Communication Sciences & Disorders Faculty
Rhiannon J. Luyster
Assistant Professor (2012)
B.A. Wesleyan University, M.Ed. Boston College, Ph.D. University of Michigan
http://word.emerson.edu/rluyster
Dr. Luyster is a developmental psychologist who studies social communication and language in young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). She is interested in identifying early features of ASD using standardized behavioral measures as well as exploratory methods like infra-red eye tracking and electrophysiology.
Her research, which has been supported by the National Institutes of Health, the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation and the Organization for Autism Research, focuses on diagnostic assessment, language and nonverbal communication in toddlers with ASD, and patterns of early development. Dr. Luyster has published her work in several peer-reviewed journals, including Developmental Psychology, Journal of Child Language, Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research, and Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.
Dr. Luyster offers undergraduate and graduate courses on language acquisition, and she also leads a course on research methods. Her research activities, which are conducted at Emerson as well as at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children's Hospital, are open to Emerson students interested in learning more about clinical research with young children and toddlers with ASD.
CSD Department news
See how CSD faculty, students, and alumni are shaping the fields of speech pathology, audiology, and health communication.
Katie O'Neil '09, '11
An Inside Look into the Undergraduate and Graduate Programs
Katie O'Neil '09, '11 reveals why she chose speech pathology and how giving her students communication tools makes her feel. Watch now »
Grossman studies facial expression to aid people with autism
In her research, Communication Sciences and Disorders Assistant Professor Ruth Grossman wants to address some of the communication problems that children with autism face as they interact with others at home and school.
