am an ASHA certified (Specialty Recognition in Child Language Disorders), Georgia licensed, speech-language pathologist with more than 25 years clinical and research experience in the area of developmental disabilities, augmentative communication, and early language intervention. My scholarly research examines how children with severe communication disorders develop language and communication skills. I am particularly interested in the role of receptive language skills in development and how interventions that employ augmented means (e.g., computers that speak, sign language) can influence the course of development for children with a range of developmental disabilities. As part of my collaborations, I value mentoring graduate and undergraduate students in their research and professional development.

Currently, my main project is a longitudinal NIDCD-funded investigation of the effects of early language interventions on toddlers’ communication development. With my colleagues Rose Sevcik, Lauren Adamson, and Roger Bakeman, I am examining the effects of early parent-implemented language interventions on the course of communication development in young children who are at extremely high risk for delayed language and communication development. I am also an investigator on two additional projects: Rose Sevcik’s project on reading interventions and school-aged children with intellectual disabilities and an Emory University study of the effects of early tobacco exposure on auditory language development.

As Director of the Center for Atypical Development and Learning, I am committed to advancing the interdisciplinary study of all aspects of atypical development at GSU. I am also working on the extension of my research and practice into different cultures and languages, specifically in South Africa and Hong Kong.

As a faculty member, I am active in contributing to the governance of the university. My role as Associate Dean for Social and Behavioral Sciences permits me to foster faculty and students throughout the social and behavioral sciences in the college. As a member of the University Senate, I have focused my efforts on Research and Budget issues within the university.

Representative Publications (1996-2006)

Barton, A., Sevcik, R. A. & Romski, M. A. (2006). Visual-Graphic Symbol Acquisition by Pre-School Age Children with Developmental and Language Delays, Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 22, 10-20.       

Romski, M. A., Sevcik, R. A., Cheslock, M., & Barton, A. (2006). The System for Augmenting Language: AAC and Emerging Language Intervention. In R. McCauley & M. Fey (Eds.) Treatment of Language Disorders in Children: Conventional and controversial intervention. Paul H. Brookes.

Sevcik, R.A., & Romski, M.A. (2005).  Early visual-graphic symbol acquisition and use by children with developmental disabilities.  In L. Namy (Ed.), Symbol Use and Symbolic Representation (pp. 155-170).  Mahwah, NJ:  Erlbaum.

Romski, M.A., & Sevcik, R.A. (2005). Early intervention and augmentative communication: Myths and realities. Infants and Young Children, 18, 174-185

Romski, M.A., Sevcik, R.A., Adamson, L.B., & Bakeman, R. (2005). Communication patterns of individuals with moderate or severe cognitive disabilities: Interactions with unfamiliar partners. American Journal on Mental Retardation, 110, 226-239.

Romski, M. A. & Sevcik, R. A., (2004). Mental retardation. In R. Kent. Encyclopedia of Communication Sciences and Disorders (pp.352-354). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Romski, M. A., Sevcik, R. A., & Cheslock, M. (2004). Augmentative and alternative communication. In R. Kent. Encyclopedia of Communication Sciences and Disorders (pp. 277-279). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Sevcik, R.A., Romski, M. A, & Adamson, L.B. (2004). Augmentative communication and preschool children: Case example and research directions. Disability and Rehabilitation. 26, 1323-1329.

Romski, M. A. & Sevcik, R. A. (2003). Augmented input: Enhancing communication development.  In J. Light, D. Beukelman, & J. Reichle (Eds.) Communicative Competence for Individuals Who Use AAC (pp. 147-162).  Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes. 

Romski, M. A., Sevcik, R. A., & Fonseca, A.H. (2003). Augmentative and alternative communication for persons with mental retardation. In Abbeduto, L. International Review of Research in Mental Retardation: Language and Communication (pp.255-280).  New York: Academic Press.

Sevcik, R. A. & Romski, M. A. (2003). Longitudinal designs: Measuring the outcomes of AAC interventions. In R. Schlosser (Ed.) The efficacy of augmentative and alternative communication: Toward evidence-based practices. New York: Academic Press.

Romski, M.A., & Sevcik, R.A. (2002).  Patterns of language development through augmented means in youth with mental retardation.  In D. Molfese & U. Kirk (Eds.), Developmental variations in language and learning (pp. 257-274). Hillsdale, NJ:  Erlbaum.

