Mary Alt

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• Mettler, H. M., Alt, M., Gray, S., Hogan, T. P., GREEN, S., & Cowan, N. (2024).

  Phonological Working Memory and Sentence Production in School-Age Children with Typical Language, Dyslexia, and Comorbid Dyslexia and Developmental Language Disorder

  . Journal of Child Language, 51, 56-90. doi:https://doi.org/10.1017/S0305000922000435
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  Purpose Little is known about the relationship between sentence production and phonological working memory in school-age children. To fill this gap, we examined how strongly these constructs correlate. We also compared diagnostic groups’ working memory abilities to see if differences co-occurred with qualitative differences in their sentences. Method We conducted Bayesian analyses on data from seven- to nine-year-old children (n = 165 typical language, n = 81 dyslexia-only, n = 43 comorbid dyslexia and developmental language disorder). We correlated sentence production and working memory scores and conducted t tests between groups’ working memory scores and sentence length, lexical diversity, and complexity. Results Correlations were positive but weak. The dyslexic and typical groups had dissimilar working memory and comparable sentence quality. The dyslexic and comorbid groups had comparable working memory but dissimilar sentence quality. Conclusion Contrary to literature-based predictions, phonological working memory and sentence production are weakly related in school-age children.  
• Alt, M., Alt, M., Evans-Reitz, N., Evans-Reitz, N., Figueroa, C. R., Figueroa, C. R., Neiling, S. L., Neiling, S. L., Mettler, H. M., & Mettler, H. M. (2023). Vocabulary Acquisition and Usage for Late Talkers: The Feasibility of a Caregiver-Implemented Telehealth Model. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 66(1), 257-275. doi:10.1044/2022_jslhr-22-00285
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  This feasibility study examined a caregiver-implemented telehealth model of the Vocabulary Acquisition and Usage for Late Talkers (VAULT) protocol. We asked whether caregivers could reach fidelity on VAULT, if the protocol was socially and ecologically valid, and if late-talking toddlers could learn new words with this model.Five late-talking monolingual and bilingual toddlers and four caregivers participated. The caregiver-related research questions involved measurements taken at multiple time points and replication across subjects but did not follow a specific research design. The toddler-related research questions included elements of a single-case design. Caregivers completed self-paced online training modules and then provided 8 weeks of VAULT to their children with remote coaching. Fidelity data were collected during coached sessions and through rating scales. Social and ecological validity data were collected via surveys and interviews. Children's word learning was measured before, during, and after treatment via production of targets and controls and via standardized vocabulary inventories.Caregivers demonstrated high fidelity to VAULT throughout treatment. They reported being comfortable with many aspects of VAULT. Feedback was mixed regarding the time required. Many reported their child was talking more as a result of the program. Visual analysis revealed that toddlers learned more target than control words, which was corroborated by Tau-U and d effect size analyses.A caregiver-implemented telehealth model of VAULT was feasible, was socially and ecologically valid, and benefited toddlers, making this a worthwhile model for future studies to examine.https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.21753872.
• Alt, M., Fox, A., Levy, R., Hogan, T. P., Cowan, N., & Gray, S. (2022). Phonological working memory and central executive function differ in children with typical development and dyslexia. Dyslexia (Chichester, England), 28(1), 20-39.
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  The primary purpose of this study was to compare the working memory performance of monolingual English-speaking second grade children with dyslexia (N = 82) to second-grade children with typical development (N = 167). Prior to making group comparisons, it is important to demonstrate invariance between working memory models in both groups or between-group comparisons would not be valid. Thus, we completed invariance testing using a model of working memory that had been validated for children with typical development (Gray et al., 2017) to see if it was valid for children with dyslexia. We tested three types of invariance: configural (does the model test the same constructs?), metric (are the factor loadings equivalent?), and scalar (are the item intercepts the same?). Group comparisons favoured the children with typical development across all three working memory factors. However, differences in the Focus-of-Attention/Visuospatial factor could be explained by group differences in non-verbal intelligence and language skills. In contrast, differences in the Phonological and Central Executive working memory factors remained, even after accounting for non-verbal intelligence and language. Results highlight the need for researchers and educators to attend not only to the phonological aspects of working memory in children with dyslexia, but also to central executive function.
• Antoniou, M., Alt, M., Baker, E., Li, W., Hodges, R., Masso, S., Jones, C., Guo, Y., Afshar, S., Tosi, K., & Munro, N. (2022). Harnessing automatic speech recognition to realise Sustainable Development Goals 3, 9, and 17 through interdisciplinary partnerships for children with communication disability. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 1-5. doi:10.1080/17549507.2022.2146194
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  Purpose: To showcase how applications of automatic speech recognition (ASR) technology could help solve challenges in speech-language pathology practice with children with communication disability, and contribute to the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).Result: ASR technologies have been developed to address the need for equitable, efficient, and accurate assessment and diagnosis of communication disability in children by automating the transcription and analysis of speech and language samples and supporting dual-language assessment of bilingual children. ASR tools can automate the measurement of and help optimise intervention fidelity. ASR tools can also be used by children to engage in independent speech production practice without relying on feedback from speech-language pathologists (SLPs), thus bridging the long-standing gap between recommended and received intervention intensity. These innovative technologies and tools have been generated from interdisciplinary partnerships between SLPs, engineers, data scientists, and linguists.Conclusion: To advance equitable, efficient, and effective speech-language pathology services for children with communication disability, SLPs would benefit from integrating ASR solutions into their clinical practice. Ongoing interdisciplinary research is needed to further advance ASR technologies to optimise children's outcomes. This commentary paper focusses on industry, innovation and infrastructure (SDG 9) and partnerships for the goals (SDG 17). It also addresses SDG 1, SDG 3, SDG 4, SDG 8, SDG 10, SDG 11, and SDG 16.
• Gray, S. I., Levy, R., Alt, M., Hogan, T. P., & Cowan, N. (2022). Working Memory Predicts New Word Learning Over and Above Existing Vocabulary and Nonverbal IQ. Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR, 65(3), 1044-1069.
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  The purpose of this study was to use an established model of working memory in children to predict an established model of word learning to determine whether working memory explained word learning variance over and above the contributions of expressive vocabulary and nonverbal IQ.
