Description:

In this event, Dr. Adriana Weisleder and members of her lab will discuss their recent article, “Supporting Multilingualism in Immigrant Children: An Integrative Approach”. This work centers on the experiences of immigrant children and how to support and maintain multilingualism across various contexts, particularly among immigrant children who speak minoritized and/or racialized languages. They will first provide a brief presentation of the article, followed by discussion and Q&A. All participants are welcome.  

We also encourage participants to submit questions using this form: https://forms.gle/kN2mxzKeKwKVtfDJ8 . Questions submitted both ahead of time and during the event are highly encouraged! 

SPEAKER BIOS:  
Dr. Adriana Weisleder is an assistant professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Northwestern University. Her current work seeks to expand descriptions of language development in young children from immigrant and language minority backgrounds by combining observational and experimental measures of language with community perspectives about what is normative language development. She is director of the Child Language Lab (https://childlanguagelab.northwestern.edu/).  
 
Co-presenters for this event include coauthors and members of the Child Language Lab:  
 
Alejandra Reinoso is a PhD Candidate in Communication Sciences and Disorders and an MPES fellow through the School of Education and Social Policy. As a Dominican Spanish-English bilingual, Alejandra is interested in investigating early language learning in the home and school environments of Latine dual language learners (DLLs), and how this may further affect DLLs’ school readiness and academic success. Alejandra’s ultimate goal is to conduct research that helps inform early childhood education policy for multilingual children, including those with language and communication disabilities. 
 
Anele Villanueva has a Master’s degree in non-clinical communication sciences from Northwestern University and is a full-time Research Associate at Loyola University. As a Chicana and bilingual speaker (Spanish-English), Anele is interested in how language interactions in the home may influence language development and school readiness in bilingual children and children with communicative delays. She is particularly interested in how bilingual language environments vary across socioeconomic status, and in naturally occurring interactions in the home. Anele aims to conduct culturally responsive research and contribute to reducing poverty-related disparities in school readiness in children from diverse communities. 
 
Krystal Alvarez-Hernandez is a PhD student in Communication Sciences and Disorders and Predoctoral Ford Foundation Fellow. She is interested in investigating disparities in maternal stress in the perinatal period and its influence on child development in the first few years of life. As a mother and bilingual Mexican-American herself, Krystal plans to work closely with Hispanic mothers and their children in the community. 
 
Murielle Standley is a PhD Candidate in Communication Sciences and Disorders. She speaks multiple languages (Swiss German, German, English, and French). As a point of self-reflection, Murielle acknowledges that her experience as a white European immigrant speaking non-racialized languages differs in fundamental ways from the experience of racialized and minoritized immigrant families. Murielle’s research focuses on language development in children at elevated risk of language disorders. Her work centers a dimensional view of language ability, includes verbal and nonverbal communication, and applies a culturally and linguistically relevant lens. When her race, ethnicity, or languages do not reflect those of the population she works with Murielle prioritizes including representative voices in the research process.