Romski, M. A., Sevcik, R.A., Cheslock, M.B., & Hyatt, A. (2002). Enhancing communication competence in beginning communicators: Identifying a continuum of AAC language intervention strategies. In J. Reichle, D. Beukelman, & J. Light (Eds.) Implementing an augmentative communication system: Exemplary strategies for beginning communicators. (pp.1-23). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes.

Sevcik, R. A., & Romski, M. A. (2002). The role of language comprehension in establishing early augmented conversations. In J. Reichle, D. Beukelman, & J. Light (Eds.) Implementing an augmentative communication system: Exemplary strategies for beginning communicators. (pp. 453-474) Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes.         

Romski, M.A., Sevcik, R.A., & Forrest, S. (2001). Assistive technology and augmentative communication in early childhood inclusion. In M. J. Guralnick (Ed). Early childhood inclusion: Focus on change. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., Inc.      

Romski, M.A., & Sevcik, R.A. (2000).  Children and adults who experience difficulty with speech.  In D. Braithwaite & T. Thompson (Eds.), Handbook of communication and people with disabilities: Research and application (pp. 439-449).  Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

Romski, M.A., & Sevcik, R.A. (2000).  Communication, technology, and disability.  In M. Wehmeyer & J.R. Patton (Eds.), Mental Retardation in the 21^st Century (pp. 299-313).  Austin, TX: Pro-Ed.

Romski, M.A., Sevcik, R.A., & Adamson, L.B. (1999).  Communication patterns of youth with mental retardation with and without their speech-output communication devices.  American Journal on Mental Retardation, 104, 249-259.                                    

Sevcik, R.A., Romski, M.A., & Adamson, L.B. (1999).  Measuring AAC interventions for individuals with severe developmental disabilities.  Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 15, 38-44.

Sevcik, R.A., & Romski, M.A. (1999).  Issues in augmentative and alternative communication in child psychiatry.  In R. Paul (Ed.), Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America (pp. 77-87).  Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders.           

Romski, M.A., Sevcik, R.A., & Adamson, L.B. (1999).  Communication patterns of youth with mental retardation with and without their speech-output communication devices.  American Journal on Mental Retardation, 104, 249-259.                        

Sevcik, R.A., Romski, M.A., & Adamson, L.B. (1999).  Measuring AAC interventions for individuals with severe developmental disabilities.  Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 15, 38-44.

McCarthy, C., McLean, L., Miller, J., Paul-Brown, D., Romski, M. A., Rourk, J., & Yoder, D. (1998). Communication Supports Checklist for Programs Serving Individuals with Severe Disabilities. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.

Adamson, L. B. & Romski, M. A. (Eds.) (1997). Communication and Language Acquisition: Discoveries from Atypical Language Development. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.

Romski, M.A., & Sevcik, R.A. (1997).  Augmentative and alternative communication for children with developmental disabilities.  Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews, 3, 363-368.

Romski, M. A., & Sevcik, R. A. (1996). Breaking the Speech Barrier: Language Development through Augmented Means. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing.

Romski, M. A., Sevcik, R. A., Robinson, B. F., Mervis, C. B., & Bertrand, J. (1996).  Mapping the meanings of novel visual symbols by youth with moderate or severe mental retardation.  American Journal of Mental Retardation, 100, 391-402.  

Communication Across the Lifespan  (Click here to visit) 

The Communication Across the Lifespan Lab houses the Toddler Language Intervention Project.  The lab provides facilities for participant/observation studies of communication interactions.  It contains a reception area appropriate for young children, one observation/child assessment room with one-way viewing mirror, video recording equipment, developmental, language and communication assessment tools, equipment for viewing and coding videotape materials, resources for families of children with disabilities, and computers for data entry and analyses.  There is also meeting and workspace for project staff and graduate and undergraduate students.  The rooms are flexibly equipped and can be appropriate for ages ranging from toddlers to adults.

Center for Research on Atypical Development and Learning (C.R.A.D.L)

The Center for Research in Atypical Development and Learning (CRADL) is a GSU research center devoted to the study of all aspects of development by children who face challenges during development.  Housed in the Department of Psychology, its 14 faculty members hold appointments in Psychology, Communication, and Educational Psychology & Special Education.  The center fosters interdisciplinary grant collaborations, graduate student participation, lectures from experts in the field, and brown bag lunches on important topics in the community.