• Alt, M., Alt, M., Figueroa, C. R., Figueroa, C. R., Mettler, H. M., Mettler, H. M., Evans-Reitz, N., Evans-Reitz, N., Erikson, J. A., & Erikson, J. A. (2021). A Vocabulary Acquisition and Usage for Late Talkers Treatment Efficacy Study: The Effect of Input Utterance Length and Identification of Responder Profiles. Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR, 64(4), 1235-1255.
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  Purpose This study examined the efficacy of the Vocabulary Acquisition and Usage for Late Talkers (VAULT) treatment in a version that manipulated the length of clinician utterance in which a target word was presented (dose length). The study also explored ways to characterize treatment responders versus nonresponders. Method Nineteen primarily English-speaking late-talking toddlers (aged 24-34 months at treatment onset) received VAULT and were quasirandomly assigned to have target words presented in grammatical utterances matching one of two lengths: brief (four words or fewer) or extended (five words or more). Children were measured on their pre- and posttreatment production of (a) target and control words specific to treatment and (b) words not specific to treatment. Classification and Regression Tree (CART) analysis was used to classify responders versus nonresponders. Results VAULT was successful as a whole (i.e., treatment effect sizes of greater than 0), with no difference between the brief and extended conditions. Despite the overall significant treatment effect, the treatment was not successful for all participants. CART results (using participants from the current study and a previous iteration of VAULT) provided a dual-node decision tree for classifying treatment responders versus nonresponders. Conclusions The input-based VAULT treatment protocol is efficacious and offers some flexibility in terms of utterance length. When VAULT works, it works well. The CART decision tree uses pretreatment vocabulary levels and performance in the first two treatment sessions to provide clinicians with promising guidelines for who is likely to be a nonresponder and thus might need a modified treatment plan. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.14226641.
• Alt, M., Erikson, J. A., Gray, S., Green, S., Hogan, T. P., & Cowan, N. (2021). Phonological vulnerability for school-aged Spanish-English-speaking bilingual children. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 24(5), 736-756. doi:10.1080/13670050.2018.1510892
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  This study examined accuracy on syllable-final (coda) consonants in newly-learned English-like nonwords to determine whether school-aged bilingual children may be more vulnerable to making errors on English-only codas than their monolingual, English-speaking peers, even at a stage in development when phonological accuracy in productions of familiar words is high. Bilingual Spanish-English-speaking second- graders (age 7-9) with typical development (n=40) were matched individually with monolingual peers on age, sex, and speech skills. Participants learned to name sea monsters as part of five computerized word learning tasks. Dependent t-tests revealed bilingual children were less accurate than monolingual children in producing codas unique to English; however, the groups demonstrated equivalent levels of accuracy on codas that occur in both Spanish and English. Results suggest that, even at high levels of English proficiency, bilingual Spanish-English-speaking children may demonstrate lower accuracy than their monolingual English-speaking peers on targets that pattern differently in their two languages. Differences between a bilingual's two languages can be used to reveal targets that may be more vulnerable to error, which could be a result of cross-linguistic effects or more limited practice with English phonology.
• Alt, M., Fox, A., Levy, R., Hogan, T. P., Cowan, N., & Gray, S. (2021). Phonological working memory and central executive function differ in children with typical development and dyslexia. Dyslexia, 28(1), 20-39. doi:10.1002/dys.1699
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  The primary purpose of this study was to compare the working memory performance of monolingual English-speaking second- grade children with dyslexia (N = 82) to second-grade children with typical development (N = 167). Prior to making group comparisons, it is important to demonstrate invariance between working memory models in both groups or between-group comparisons would not be valid. Thus, we completed invariance testing using a model of working memory that had been validated for children with typical development (Gray et al., 2017) to see if it was valid for children with dyslexia. We tested three types of invariance: configural (does the model test the same constructs?), metric (are the factor loadings equivalent?), and scalar (are the item intercepts the same?). Group comparisons favoured the children with typical development across all three working memory factors. However, differences in the Focus-of-Attention/Visuospatial factor could be explained by group differences in non-verbal intelligence and language skills. In contrast, differences in the Phonological and Central Executive working memory factors remained, even after accounting for non-verbal intelligence and language. Results highlight the need for researchers and educators to attend not only to the phonological aspects of working memory in children with dyslexia, but also to central executive function.
• Erikson, J. A., Alt, M., Gray, S., Green, S., Hogan, T. P., & Cowan, N. (2021). Phonological Vulnerability for School-Aged Spanish-English-Speaking Bilingual Children. International journal of bilingual education and bilingualism, 24(5), 736-756.
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  This study examined accuracy on syllable-final (coda) consonants in newly-learned English-like nonwords to determine whether school-aged bilingual children may be more vulnerable to making errors on English-only codas than their monolingual, English-speaking peers, even at a stage in development when phonological accuracy in productions of familiar words is high. Bilingual Spanish-English-speaking second- graders (age 7-9) with typical development (=40) were matched individually with monolingual peers on age, sex, and speech skills. Participants learned to name sea monsters as part of five computerized word learning tasks. Dependent -tests revealed bilingual children were less accurate than monolingual children in producing codas unique to English; however, the groups demonstrated equivalent levels of accuracy on codas that occur in both Spanish and English. Results suggest that, even at high levels of English proficiency, bilingual Spanish-English-speaking children may demonstrate lower accuracy than their monolingual English-speaking peers on targets that pattern differently in their two languages. Differences between a bilingual's two languages can be used to reveal targets that may be more vulnerable to error, which could be a result of cross-linguistic effects or more limited practice with English phonology.
• Alt, M., Mettler, H. M., Erikson, J. A., Figueroa, C. R., Etters-Thomas, S. E., Arizmendi, G. D., & Oglivie, T. (2020). Exploring Input Parameters in an Expressive Vocabulary Treatment With Late Talkers. Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR, 63(1), 216-233.
