Research Interests

• Developing and evaluating interventions designed to improve language and communication outcomes for children with developmental disabilities who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC).
• Developing and evaluating service-learning instructional approaches in communication sciences and disorders (Scholarship of Teaching and Learning).

Grant Funding

Funded External Proposals

Binger, C. (PI) & Kent-Walsh, J. (MPI; 2017 – 2022). Word by Word: Building Sentences with Preschoolers who use AAC. R01 Research Grant Funded by the National Institutes of Health (National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders), $2,781,276.

Kent-Walsh, J. (P.I., 2015-18).  Teaching preschoolers with complex communication needs to ask inverted yes-no questions using an AAC iPad application. R15 Research Grant funded by National Institutes of Health (National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders), $437,810.

Kent-Walsh, J. (P.I., Oct 2011 – Sep 2018). Atlantic Region Assistive Technology Demonstration Center. Grant funded by Florida Alliance for Assistive Services and Technology, $901,023.

Kent-Walsh, J. (P.I., 2016-2017). iCommunicate@ UCF. Grant funded by the Chelsey G. Magruder Foundation, Inc., $10,000.

Kent-Walsh, J. (P.I., 2015-2016). iCommunicate @ UCF: An AAC intervention program.  Grant funded by The Chesley G. Magruder Foundation, Inc., $10,000.

Kent-Walsh, J. (P.I., 2014-2015). iCommunicate @ UCF: AAC outcomes.  Grant funded by The Chesley G. Magruder Foundation, Inc., $10,000.

Kent-Walsh, J. (P.I., 2013). iCommunicate @ UCF.  Grant funded by the The Chesley G. Magruder Foundation, Inc., $10,000.

Kent-Walsh, J. (P.I., 2011-2013). Teaching Children who use AAC to Ask Inverted Yes-No Questions. Clinical Research Grant funded by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation, $50,000.

Kent-Walsh, J. (P.I., May 2008 – May 2009). Project TELL: Targeting Early Language and Literacy For Children with Disabilities and from At-Risk Environments. Disney Helping Kids Shine Grant funded by the Walt Disney World Company, $19,000.

Kent-Walsh, J. (P.I., Dec 2007 – Dec 2008). Technology in the FAAST Lane: Effects of parent Instructionon the communication of young children using AAC. Starfish Research Grant funded by the American Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists Special Interest Division 1, $2,500.

Kent-Walsh, J. (P.I., Aug 2006 – Jul 2007). AAC consumer employment. Contract funded by the Prentke Romich Company, $15,000.

Kent-Walsh, J. (P.I., Aug 2006 – Jul 2007). On-the-job training.  Contract funded by the Florida Department of Education, Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, $2,000.

Kent-Walsh, J. (P.I., May 2006 – Apr 2007). The effects of peer instruction on the expressive language of  children using augmentative and alternative communication during shared book reading activities. Research Grant funded by the Florida Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists Foundation, $2,500.

Kent-Walsh, J. (P.I., Dec 2005 – Dec 2006). The effects of virtual reality experiences on the receptive vocabulary of young children who use augmentative and alternative communication. Research grant funded by the Winter Park Health Foundation, $2,500.

Kent-Walsh, J. (P.I., Oct 2005 – Sep 2011). Atlantic Region Assistive Technology Demonstration Center. Grant funded by Florida Alliance for Assistive Services and Technology, $728,250.

Kent-Walsh, J. (P.I., Dec 2003 – Dec 2004). The effects of a caregiver instructional program on the communicative turns of students who require AAC during book reading activities. New Investigator Research Grant funded by the American Speech-Language Hearing Foundation, $5,000.

Kent-Walsh, J. (P.I., Aug 2002 – Jul 2003). The effects of an educational assistant instructional program on the communicative turns of students who require AAC during book reading activities.  Whipper Watson Graduate Research Studentship funded by the Bloorview MacMillan Children’s Centre Office of Research, $5,500.

