Faculty and Staff

Jacqueline Towson, PhD, CCC-SLP is an associate professor and serves as the graduate program director for 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 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 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 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.