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  Purpose The aims of this study were (a) to assess the efficacy of the Vocabulary Acquisition and Usage for Late Talkers (VAULT) treatment and (b) to compare treatment outcomes for expressive vocabulary acquisition in late talkers in 2 conditions: 3 target words/90 doses per word per session versus 6 target words/45 doses per word per session. Method We ran the treatment protocol for 16 sessions with 24 primarily monolingual English-speaking late talkers. We calculated a score for each child, compared treatment to control effect sizes, and assessed the number of words per week children acquired outside treatment. We compared treatment effect sizes of children in the condition of 3 target words/90 doses per word to those in the condition of 6 target words/45 doses per word. We used Bayesian repeated-measures analysis of variance and Bayesian tests to answer our condition-level questions. Results With an average treatment effect size of almost 1.0, VAULT was effective relative to the no-treatment condition. There were no differences between the different dose conditions. Discussion The VAULT protocol was an efficacious treatment that has the potential to increase the spoken vocabulary of late-talking toddlers and provides clinicians some flexibility in terms of number of words targeted and dose number, keeping in mind the interconnectedness of treatment parameters. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.11593323.
• Gray, S., Lancaster, H., Alt, M., Hogan, T. P., Green, S., Levy, R., & Cowan, N. (2020). The Structure of Word Learning in Young School-Age Children. Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR, 63(5), 1446-1466.
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  Purpose We investigated four theoretically based latent variable models of word learning in young school-age children. Method One hundred sixty-seven English-speaking second graders with typical development from three U.S. states participated. They completed five different tasks designed to assess children's creation, storage, retrieval, and production of the phonological and semantic representations of novel words and their ability to link those representations. The tasks encompassed the triggering and configuration stages of word learning. Results Results showed that a latent variable model with separate phonological and semantic factors and linking indicators constrained to load on the phonological factor best fit the data. Discussion The structure of word learning during triggering and configuration reflects separate but related phonological and semantic factors. We did not find evidence for a unidimensional latent variable model of word learning or for separate receptive and expressive word learning factors. In future studies, it will be interesting to determine whether the structure of word learning differs during the engagement stage of word learning when phonological and semantic representations, as well as the links between them, are sufficiently strong to affect other words in the lexicon.
• Navarro, I. I., Cretcher, S. R., McCarron, A. R., Figueroa, C., & Alt, M. (2020). Using AAC to unlock communicative potential in late-talking toddlers. Journal of communication disorders, 87, 106025.
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  The purpose of this study was to report on modifications we made to a standardized input-based word learning treatment for two late-talking toddlers. The modifications were the addition of an augmentative alternative communication (AAC) device and the requirement that the children use this device, or speech, to communicate.
• Oglivie, T. K., Mettler, H. M., Figueroa, C. R., Etters-thomas, S. E., Erikson, J. A., Arizmendi, G. D., & Alt, M. (2020). Exploring input parameters (Alt et al., 2020). Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research. doi:10.23641/ASHA.11593323.V1
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  Purpose: The aims of this study were (a) to assess the efficacy of the Vocabulary Acquisition and Usage for Late Talkers (VAULT) treatment and (b) to compare treatment outcomes for expressive vocabulary acquisition in late talkers in 2 conditions: 3 target words/90 doses per word per session versus 6 target words/45 doses per word per session.Method: We ran the treatment protocol for 16 sessions with 24 primarily monolingual English-speaking late talkers. We calculated a d score for each child, compared treatment to control effect sizes, and assessed the number of words per week children acquired outside treatment. We compared treatment effect sizes of children in the condition of 3 target words/90 doses per word to those in the condition of 6 target words/45 doses per word. We used Bayesian repeated-measures analysis of variance and Bayesian t tests to answer our condition-level questions.Results: With an average treatment effect size of almost 1.0, VAULT was effective relative to the no-treatment condition. There were no differences between the different dose conditions.Discussion: The VAULT protocol was an efficacious treatment that has the potential to increase the spoken vocabulary of late-talking toddlers and provides clinicians some flexibility in terms of number of words targeted and dose number, keeping in mind the interconnectedness of treatment parameters.Supplemental Material S1. Treatment parameters and terminology: The current state of the field. Supplemental Material S2. Individual performance on treatment and control words across all baseline and treatment sessions. Alt, M., Mettler, H. M., Erikson, J. A., Figueroa, C. R., Etters-Thomas, S. E., Arizmendi, G. D., & Oglivie, T. (2020). Exploring input parameters in an expressive vocabulary treatment with late talkers. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1044/2019_JSLHR-19-00219
• S-Y Ng, C., Stokes, S. F., & Alt, M. (2020). Successful Implicit Vocabulary Intervention for Three Cantonese-Speaking Toddlers: A Replicated Single-Case Design. Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR, 63(12), 4148-4161.
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  Purpose We report on a replicated single-case design study that measured the feasibility of an expressive vocabulary intervention for three Cantonese-speaking toddlers with small expressive lexicons relative to their age. The aim was to assess the cross-cultural and cross-linguistic feasibility of an intervention method developed for English-speaking children. Method A nonconcurrent multiple-baseline design was used with four baseline data points and 16 intervention sessions per participant. The intervention design incorporated implicit learning principles, high treatment dosage, and control of the phonological neighborhood density of the stimuli. The children (24-39 months) attended 7-9 weeks of twice weekly input-based treatment in which no explicit verbal production was required from the child. Each target word was provided as input a minimum of 64 times in at least two intervention sessions. Treatment feasibility was measured by comparison of how many of the target and control words the child produced across the intervention period, and parent-reported expressive vocabulary checklists were completed for comparison of pre- and postintervention child spoken vocabulary size. An omnibus effect size for the treatment effect of the number of target and control words produced across time was calculated using Kendall's Tau. Results There was a significant treatment effect for target words learned in intervention relative to baselines, and all children produced significantly more target than control words across the intervention period. The effect of phonological neighborhood density on expressive word production could not be evaluated because two of the three children learned all target words. Conclusion The results provide cross-cultural evidence of the feasibility of a model of intervention that incorporated a high-dosage, cross-situational statistical learning paradigm to teach spoken word production to children with small expressive lexicons.
