Kathryn D. R. Drager, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

photo of Kathryn D. R. Drager

Ph.D., University of Minnesota, 1999
Associate Professor

Contact Information

401G Ford Building
Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA 16802

(814) 863-6247
Fax: (814) 863-3759

kdd5@psu.edu

Courses Taught

CSD 451, Introduction to Augmentative and Alternative Communication
CSD 597D, Dysphagia
CSD 597G, Communication in Individuals with Autism
PSU 014, First Year Seminar in Communication Sciences and Disorders

Research Interests

Augmentative and alternative communication for individuals with severe expressive communication disorders, autism, listeners' comprehension of synthetic speech, and assessment and intervention for individuals with severe disabilities with challenging behaviors.

Select Current Projects

Contextual Scenes for Beginning Communicators (Co-investigator with Janice Light, PI). There is a need for improved augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) technologies that reduce the learning demands for beginning communicators. This project is investigating the effects of using personalized contextual scenes realized through digital photos of the beginning communicator's life with relevant vocabulary embedded under "hot spots" in the photos. The goals of this project are to 1) develop prototype AAC systems to realize personalized contextual scenes for beginning communicators; and 2) investigate the effects of using personalized contextual scenes to represent and organize language concepts within AAC for beginning communicators. This project involves two research studies, each investigating the effects with a different group of beginning communicators. Study 1 examines toddlers and young children with developmental disabilities, and Study 2 examines older individuals with significant cognitive impairments. This research is part of the AAC-RERC a collaborative virtual research center, funded by the National institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research

Effects of Practice on Speech Output for Children (Principal Investigator). For children who require AAC, synthesized or digitized speech becomes their means to verbally interact with others. Speech output offers significant advantages to interaction, but only if the speech is sufficiently intelligible. Because children's performance with synthesized speech is poor, it becomes important to identify processes by which the intelligibility can be increased. This project will determine whether a practice program is effective in improving the intelligibility of speech output for young children who are potential peer partners of children who use AAC. The research will also identify the specific elements of the program that will be most facilitative for this improvement. Funded by NIH - National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.

Select Publications

Schwartz, H., & Drager, K. (2008). Training and knowledge of autism among speech language pathologists: A survey. Journal of Speech-Language-Hearing in Schools , 39, 66-77.

Light, J. & Drager, K. (2007). AAC technologies for young children with complex communication needs: State of the science and future research directions. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 23, 204-216 .

Drager, K.D.R., Anderson, J.L., DeBarros, J., Hayes, E., Liebman, J., & Panek. E. (2007). Speech synthesis in background noise: Effects of message formulation and visual information on the intelligibility of American English DECTalk ® . Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 23, 177-186.

McCarthy, J., Light, J., Drager, K., McNaughton, D., Grodzicki, L., Jones, J., Panek, E., & Parkin, E. (2006). Re-designing scanning to reduce learning demands: The performance of typically developing 2-year-olds. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 22, 269-283.

Drager, K.D.R., Clark-Serpentine, E.A., Johnson, K.E., & Roeser, J.L. (2006). Accuracy of repetition of digitized and synthesized speech for young children in background noise. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 15, 155-164.

Drager, K.D.R., Postal, V.J., Carrolus, L., Castellano, M., Gagliano, C., & Glynn, J. (2006). The effect of aided language modeling on symbol comprehension and production in two preschoolers with autism. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 15, 112-125.