Faculty and Staff

Jacqueline Towson, PhD, CCC-SLP is an associate professor in the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Central Florida. She holds a joint appointment in the School of Teacher Education. Her primary research focus is on building the capacity of individuals working with young children experiencing language impairments and developmental disabilities and those from traditionally marginalized populations with a secondary focus in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. Towson teaches courses focused in child language development and disorders, specifically for toddler and preschool children. She has presented at state, national and international conferences on classroom-based interventions for preschool children with developmental delays and has a specific focus in professional learning for pre and in-service professionals. She is actively engaged in community-based research through partnerships with public, private and charter preschools in the Orlando area. Her work has been funded through the American Speech-Language Hearing Foundation, the Central Florida Foundation, and the Florida Department of Health. Towson is PI of Project ABA and Co-PI of Project ASD, interdisciplinary preparation grants through the Office of Special Education Programs. She additionally serves as the PI for the Technical Assistance and Training System (TATS) grant which provides support for the Part B 619 prekindergarten programs serving children with disabilities in Florida.

Towson received her Bachelor of Science in Audiology and Speech Pathology from Florida State University, followed by her Master of Science in Communication Disorders from the University of Texas at Dallas. She worked in the field for fourteen years as both a speech-language pathologist and early childhood special education teacher in local school districts, with extensive experience in child language assessment. Towson completed her doctoral degree in the Education of Students with Exceptionalities with a focus in Early Childhood Special Education at Georgia State University.

Credentials

  • Ph.D., Doctor of Philosophy, Education of Students with Exceptionalities, Georgia State University
  • CCC-SLP, Certificate of Clinical Competence for Speech-Language Pathologists
Areas of Specialty
  • Language Disorders
  • Language Acquisition
  • Emergent Literacy
  • Preschool And School-Age Speech Language Pathology
  • Professional Learning
Research Lab Affiliations

Research Grants

Communication Sciences and Disorders

Preparing Special Education Teachers and Speech-Language Practitioners in Autism Spectrum Disorders at a Minority Serving Institution, Project: ASD-MSI

  • PI: Kelly Schaffer
  • Co-PI: Jacqueline Towson
  • Amount: $1,250,000 | Timeframe: 09/01/2024 - 08/31/2029
    Funding Type: Extramural Research
    Funding Agency: US Department of Education
    Communication Sciences and Disorders

    TATS (Technical Assistance and Training System for Programs Serving Young Children with Disabilities) 2023-2024

  • PI: Jacqueline Towson
  • Amount: $1,053,514 | Timeframe: 10/01/2023 - 09/30/2024
    Funding Type: Extramural Research
    Funding Agency: Florida Department of Education
    Communication Sciences and Disorders

    TATS (Technical Assistance and Training System for Programs Serving Young Children with Disabilities) 2022-2023

  • PI: Jacqueline Towson
  • Amount: $1,003,347 | Timeframe: 10/01/2022 - 09/30/2023
    Funding Type: Extramural Research
    Funding Agency: Florida Department of Education
    Communication Sciences and Disorders

    Project ABA: Preparing a Diverse Care of Early Childhood and Special Education Teachers in Applied Behavior Analysis

  • PI: Jacqueline Towson
  • Amount: $1,250,000 | Timeframe: 09/01/2022 - 08/31/2027
    Funding Type: Extramural Research
    Funding Agency: US Department of Education
    Communication Sciences and Disorders

    ECTA DASY PLUS-FL (Professional Learning Unique to Service Providers in Florida)

  • PI: Jacqueline Towson
  • Amount: $500,000 | Timeframe: 05/09/2022 - 06/30/2023
    Funding Type: Extramural Research
    Funding Agency: Florida Department of Health
    Communication Sciences and Disorders

    Technical Assistance and Training System for Programs Serving Prekindergarten Children with Disabilities (TATS)

  • PI: Jacqueline Towson
  • Amount: $1,003,347 | Timeframe: 10/01/2021 - 09/30/2022
    Funding Type: Extramural Research
    Funding Agency: Florida Department of Education
    Communication Sciences and Disorders

    Preparing Special Education Teachers and Speech-Language Practitioners in Autism Spectrum Disorders

  • PI: Eleazar Vasquez, Ph.D.
  • Co-PI: Jacqueline Towson
  • Amount: $250,000 | Timeframe: 01/01/2019 - 12/31/2023
    Funding Type: Extramural Research
    Funding Agency: U.S. Department of Education
    Communication Sciences and Disorders

    100 Women Strong Proposal

  • PI: Jacqueline Towson
  • Amount: $61,236 | Timeframe: 01/01/2019 - 09/30/2022
    Funding Type: Foundation/Industry
    Funding Agency: Central Florida Foundation
    Communication Sciences and Disorders

    Reading Beyond the Book: Implementing Dialogic Reading to Improve Language and Emergent Literacy Skills for Preschool Children with Significant Language Impairments

  • PI: Jacqueline Towson
  • Amount: $7,500 | Timeframe: 05/01/2016 - 04/30/2018
    Funding Type: Internal
    Funding Agency: UCF Office of Research and Commercialization
  • CSD Consortium Track Debuts in Spring Allowing Students to Earn Degree in Almost Half the Time

    Written By: David Janosik | September 15, 2022
    The UCF School of Communication Sciences and Disorders master’s program has improved its long-standing consortium track, which was designed around students working in local schools as speech-language therapists. Beginning Spring...
  • UCF Researcher Provides Resources for Professionals to Aid Young Children with Developmental Disabilities

    Written By: Megan Pabian | September 9, 2022
    Jacqueline Towson, a dually certified professional in speech-language pathology and early childhood special education, uses her unique perspective to enhance training and support for professionals who work with children who...
  • Foundational Questions: A Researcher’s ASHF-Launched Quest for Answers

    Written By: asha.org | May 20, 2022
    UCF’s Jacqueline Towson explores how teaching technology can be optimized to build graduate students’ interprofessional skills.
  • Researcher Spotlight: Jacqueline Towson Advances Early Literacy for Children Through Evidence-Based Practice Research

    Written By: Camille Dolan '98 | November 16, 2021
    For nearly 15 years before coming to UCF, Jacqueline Towson served in the Georgia and Texas public school systems as a speech-language pathologist and an early childhood special education teacher; and later, as an administrator of those programs. As rewarding...
  • CSD Faculty, Students and Alumni Present at Annual ASHA Convention in Washington, D.C.

    Written By: Drexler B. James'13 | November 4, 2021
    Faculty, students and alumni from the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders will participate in this year’s ASHA Convention, both in-person and virtually, from Nov. 18-20 in Washington, D.C. Experts from around the country will share research,...
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