• Alt, M., Arizmendi, G. D., Gray, S., Hogan, T. P., Green, S., & Cowan, N. (2019). Novel Word Learning in Children Who Are Bilingual: Comparison to Monolingual Peers. Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR, 62(7), 2332-2360.
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  Purpose We compared novel word learning in 2nd-grade children with typical development who were Spanish-English bilinguals to English monolinguals to understand word learning in bilingual children. Method Children (monolinguals n = 167, bilinguals n = 76) engaged in 5 computer-based tasks that assessed word learning in 6 different contexts. The tasks measured children's ability to link novel names with novel objects/actions, make decisions about the accuracy of those names and objects/actions, recognize the semantic features of the objects/actions, and produce the novel names. For analysis, we used Bayesian repeated-measures analyses of covariance with Bayesian independent-samples t tests to clarify interactions. Results Monolingual and bilingual children differed in some, but not most, word learning situations. There was at least moderate evidence that bilingual children were less accurate at naming in 1 condition and at detecting mispronunciations in 3 of 6 contexts and were less accurate at judging semantic features of a referent when that referent was paired with orthographic information. Discussion Among children with typical development, there were few differences in novel word learning between monolingual and bilingual participants. When differences did occur, they suggested that bilinguals were more accepting of phonological variations of word productions than their monolingual peers.
• Alt, M., Arizmendi, G., Gray, S., Hogan, T., Green, S., & Cowan, N. (2019). Novel word learning in children who are bilingual: comparison to monolingual peers. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 62, 2332-2360. doi:https://doi.org/10.1044/2019_JSLHR-L-18-0009
• Alt, M., Gray, S., Hogan, T. P., Schlesinger, N., & Cowan, N. (2019). Spoken Word Learning Differences Among Children With Dyslexia, Concomitant Dyslexia and Developmental Language Disorder, and Typical Development. Language, speech, and hearing services in schools, 50(4), 540-561.
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  Purpose The purpose of our study was to test the hypotheses (a) that children with dyslexia have spoken word learning deficits primarily related to phonology and (b) that children with dyslexia and concomitant developmental language disorder (DLD) have word learning deficits related to both phonology and semantic processing when compared to peers with typical development (TD). Method Second-graders with dyslexia ( = 82), concomitant dyslexia and DLD (dyslexia + DLD; = 40), and TD ( = 167) learned names and semantic features for cartoon monsters in 5 carefully controlled word learning tasks that varied phonological and semantic demands. The computer-based tasks were played in 6 different word learning games. We analyzed results using Bayesian statistics. Results In general, the dyslexia + DLD group showed lower accuracy on tasks compared to the dyslexia and TD groups. As predicted, word learning tasks that taxed phonology revealed deficits in the dyslexia group, although there were some exceptions related to visual complexity. Word learning deficits in the dyslexia + DLD group were present in tasks that taxed phonology, semantic processing, or both. Conclusions The dyslexia + DLD group demonstrated word learning deficits across the range of word learning tasks that tapped phonology and semantic processing, whereas the dyslexia group primarily struggled with the phonological aspects of word learning. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.9807929.
• Gray, S., Fox, A. B., Green, S., Alt, M., Hogan, T. P., Petscher, Y., & Cowan, N. (2019). Working Memory Profiles of Children With Dyslexia, Developmental Language Disorder, or Both. Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR, 62(6), 1839-1858.
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  Purpose Compared to children with typical development, children with dyslexia, developmental language disorder (DLD), or both often demonstrate working memory deficits. It is unclear how pervasive the deficits are or whether the deficits align with diagnostic category. The purpose of this study was to determine whether different working memory profiles would emerge on a comprehensive battery of central executive, phonological, visuospatial, and binding working memory tasks and whether these profiles were associated with group membership. Method Three hundred two 2nd graders with typical development, dyslexia, DLD, or dyslexia/DLD completed 13 tasks from the Comprehensive Assessment Battery for Children-Working Memory ( Gray, Alt, Hogan, Green, & Cowan, n.d. ) that assessed central executive, phonological, and visuospatial/attention components of working memory. Results Latent class analyses yielded 4 distinct latent classes: low overall (21%), average with high number updating (30%), average with low number updating (12%), and high overall (37%). Children from each disability group and children from the typically developing group were present in each class. Discussion Findings highlight the importance of knowing an individual child's working memory profile because working memory profiles are not synonymous with learning disabilities diagnosis. Thus, working memory assessments could contribute important information about children's cognitive function over and above typical psychoeducational measures.
• Nicholas, K., Alt, M., & Hauwiller, E. (2019). Variability of input in preposition learning by preschoolers with developmental language disorder and typically-developing language. CHILD LANGUAGE TEACHING & THERAPY, 35(1), 55-74.
• Alt, M. (2018). Statistical Learning: How it Relates to Speech-Language Pathology. Language, speech, and hearing services in schools, 49(3S), 631-633.
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  The purpose of this special issue is to introduce speech-language pathologists to the topic of statistical learning and how this is relevant to their practice. In the following articles, the concept of statistical learning will be explained, and readers will find (a) research studies showing how children with special needs can use statistical learning to learn language; (b) tutorials that show why statistical learning is meaningful for special populations; and (c) tutorials that show how statistical learning is involved in language, reading, and spelling.
• Alt, M. (2018). Statistical learning: How it relates to speech language pathology.. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 49, 631-633.
• Alt, M. (2018). Take Home Points: How to Use Statistical Learning. LANGUAGE SPEECH AND HEARING SERVICES IN SCHOOLS, 49(3), 754-756.
• Alt, M. (2018). Take Home Points: How to Use Statistical Learning. Language, speech, and hearing services in schools, 49(3S), 754-756.
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  The purpose of this epilogue is to synthesize the main points of the articles in this issue on statistical learning for clinicians. These points can be used to guide practice.
• Arizmendi, G. D., Alt, M., Gray, S., Hogan, T. P., Green, S., & Cowan, N. (2018). Do Bilingual Children Have an Executive Function Advantage? Results From Inhibition, Shifting, and Updating Tasks. Language, speech, and hearing services in schools, 49(3), 356-378.
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  The purpose of this study was to examine differences in performance between monolingual and Spanish-English bilingual second graders (aged 7-9 years old) on executive function tasks assessing inhibition, shifting, and updating to contribute more evidence to the ongoing debate about a potential bilingual executive function advantage.