Publications

Binger, C., Kent-Walsh, J., King, M.* & Mansfield, L.* (2017). Early sentence productions of three- and four-year-old children who use augmentative and alternative communication. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 60, 1930-1945.

Binger, C., Kent-Walsh, J. & King, M.* (2017). Dynamic assessment for three- and four-year old children who use augmentative and alternative communication: evaluating expressive syntax. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 60, 1946-1958.

Binger, C., Kent-Walsh, J. King, M., Webb, E. & Buenviaje, E. (2017). Early sentence productions of 5-year-old children who use augmentative and alternative communication. Communication Disorders Quarterly, 38, 131-142.

Kent-Walsh, J., Murza, K.A., Malani, M.D. & Binger, C. (2015).  Effects of communication partner instruction on the communication of individuals using AAC:  A meta-analysis. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, Volume 33 (In Press).

Kent-Walsh, J., Binger, C. & Buchanan, C. (2015). Teaching children who use augmentative and alternative communication to ask inverted yes-no questions using aided modeling. AmericanJournal of Speech-Language Pathology, 24, 222-236.

King, M., Binger, C. & Kent-Walsh, J. (2015).  Using dynamic assessment to evaluate the expressive syntax of five-year-old children who use augmentative and alternative communication. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 30, 1-14.

Kent-Walsh, J. & Binger, C. (2013). Fundamentals of the ImPAACT Program. Perspectives on Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 22, 51-61.

Binger, C., Ball, L., Dietz, A., Kent-Walsh, J., Lasker, J., Lund, S., McKelvey, M., Quach, W. (2012). Personnel roles in the AAC assessment process, Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 28, 278-288.

Binger, C.  & Kent-Walsh, J. (2012). Selecting skills to teach communication partners: Where do I start?. Perspectives on Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 21, 127-135.

Kent-Walsh, J. & Binger, C. (2012). Communication partner instruction in AAC: Building circles of support. Perspectives on Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 21, 124-126.

Kent-Walsh, J. (2011). Emergent literacy intervention appears effective for teaching sound- letter correspondence and consonant-vowel-consonant spelling combinations to young children who use augmentative and alternative communication. Evidence-Based Communication Assessment and Intervention, 4, 183-187.

Kent-Walsh, J., & Binger, C., (2011). Technology as a language tool: Augmentative and alternative communication in the classroom, Perspectives on School-Based Issues, 12, 28-33.

Binger, C., Maguire-Marshall, M., & Kent-Walsh, J. (2011). Using aided AAC models, recasts, and contrastive targets to teach grammatical morphemes to children with developmental delays who use AAC.  Journal of Speech-Language-Hearing Research, 54, 160-176.

Kent-Walsh, J., Binger, C., & Malani, M. (2010). Teaching partners to support the communication skills of young children who use AAC: Lessons from the ImPAACT Program. Early Childhood Services, 4, 210-226.

Binger, C., Kent-Walsh, J., Ewing, C., & Taylor, S. (2010). Teaching educational assistants to facilitate the multi-symbol message productions of young students who require AAC. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 19, 108-120.

Kent-Walsh, J., Binger, C., & Hasham, Z. (2010). Effects of parent instruction on the symbolic communication of children using AAC during storybook reading. American Journal of Speech- Language Pathology, 19, 97-107.

Binger, C., Berens, J., Kent-Walsh, J. & Hickman, S. (2008). The impacts of aided AAC interventions on AAC use, speech, and symbolic gestures. Seminars in Speech and Language, 29, 101-111.

Binger, C., Kent-Walsh, J., Berens, J., Del Campo, S., & Rivera, D. (2008). Teaching Latino parents to support the multi-symbol message productions of their children who require AAC. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 24, 323-338.

Kent-Walsh, J. (2008). Communication partner interventions for students who use AAC. Perspectives on Augmentative and Alternative Communication 17, 27-32.

