DIRECTOR

Dr. Baila Epstein, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, TSSH

Dr. Baila Epstein is the director of the Child Language and Cognition Laboratory and is an assistant professor in the Speech Communication Arts & Sciences Department at Brooklyn College, City University of New York. Her research focuses on general cognitive skills used in visual information processing by children with specific language impairment (SLI). By recording event-related potentials (ERPs) from the scalp in conjunction with behavioral measures, she aims to elucidate the brain processes underlying normal and disordered language in children. Dr. Epstein’s primary current investigation, funded by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation, examines the electrophysiological correlates of response monitoring in the SLI population.

Dr. Epstein is a licensed speech-language pathologist who provides evaluations and treatment to school-age children through the New York City Department of Education, specializing in the treatment of language-based learning disabilities.

CURRENT RESEARCH ASSISTANTS

Angelina Gudnyy

Angelina Gudnyy is an undergraduate student in the Speech Communication Arts and Sciences Department at Brooklyn College. She is currently involved in research focused on coding language samples collected from preschool children to identify conversational breakdowns. 

Deniz Erol

Deniz Erol is a graduate student in the Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences PhD program at the CUNY Graduate Center. She is a research assistant in Prof. Epstein’s Child Language and Cognition Laboratory at Brooklyn College and Professor Klara Marton’s Language and Cognition Laboratory at the CUNY Graduate Center, where she is also a Science Fellowship recipient. Currently, she is involved in gathering behavioral and electrophysiological data for a project investigating cognition and language in children with Specific Language Impairment (SLI). Deniz has a bachelor’s degree from Columbia University.

FORMER RESEARCH ASSISTANTS

Ashley Garcia

Ashley Garcia is a graduate student in the Master’s Program of Speech-Language Pathology at Brooklyn College, CUNY. She is currently working as a research assistant in the Child Language and Cognition Laboratory, recruiting and testing participants using behavioral measures to evaluate children’s cognitive abilities. Ashley is a former Pre-K teacher with two years of teaching experience and holds a Standard P-3 Certification from New Jersey.

Hallie Steinman

Hallie Steinman is a graduate student in the Speech-Language Pathology Master's Program at Brooklyn College. She is currently working as a research assistant in the Child Language and Cognition Laboratory. In this position, she conducts behavioral testing and collects electrophysiological measures of response monitoring in typically developing children and in children with specific language impairment. She received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Binghamton University. There, she worked as a research assistant in the psycholinguistics laboratory and at the Institute for Child Development. 

Jamie Houy, B.A.

Jamie Houy was a graduate student in the Master’s Program of Speech-Language Pathology at Brooklyn College, CUNY. As a research assistant in the Child Language and Cognition Laboratory, she conducted behavioral testing and collected electrophysiological measures of response monitoring in typically developing children and in children with specific language impairment (SLI). Jamie co-authored posters on error-monitoring in these populations, which she presented at the 2012 New York State Speech-Language-Hearing Association Annual Convention and at the 2012 ASHA Annual Convention. Currently, she is working in a skilled nursing facility providing clinical assessment and treatment for acquired communication and swallowing disorders in the geriatric population. She is a member of ASHA Special Interest Group 13: Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders and Special Interest Group 15: Gerontology. While Jamie thoroughly enjoys working with the elder population, she hopes to work with both adult and childhood populations in the future.  

Sommer Goodman, B.A.

Sommer Goodman is a graduate student in the Master’s Program of Speech-Language Pathology at Brooklyn College, CUNY. She is currently working as a research assistant in the Child Language and Cognition Laboratory, using behavioral and electrophysiological measures to evaluate cognitive deficits in children with specific language impairment. Sommer co-authored a poster on error-monitoring in typically developing children, which she presented at the 2012 New York State Speech-Language-Hearing Association Annual Convention.

Ada Anaya, M.S., CCC-SLP, TSSLD

Ada Anaya was a research assistant in the Child Language and Cognition Laboratory at Brooklyn College, CUNY, as well as in the Developmental Language Laboratory at the Graduate Center, CUNY. Ada received her Bachelor's degree in Health Science from Stony Brook University and her Master's degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Brooklyn College. As a research assistant, she collected electrophysiological and behavioral data of typically developing children and children with specific language impairment (SLI). She co-authored a poster on cognitive control in children with SLI, which was presented at the 2011 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Annual Convention. Currently, Ada works in several charter schools as a Teacher of Students with Speech and Language Disabilities and is pursuing her bilingual extension certification at Teacher's College, Columbia University.

Elizabeth Catanese, M.S., CCC-SLP, TSSLD

While attending Brooklyn College in pursuit of my master’s degree, I had the honor of participating in the launching of Dr. Epstein’s Child Language and Cognition Lab. Through my participation, I acquired many useful skills and received invaluable training in research methods and data collection and organization.

Since graduating Brooklyn College with my master’s degree, I acquired a position as a full-time speech and language therapist at a District 75 school within the Department of Education, in Boro Park, Brooklyn. There, I work in specialized inclusion classrooms with students classified as children with Autism or an Emotional Disturbance. Furthermore, I am on the Positive Behavior Intervention System (PBIS) Committee, which seeks to monitor and establish rewards for positive behaviors; the School Leadership Team (SLT), which meets to set educational and community goals for the school; as well as on the Assistive Technology Team, ensuring that any student in need of assistive technology receives a referral, evaluation, and assistive device, as necessary. I have found fulfillment and reward in my position, just as I always hoped, and can proudly say that I love going to work every day.

Shannon Doody, B.A.

Shannon Doody is a graduate student in the Speech-Language Pathology Master's Program at Brooklyn College. She is currently working as a research assistant in the Child Language and Cognition Laboratory. This position involves collecting electrophysiological measures of response monitoring in children with specific language impairment, conducting behavioral testing as well as utilizing behavioral measures to evaluate children's cognitive capabilities. Shannon was a research assistant in the Neurolinguistics Lab at the CUNY graduate Center, where she co-authored a poster involving lexical retrieval in the healthy aging population, which she presented at the 2014 ASHA Annual Convention. She received her bachelor's degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Queens College.