• Baron, L. S., Hogan, T. P., Alt, M., Gray, S., Cabbage, K. L., Green, S., & Cowan, N. (2018). Children With Dyslexia Benefit From Orthographic Facilitation During Spoken Word Learning. Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR, 61(8), 2002-2014.
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  Orthographic facilitation describes the phenomenon in which a spoken word is produced more accurately when its corresponding written word is present during learning. We examined the orthographic facilitation effect in children with dyslexia because they have poor learning and recall of spoken words. We hypothesized that including orthography during spoken word learning would facilitate learning and recall.
• Smyser, H., & Alt, M. (2018). Developing mental orthographic representations in refugee spellers with low literacy: How much input is too much?. Journal of Research in Reading, 41, 455-474. doi:DOI:10.1111/1467-9817.12118
• Spanò, G., Gómez, R. L., Demara, B. I., Alt, M., Cowen, S. L., & Edgin, J. O. (2018). REM sleep in naps differentially relates to memory consolidation in typical preschoolers and children with Down syndrome. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 115(46), 11844-11849.
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  Sleep is recognized as a physiological state associated with learning, with studies showing that knowledge acquisition improves with naps. Little work has examined sleep-dependent learning in people with developmental disorders, for whom sleep quality is often impaired. We examined the effect of natural, in-home naps on word learning in typical young children and children with Down syndrome (DS). Despite similar immediate memory retention, naps benefitted memory performance in typical children but hindered performance in children with DS, who retained less when tested after a nap, but were more accurate after a wake interval. These effects of napping persisted 24 h later in both groups, even after an intervening overnight period of sleep. During naps in typical children, memory retention for object-label associations correlated positively with percent of time in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. However, in children with DS, a population with reduced REM, learning was impaired, but only after the nap. This finding shows that a nap can increase memory loss in a subpopulation, highlighting that naps are not universally beneficial. Further, in healthy preschooler's naps, processes in REM sleep may benefit learning.
• Alt, M., & Smyser, H. (2017). Developing mental orthographic representations in refugee spellers with low literacy: how much input is too much?. Journal of Research in Reading, 41(3), 455-474. doi:10.1111/1467-9817.12118
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  Background We used two principles of implicit learning, variability and complexity, to train mental orthographic representations in refugee English learners to improve spelling. Methods Twenty-eight refugees enrolled in a 10-week English class were trained on classroom words using stimuli designed to encourage implicit learning. We contrasted high-variability visual input combined with either high-linguistic or low-linguistic complexity, using a short (
• Alt, M., Hogan, T., Green, S., Gray, S., Cabbage, K., & Cowan, N. (2017). Word Learning Deficits in Children With Dyslexia. Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR, 60(4), 1012-1028.
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  The purpose of this study is to investigate word learning in children with dyslexia to ascertain their strengths and weaknesses during the configuration stage of word learning.
• Bourgoyne, A., & Alt, M. (2017). The Effect of Visual Variability on the Learning of Academic Concepts. Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR, 60(6), 1568-1576.
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  The purpose of this study was to identify effects of variability of visual input on development of conceptual representations of academic concepts for college-age students with normal language (NL) and those with language-learning disabilities (LLD).
• Bourgoyne, A., & Alt, M. (2017). The effect of visual variability on the learning of academic concepts. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 60, 1568-1576.
• Cabbage, K., Brinkley, S., Gray, S., Alt, M., Cowan, N., Green, S., Kuo, T., & Hogan, T. (2017). Assessing working memory in children: The Comprehensive Assessment Battery for Children- Working Memory (CABC-WM). Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE), 124.
• Cabbage, K., Brinkley, S., Gray, S., Alt, M., Cowan, N., Green, S., Kuo, T., & Hogan, T. P. (2017). Assessing Working Memory in Children: The Comprehensive Assessment Battery for Children - Working Memory (CABC-WM). Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE.
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  The Comprehensive Assessment Battery for Children - Working Memory (CABC-WM) is a computer-based battery designed to assess different components of working memory in young school-age children. Working memory deficits have been identified in children with language-based learning disabilities, including dyslexia and language impairment, but it is not clear whether these children exhibit deficits in subcomponents of working memory, such as visuospatial or phonological working memory. The CABC-WM is administered on a desktop computer with a touchscreen interface and was specifically developed to be engaging and motivating for children. Although the long-term goal of the CABC-WM is to provide individualized working memory profiles in children, the present study focuses on the initial success and utility of the CABC-WM for measuring central executive, visuospatial, phonological loop, and binding constructs in children with typical development. Immediate next steps are to administer the CABC-WM to children with specific language impairment, dyslexia, and comorbid specific language impairment and dyslexia.
• Cowan, N., Hogan, T. P., Alt, M., Green, S., Cabbage, K. L., Brinkley, S., & Gray, S. (2017). Short-term Memory in Childhood Dyslexia: Deficient Serial Order in Multiple Modalities. Dyslexia (Chichester, England), 23(3), 209-233.
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  In children with dyslexia, deficits in working memory have not been well-specified. We assessed second-grade children with dyslexia, with and without concomitant specific language impairment, and children with typical development. Immediate serial recall of lists of phonological (non-word), lexical (digit), spatial (location) and visual (shape) items were included. For the latter three modalities, we used not only standard span but also running span tasks, in which the list length was unpredictable to limit mnemonic strategies. Non-word repetition tests indicated a phonological memory deficit in children with dyslexia alone compared with those with typical development, but this difference vanished when these groups were matched for non-verbal intelligence and language. Theoretically important deficits in serial order memory in dyslexic children, however, persisted relative to matched typically developing children. The deficits were in recall of (1) spoken digits in both standard and running span tasks and (2) spatial locations, in running span only. Children with dyslexia with versus without language impairment, when matched on non-verbal intelligence, had comparable serial order memory, but differed in phonology. Because serial orderings of verbal and spatial elements occur in reading, the careful examination of order memory may allow a deeper understanding of dyslexia and its relation to language impairment. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
• Gray, S., Green, S., Alt, M., Hogan, T. P., Kuo, T., Brinkley, S., & Cowan, N. (2017).

