Krista Wilkinson, Ph.D.
B.S., Brown University
M.S. Georgia State University
Ph.D., Georgia State University
Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders
Contact Information
404H Ford Building
Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA 16802
814-863-2206
Fax: 814-863-3759
Courses Taught
CSD 547, Language Disorders in Children
Dr. Wilkinson's teaching schedule is under development
Research Interests
Dr. Wilkinson studies early communication and language in learners with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Her main interests include vocabulary learning as well as the use of visual supports in communication and education. Dr. Wilkinson serves as associate editor for American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology and Augmentative and Alternative Communication.
Examples of Collaborative Projects
Interdisciplinary exploration of visual-perceptual processes in the design of aided AAC symbol displays (Principal Investigator; co-investigator: Michael Carlin; program project PI: William J. McIlvane). Run in collaboration with the Shriver Center of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, this project seeks to initiate study of the application of visual cognitive neuroscience to applied communication outcomes. We examine how basic perceptual cues (such as color or shape) may be exploited to guide attention to certain aspects of a visual communication aid, potentially facilitating use of the aid for communication and learning. This project makes use of both behavioral measures (speed and accuracy of search) as well as measures of learners’ observation of the display through eye-tracking technology. The project has received funding from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development as well as the American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation.
Vocabulary expansion in severe mental retardation (Principal Investigator). In this project, early vocabulary learning processes are examined from the perspective of typical language learners as well as learners with intellectual disabilities who find learning words challenging. Various aspects of rapid word learning have been explored, from learning that occurs after a single exposure to the ways in which learning can be applied to acquisition of multiple words. One goal is to develop a set of evidence-based practices for the instruction of new vocabulary, for learners who use visual communication aids (AAC systems). This project was funded through the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
Status and gender influences on perceptions of young women with intellectual disability (Principal Investigator; co-investigators: Marianne Schmid Mast and Nora Murphy). This project examines the role of adherence to gender-typical communication patterns in influencing perceptions of young women who have intellectual disabilities. In collaboration with colleagues in Social Psychology, we examine whether perceptions of young women varies depending on how strongly they demonstrate communication patterns stereotypically associated with women. This project was funded through the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
Examples of Recent Publications
Haimson, B., Wilkinson, K. M., Rosenquist, C., Ouimet, C., & McIlvane, W. J. (in press). Electrophysiological correlates of stimulus equivalence processes. The Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.
Thistle, J., & Wilkinson, K. M. (2009). The effects of color cues on typically developing preschoolers’ speed of locating a target line drawing: Implications for AAC display design. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 18, 231-240.
Wilkinson, K. M., Rosenquist, C., & McIlvane, W. J. (2009). Exclusion learning and emergent symbolic category formation in individuals with severe language impairments and intellectual disabilities. The Psychological Record, 59, 187-206.
Wilkinson, K. M., & Hennig, S. (2009). Consideration of cognitive, attentional, and motivational demands in the construction of aided AAC systems. In G. Soto & C. Zangari (Eds.), Practically Speaking: Language, Literacy, and Academic Development for Students with Special Needs (pp. 313-334). Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes.
Wilkinson, K. M., & Reichle, J. (2009). The role of aided AAC in replacing unconventional communicative acts with more conventional ones. In P. Mirenda, T. Iacono, & J. Light (Eds.), Autism spectrum disorders and AAC (chapter 13). Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes.
Wilkinson, K. M., Carlin, M. & Thistle, J. (2008). The role of color cues in facilitating accurate and rapid location of aided symbols by children with and without Down Syndrome. American Journal of Speech-Language-Pathology, 17, 179–193.
Jagaroo, V. & Wilkinson, K. M. (2008). Further considerations of visual cognitive neuroscience for aided AAC: The potential role of motion perception systems in maximizing design display. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 24, 29–42.
Wilkinson, K. M. & Hennig, S. (2007). State of the art and current recommended practice in augmentative and alternative communication. Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews, 13, 58–69.
Wilkinson, K. M. (2007). The effect of 'missing' information on retention of fast mapped labels by individuals with receptive vocabulary limitations associated with intellectual disability. American Journal on Mental Retardation, 112, 40–53.
Wilkinson, K. M. (2006). A brief history of mental retardation and developmental disabilities: Where have we been, and where are we now? Perspectives on Language Learning and Education, 13, 2–6.
Wilkinson, K. M. & Rosenquist, C. (2006). Demonstration of a method for assessing semantic organization and category membership in individuals with autism spectrum disorders and receptive vocabulary limitations. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 22, 242–257.
Wilkinson, K. M., Carlin, M., & Jagaroo, V. (2006). Preschoolers’ speed of locating a target symbol under different color conditions. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 22, 123–133.
Wilkinson, K. M. (2005). Disambiguation and mapping of new word meanings by individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities. American Journal on Mental Retardation, 110, 71–86.
Wilkinson, K. M. & Jagaroo, V. (2004). Contributions of visual cognitive neuroscience to AAC display design. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 20, 123–136.