Megan Gross, Ph.D.

Session 3

Title: Intersecting Identities: Lived Experience Community Panel  

Associate Professor of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences 

Pronouns: she/her

Megan Gross is an Associate Professor in the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her research focuses on the intersection of dual-language learning and disabilities that impact communication (e.g., Developmental Language Disorder [DLD], Autism). Current projects focus on how Spanish/English bilingual children with different neurodevelopmental profiles (neurotypical, DLD, autistic) learn to use and understand both of their languages, including when elements of the two languages are used in the same sentence (e.g., Está sleeping). In addition to understanding linguistic, cognitive, social, and environment factors that contribute to how bilingual children use and process their two languages, Gross is interested in best practices for bilingual assessment and how continued use of both languages can be most effectively supported through bilingual intervention strategies. Using a family-centered and mixed-methods approach, she seeks to learn from families about their experiences accessing diagnostic and support services with the long-term goal of developing community-partnered supports that are responsive to families’ needs. She values community-engaged research and welcomes opportunities to collaborate with community organizations and clinicians.