  The structure of working memory in young children and its relation to intelligence

  . Journal of Memory and Language, 92, 183-201. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jml.2016.06.004
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  This study investigated the structure of working memory in young school-age children by testing the fit of three competing theoretical models using a wide variety of tasks. The best fitting models were then used to assess the relationship between working memory and nonverbal measures of fluid reasoning (Gf) and visual processing (Gv) intelligence. One hundred sixty-eight English-speaking 7-9 year olds with typical development, from three states, participated. Results showed that Cowan's three-factor embedded processes model fit the data slightly better than Baddeley and Hitch's (1974) three-factor model (specified according to Baddeley, 1986) and decisively better than Baddeley's (2000) four-factor model that included an episodic buffer. The focus of attention factor in Cowan's model was a significant predictor of Gf and Gv. The results suggest that the focus of attention, rather than storage, drives the relationship between working memory, Gf, and Gv in young school-age children. Our results do not rule out the Baddeley and Hitch model, but they place constraints on both it and Cowan's model. A common attentional component is needed for feature binding, running digit span, and visual short-term memory tasks; phonological storage is separate, as is a component of central executive processing involved in task manipulation. The results contribute to a zeitgeist in which working memory models are coming together on common ground (cf. Cowan, Saults, & Blume, 2014; Hu, Allen, Baddeley, & Hitch, 2016).
• Gray, S., Green, S., Alt, M., Hogan, T. P., Kuo, T., Brinkley, S., & Cowan, N. (2017). The Structure of Working Memory in Young Children and Its Relation to Intelligence. Journal of memory and language, 92, 183-201.
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  This study investigated the structure of working memory in young school-age children by testing the fit of three competing theoretical models using a wide variety of tasks. The best fitting models were then used to assess the relationship between working memory and nonverbal measures of fluid reasoning () and visual processing () intelligence. One hundred sixty-eight English-speaking 7-9 year olds with typical development, from three states, participated. Results showed that Cowan's three-factor embedded processes model fit the data slightly better than Baddeley and Hitch's (1974) three-factor model (specified according to Baddeley, 1986) and decisively better than Baddeley's (2000) four-factor model that included an episodic buffer. The focus of attention factor in Cowan's model was a significant predictor of and . The results suggest that the focus of attention, rather than storage, drives the relationship between working memory, , and in young school-age children. Our results do not rule out the Baddeley and Hitch model, but they place constraints on both it and Cowan's model. A common attentional component is needed for feature binding, running digit span, and visual short-term memory tasks; phonological storage is separate, as is a component of central executive processing involved in task manipulation. The results contribute to a zeitgeist in which working memory models are coming together on common ground (cf. Cowan, Saults, & Blume, 2014; Hu, Allen, Baddeley, & Hitch, 2016).
• Spano, G., Gomez, R. L., Demara, B., Alt, M., Cowen, S. L., & Edgin, J. O. (2017). To Nap or Not to Nap?: Sleep-dependent Memory Consolidation in Typical and Atypically Developing Preschoolers.. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, 115, 11844-11849. doi:doi/10.1073/pnas.1811488115
• Alt, M., Arizmendi, G. D., & DiLallo, J. N. (2016). The Role of Socioeconomic Status in the Narrative Story Retells of School-Aged English Language Learners. Language, speech, and hearing services in schools, 47(4), 313-323.
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  We examined the relationship between maternal level of education as an index of socioeconomic status (SES) on the narrative story retells of school-aged children who are English language learners (ELLs) to guide interpretation of results.
• Green, S. B., Yang, Y., Alt, M., Brinkley, S., Gray, S., Hogan, T., & Cowan, N. (2016). Use of internal consistency coefficients for estimating reliability of experimental task scores. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 23, 750-763. doi:doi:10.3758/s13423-015-0968-3
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  Reliabilities of scores for experimental tasks are likely to differ from one study to another to the extent that the task stimuli change, the number of trials varies, the type of individuals taking the task changes, the administration conditions are altered, or the focal task variable differs. Given that reliabilities vary as a function of the design of these tasks and the characteristics of the individuals taking them, making inferences about the reliability of scores in an ongoing study based on reliability estimates from prior studies is precarious. Thus, it would be advantageous to estimate reliability based on data from the ongoing study. We argue that internal consistency estimates of reliability are underutilized for experimental task data and in many applications could provide this information using a single administration of a task. We discuss different methods for computing internal consistency estimates with a generalized coefficient alpha and the conditions under which these estimates are accurate. We illustrate use of these coefficients using data for three different tasks.
• Ricks, S. L., & Alt, M. (2016). Theoretical Principles to Guide the Teaching of Adjectives to Children Who Struggle With Word Learning: Synthesis of Experimental and Naturalistic Research With Principles of Learning Theory. Language, speech, and hearing services in schools, 47(3), 181-90.
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  The purpose of this tutorial is to provide clinicians with a theoretically motivated and evidence-based approach to teaching adjectives to children who struggle with word learning.
• Ricks, S., & Alt, M. (2016). Theoretical priniciples to guide the teaching of adjectives to children who struggle with word learning: Synthesis of experimental and naturalistic resarch with principles of learning theory. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 47, 181-190. doi:doi:10.1044/2016_LSHSS-15-0034
• Green, S. B., Yang, Y., Alt, M., Brinkley, S., Gray, S., Hogan, T. P., & Cowan, N. (2015).

