Jacqueline Towson, PhD, CCC-SLP is an Assistant Professor and Graduate Program Director 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 who work with young children with language impairments and those at-risk. 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 significant language impairments and those considered at-risk. She is actively engaged in community-based research through partnerships with public, private and charter preschools in the Orlando area. Her work is funded through the American Speech-Language Hearing Association and the Central Florida Foundation. Towson is Co-PI of Project ASD, an interdisciplinary preparation grant through the Office of Special Education Programs. She 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 clinically 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
- Language And Literacy
Research Lab Affiliations
Research Grants
Preparing Special Education Teachers and Speech-Language Practitioners in Autism Spectrum Disorders
Reading Beyond the Book: Implementing Dialogic Reading to Improve Language and Emergent Literacy Skills for Preschool Children with Significant Language Impairments
CSD Program Helps Young Mothers Instill Early Language Skills in Their Children
For the past four years, graduate clinicians in the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders have been hosting playgroups that are not only fun for the babies, but also help...
Research Roundup: Recent Publications By CHPS Faculty Spring 2021
Our faculty pursue big ideas and share what they learn by publishing their research to advance the profession. As part of an institution designated as “very high” research activity by...
UCF Student to Receive $5000 Scholarship at National Convention
Diana Abarca UCF graduate student Diana Abarca is one of three students nationwide selected to receive a $5,000 Minority Student Scholarship at the 2018 American Speech-Language-Hearing-Association convention Nov. 15-17 in...
Faculty Member Inspires Undergraduates to Participate in Research
Diana Abarca is a UCF undergraduate who conducts research every Friday at the Beta Center/UCP Downtown campus in Orlando. She runs and evaluates playgroups at the center, under faculty supervision,...