The Team
B.A. Wesleyan University
M.Ed. Boston College
Ph.D. University of Michigan
Dr. Rhiannon Luyster is the director of the LI+TLE Lab at Emerson College and an Associate Professor in Communication Sciences and Disorders. She is a developmental psychologist who studies social communication and language in young children with autism.
B.A. University of Southern California
M.A. University of Pennsylvania
Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania
Dr. Sudha Arunachalam is the director at the Language Experience and Acquisition Research at NYU Lab. She is a Full Professor of Communicative Sciences and Disorders, and she studies language development in young children ages 0 to 5 years. In her research program, she examines how infants, toddlers, and preschoolers acquire their native language. She studies children who are developing typically, children with autism, and children with language delay. She is particularly interested in the learning mechanisms underlying language acquisition and in how caregiver-child interactions support learning.
Clinical Psychologist
B.A. University of San Diego
Psy.D. California Institute of Integral Studies
Dr. Catherine Sancimino is an Instructor within the Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She is a licensed clinical psychologist with expertise in comprehensive assessment to determine the presence of autism spectrum disorder. She has provided psychological services in diverse settings, including pediatric primary care, outpatient psychiatry, public schools, and research labs. Dr. Sancimino is interested in learning how multisensory processing and adaptive skills develop in children with autism.
Thuy Buonocore
Project Assistant, LI+TLE Lab
B.A. University of California, Los Angeles
M.A. New York University
Thuy Buonocore has extensive experience in patient care coordination in clinical settings through her work at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and South Shore Hospital. She is passionate about bringing people together and building community, especially for families with young children.
Kelly Steen
Associate Research Scientist, NYU LEARN Lab
B.A. University of Colorado
M.S. Emerson College
Kelly is a pediatric speech-language pathologist with experience in educational, clinical, and research environments. She has worked with young children and their families in a variety of settings including Early Intervention, pediatric private practice, preschools, daycare centers, Head Start classrooms, and home-based programs while collaborating with public school systems. Kelly previously served as a Clinical Research Coordinator for several autism research studies at Massachusetts General Hospital. She values the importance of participating in clinical research to contribute to the field on a broader scale.
Lauren B. Nehilla
Research Affiliate
B.A. University of Rochester
M.S. Emerson College
Lauren is a licensed and certified speech-language pathologist with clinical experience in Early Intervention and public schools. As a clinical educator and instructor, Lauren’s supervision and classroom teaching focuses on the clinical processes for treatment and assessment of developmental and school-aged speech and language disorders. She has been involved in clinical research efforts (service learning through a parenting program for incarcerated mothers; understanding and supporting the needs of Autistic college students) and serves on graduate thesis committees in the Communication Sciences and Disorders Department.
Brooke Bourgeois
Research Associate, LI+TLE Lab
B.A. Penn State University
Brooke is a second-year MS-SLP student at Emerson College from Harvard, Massachusetts. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Penn State, where she contributed to research labs focused on autism, particularly in the areas of qualitative research and narrative development. Brooke is passionate about pediatric medical speech-language pathology, with particular interests in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). She is committed to supporting individuals with complex communication needs and is eager to continue learning from experienced professionals to make a meaningful impact in the field.
Research Associate, LI+TLE Lab
B.A. St. Olaf College, Minnesota
Lerato is a first-year graduate student in the Communication Disorders program at Emerson College. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and experience working with children on the Autism spectrum in the context of behavioral therapy. The range of projects in the LI+TLE Lab aligns with her curiosity about how children learn and use language and the role of conversation partners in children’s language development.
Grace Flanagan
Research Assistant, LI+TLE Lab
Student at Emerson College
Grace is a second-year graduate student in the Communication Sciences and Disorders program at Emerson college. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree from UMass Amherst in Political Science with a minor in Speech Language and Hearing Sciences. Grace has experience providing behavioral therapy to children on the autism spectrum, and clinical experience providing speech and language services to children with ASD using verbal language and AAC. She is eager to collaborate with the LI+TLE Lab team and continue developing her clinical and research skills to better serve the ASD community.
Mia DiGiorgio
Research Assistant, LI+TLE Lab
Student at Emerson College
Mia is a second-year CSD student at Emerson College. She is passionate for the field of Speech-Language Pathology and is commited to enhancing the lives of individuals with communication disorders. She is eager to learn from experienced individuals in the field and make contributions towards a meaningful impact.
Gabriela Spizale
Research Assistant, LI+TLE Lab
B.S. Loyola University New Orleans
Student at Emerson College
Gabriela earned her B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Business Administration at Loyola University New Orleans. She is currently pursuing her M.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders at Emerson College. Gabriela has previous experience working as a research assistant for the Autism and Anxiety Lab at Loyola University New Orleans. Her passion for Communication Sciences and Disorders drives her commitment to learning more about this field and contributing to research through this opportunity.