  Use of internal consistency coefficients for estimating reliability of experimental task scores

  . Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, 23, 750-763. doi:https://doi.org/10.3758/s13423-015-0968-3
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  Reliabilities of scores for experimental tasks are likely to differ from one study to another to the extent that the task stimuli change, the number of trials varies, the type of individuals taking the task changes, the administration conditions are altered, or the focal task variable differs. Given that reliabilities vary as a function of the design of these tasks and the characteristics of the individuals taking them, making inferences about the reliability of scores in an ongoing study based on reliability estimates from prior studies is precarious. Thus, it would be advantageous to estimate reliability based on data from the ongoing study. We argue that internal consistency estimates of reliability are underutilized for experimental task data and in many applications could provide this information using a single administration of a task. We discuss different methods for computing internal consistency estimates with a generalized coefficient alpha and the conditions under which these estimates are accurate. We illustrate use of these coefficients using data for three different tasks.
• Marrone, N. L., Alt, M., DeDe, G. L., Olson, S., & Shehorn, J. (2015). Effects of steady-state noise on verbal working memory in young adults. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 58, 1793-1804.
• Marrone, N., Alt, M., DeDe, G., Olson, S., & Shehorn, J. (2015).

  Effects of Steady-State Noise on Verbal Working Memory in Young Adults

  . Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 58, 1793-1804. doi:https://doi.org/10.1044/2015_JSLHR-H-14-0223
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  We set out to examine the impact of perceptual, linguistic, and capacity demands on performance of verbal working-memory tasks. The Ease of Language Understanding model (Rönnberg et al., 2013) provides a framework for testing the dynamics of these interactions within the auditory-cognitive system.Adult native speakers of English (n = 45) participated in verbal working-memory tasks requiring processing and storage of words involving different linguistic demands (closed/open set). Capacity demand ranged from 2 to 7 words per trial. Participants performed the tasks in quiet and in speech-spectrum-shaped noise. Separate groups of participants were tested at different signal-to-noise ratios. Word-recognition measures were obtained to determine effects of noise on intelligibility.Contrary to predictions, steady-state noise did not have an adverse effect on working-memory performance in every situation. Noise negatively influenced performance for the task with high linguistic demand. Of particular importance is the finding that the adverse effects of background noise were not confined to conditions involving declines in recognition.Perceptual, linguistic, and cognitive demands can dynamically affect verbal working-memory performance even in a population of healthy young adults. Results suggest that researchers and clinicians need to carefully analyze task demands to understand the independent and combined auditory-cognitive factors governing performance in everyday listening situations.
• Alt, M., Alt, M., Arizmendi, G. D., Arizmendi, G. D., Beal, C. R., & Beal, C. R. (2014).

  The Relationship Between Mathematics and Language: Academic Implications for Children With Specific Language Impairment and English Language Learners

  . Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 45(3), 220-233. doi:10.1044/2014_lshss-13-0003
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  Purpose The present study examined the relationship between mathematics and language to better understand the nature of the deficit and the academic implications associated with specific language impairment (SLI) and academic implications for English language learners (ELLs). Method School-age children ( N = 61; 20 SLI, 20 ELL, 21 native monolingual English [NE]) were assessed using a norm-referenced mathematics instrument and 3 experimental computer-based mathematics games that varied in language demands. Group means were compared with analyses of variance. Results The ELL group was less accurate than the NE group only when tasks were language heavy. In contrast, the group with SLI was less accurate than the groups with NE and ELLs on language-heavy tasks and some language-light tasks. Specifically, the group with SLI was less accurate on tasks that involved comparing numerical symbols and using visual working memory for patterns. However, there were no group differences between children with SLI and peers without SLI on language-light mathematics tasks that involved visual working memory for numerical symbols. Conclusion Mathematical difficulties of children who are ELLs appear to be related to the language demands of mathematics tasks. In contrast, children with SLI appear to have difficulty with mathematics tasks because of linguistic as well as nonlinguistic processing constraints. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.6170279
• Alt, M., Arizmendi, G., & Beal, C. R. (2014). The relationship between mathematics and language: Academic implications for children with specific language impairment and English Language Learners. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 45, 220-233.
• Alt, M., Meyers, C., Oglivie, T., Nicholas, K., & Arizmendi, G. (2014). Cross-situational statistically-based word learning intervention for late-talking toddlers. Journal of Communication Disorders, 52, 207-220.
• Alt, M. (2013).