Kent-Walsh, J., Stark, C. & Binger, C. (2008). Tales from school trenches:  AAC service delivery and professional expertise. Seminars in Speech and Language, 29, 146-154.

Rosa-Lugo, L. I., & Kent-Walsh, J. (2008). Effects of parent instruction on communicativeturns of Latino children using AAC during storybook reading. Communication Disorders Quarterly, 30, 49-61.

Kent-Walsh, J., & McNaughton, D. (2005). Communication partner instruction in AAC: Present practices and future directions. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 21, 195-204.

Kent-Walsh, J., & Light, J. (2003). General education teachers’ experiences with inclusion of students who use augmentative and alternative communication. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 19, 104-124.

Primers

Kent-Walsh, J.  (2012). What every speech-language pathologist should know about service- learning.  Boston, MA: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon.

Binger, C. & Kent-Walsh, J. (2010).  What every speech-language pathologist should know about augmentative and alternative communication. Boston, MA: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon.

Book Sections

Binger, C. & Kent-Walsh, J. (2017). Chapter 32: Augmentative and Alternative Communication. In M.A. Wehmeyer, I. Brown, M. Percy, K.A. Shogren & W.L.A. Fung (Ed.s). A Comprehensive Guide to Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (pp. 461-471). Baltimore:  Paul H. Brookes.

Ball, L., Kent-Walsh, J. & Harrington, N. (2016). Chapter 19: Consideration of communication options in head and neck cancer: Augmentative and alternative communication options.  In B. Hoffman Ruddy, H. Ho, C. Sapienza & J. L. Lehman (Ed.s). Cases in Head and Neck Cancer (p. 207-217), Plural Publishing

Kent-Walsh, J., Resnick, P. & Binger, C. (2014).  Colin: A preschooler who is medically fragile but ready to “take off” with communication. In J. McCarthy & A. Dietz (Ed.s).  Augmentative and Alternative Communication: An interactive clinical casebook. San Diego, CA: Plural Publishing.

Kent-Walsh, J. (2012). Augmentative and alternative communication.  In. J.M. Rippe (Ed.) Encyclopedia of Lifestyle Medicine and Health.  Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.

Kent-Walsh, J., & Binger, C. (2009). Addressing the communication demands of the classroom for beginning communicators and early language users. In G. Soto & C. Zangari (Ed.s) Practically speaking: Language, literacy, and academic development for students with AAC needs (pp. 143-172). Baltimore:  Paul H. Brookes.

Invited Articles in American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Newsletter

Binger, C.  & Kent-Walsh, J. (2012). Communication Takes Two. The ASHA Leader, 17, 24-27.

Kent-Walsh, J. & Schwartz, J. (2006). Reengineering teaching and learning practices, ASHA Leader, 11(5),18-19.

Kent-Walsh, J. & Rosa-Lugo, L. (2006). Communication partner interventions for children who use AAC: Storybook reading across culture and language, ASHA Leader, 11(3), 6-7.

Light, J., & Kent-Walsh, J. (2003). Fostering emergent literacy for children who require AAC. ASHA Leader, 8(9), 4-6.

Magazine Articles

Kent-Walsh, J. (2011). AAC Assessment/Intervention across the spectrum: Spotlighting AAC services at the University of Central Florida. Therapy Times, 3(1), 4-6.

Kent-Walsh, J. (2007).  FAAST ARDC welcomes a new staff member. FAAST Access, 4(2), 10.

Kent-Walsh, J. (2005).  The evolution of a masterpiece, UCF Faculty Focus, 4(3), 4.

Selected Profiles / Media Links

https://www.ashfoundation.org/recipients/spotlight/jennifer-kent-walsh/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzbPM6esJ4w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bdzGquzNGk

Areas of Specialty

• Language Disorders
• Augmentative and Alternative Communication
• Assistive Technology
• Service-Learning / Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Research Lab Affiliations

• AAC Research to Practice Lab Collaborative