  Visual Fast Mapping in School-Aged Children With Specific Language Impairment

  . Topics in Language Disorders, 33, 328-346. doi:10.1097/01.tld.0000437942.85989.73
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  Purpose:  To determine whether children with specific language impairment (SLI) demonstrate impaired visual fast mapping skills compared with unimpaired peers and to test components of visual working memory that may contribute to a visual working memory deficit. Methods:  Fifty children (25 SLI) played 2 computer-based visual fast mapping games where they watched an animation about a dinosaur and then identified visual features from the movie. Experiments manipulated the complexity of the visual content or taxed capacity. Analyses included mixed-model analysis of variance, t tests, and correlations. Results:  There was evidence for impaired visual working memory skills for children with SLI, but not in all conditions. There was no evidence that children with SLI were more susceptible to high-complexity information: both groups performed worse on the high-complexity conditions. There was also no evidence that children with SLI had limited capacity for visual memory. Conclusions:  This provides support for a domain-general deficit in children with SLI, although visual impairments are milder than verbal impairments. Findings are discussed in relation to theories of working memory, specifically the concepts of focus of attention and limited capacity. We suggest that the source of the difficulty for the SLI group may be due to interference.  
• Alt, M. (2013). Visual fast mapping in school-aged children with specific language impairment. Topics in Language Disorders, 33(4), 328-346.
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  Abstract: Purpose: To determine whether children with specific language impairment (SLI) demonstrate impaired visual fast mapping skills compared with unimpaired peers and to test components of visual working memory that may contribute to a visual working memory deficit. Methods: Fifty children (25 SLI) played 2 computer-based visual fast mapping games where they watched an animation about a dinosaur and then identified visual features from the movie. Experiments manipulated the complexity of the visual content or taxed capacity. Analyses included mixed-model analysis of variance, t tests, and correlations. Results: There was evidence for impaired visual working memory skills for children with SLI, but not in all conditions. There was no evidence that children with SLI were more susceptible to high-complexity information: both groups performed worse on the high-complexity conditions. There was also no evidence that children with SLI had limited capacity for visual memory. Conclusions: This provides support for a domain-general deficit in children with SLI, although visual impairments are milder than verbal impairments. Findings are discussed in relation to theories of working memory, specifically the concepts of focus of attention and limited capacity. We suggest that the source of the difficulty for the SLI group may be due to interference. Copyright © 2013 LippincottWilliams & Wilkins.
• Alt, M., Arizmendi, G. D., Beal, C. R., & Hurtado, J. S. (2013). The Effect of Test Translation on the Performance of Second Grade English Learners on the KeyMath-3. Psychology in the Schools, 50(1), 27-36.
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  Abstract: This study was conducted to determine whether Spanish-enhanced administration of a standardized math assessment would result in improved scores for English Learners who used Spanish as a heritage language. Twenty-one typically developing second-graders (English Learners) were administered the traditional KeyMath-3. If the child made an error on an item, a Spanish version of the item was presented. Difference scores were calculated to determine whether the Spanish-enhanced version resulted in improved scores. Data were analyzed using paired t-tests and simple regression. The data results showed that all children significantly benefited from the Spanish-enhanced administration of items answered incorrectly in English. The amount of benefit was predicted by a child's degree of Spanish dominance. It was concluded that standardized math tests that do not accommodate second-language learners may be inadvertently testing language skills in addition to math skills. Implications for assessment and interpretations of assessments are discussed. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
• Alt, M., Hogan, T. P., Weismer, S. E., & Davidson, M. M. (2013). Survey on Perspectives of Pursuing a PhD in Communication Sciences and Disorders. Contemporary issues in communication science and disorders, 40, 98-115. doi:10.1044/cicsd_40_f_98
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  Purpose: The communication sciences and disorders (CSD) field has a critical shortage of PhD students and faculty. This study examined master's in speech-language pathology and doctorate of audiology students' and faculty's perspectives regarding reasons students do or do not pursue a PhD as well as stu- dents' perceptions of a faculty career and lifestyle. Ad- ditionally, students' responses were compared to SLPs' responses from Madison, Guy, and Koch (2004). Method: Two online surveys were sent to 279 stu- dents and faculty, of which 73 replied. Results: Students almost evenly responded that yes they planned or no they did not plan to obtain a PhD. Aspects of teaching and mentoring motivated students to obtain a PhD, but the requirement of developing research projects strongly deterred them
• Alt, M., Meyers, C. A., & Alt, P. M. (2013).

  Using Ratings to Gain Insight Into Conceptual Development

  . Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 56(5), 1650-1661. doi:10.1044/1092-4388(2013/11-0317)
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  Purpose The authors explored a novel technique with potential for assessing conceptual development. Participants rated how “normal” to “really weird” an image was in order to determine whether (a) participants would rate images by amount of variation (slight/significant) from the standard image, (b) participants would treat variation related to different concepts equally, or (c) there would be developmental differences in these ratings. Then, authors asked whether children with specific language impairment (SLI) would demonstrate weaker conceptual skills based on their ratings. Method Adults and school-age children (with and without SLI) used a 9-point equal-appearing interval scale to rate photographic images of animals. These included standard images and images that altered the animals' shape, pattern, color, and facial morphometry. Results Significant differences in ratings were obtained for adults compared with typically developing children and children with SLI compared with their age-matched peers. This is in line with the expectation that adults have stronger representations than children, as do typical children compared with those with SLI. Participants differentially rated images that varied from the standard image (slight/significant) for all parameters except shape. Conclusion Probing conceptual representations without the need for verbal response has the potential for exploring conceptual deficits in SLI.
• Alt, M., Meyers, C. A., & Figueroa, C. R. (2013).

  Factors That Influence Fast Mapping in Children Exposed to Spanish and English

  . Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 56(4), 1237-1248. doi:https://doi.org/10.1044/1092-4388(2012/11-0092)
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  Purpose The purpose of this study was to determine whether children exposed to 2 languages would benefit from the phonotactic probability cues of a single language in the same way as monolingual peers and to determine whether crosslinguistic influence would be present in a fast-mapping task. Method Two groups of typically developing children (monolingual English and bilingual Spanish-English) took part in a computer-based fast-mapping task that manipulated phonotactic probability. Children were preschool-aged ( N = 50) or school-aged ( N = 34). Fast mapping was assessed through name-identification and naming tasks. Data were analyzed using mixed analyses of variance with post hoc testing and simple regression. Results Bilingual and monolingual preschoolers showed sensitivity to English phonotactic cues in both tasks, but bilingual preschoolers were less accurate than monolingual peers in the naming task. School-aged bilingual children had nearly identical performance to monolingual peers. Conclusion Knowing that children exposed to two languages can benefit from the statistical cues of a single language can help inform ideas about instruction and assessment for bilingual learners.
• Alt, M., Meyers, C., & Alt, P. M. (2013). Using ratings to gain insight into conceptual development. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 56(5), 1650-1661.
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  PMID: 23838987;Abstract: Purpose: The authors explored a novel technique with potential for assessing conceptual development. Participants rated how "normal" to "really weird" an image was in order to determine whether (a) participants would rate images by amount of variation (slight/significant) from the standard image, (b) participants would treat variation related to different concepts equally, or (c) there would be developmental differences in these ratings. Then, authors asked whether children with specific language impairment (SLI) would demonstrate weaker conceptual skills based on their ratings. Method: Adults and school-age children (with and without SLI) used a 9-point equal-appearing interval scale to rate photographic images of animals. These included standard images and images that altered the animals' shape, pattern, color, and facial morphometry. Results: Significant differences in ratings were obtained for adults compared with typically developing children and children with SLI compared with their age-matched peers. This is in line with the expectation that adults have stronger representations than children, as do typical children compared with those with SLI. Participants differentially rated images that varied from the standard image (slight/significant) for all parameters except shape. Conclusion: Probing conceptual representations without the need for verbal response has the potential for exploring conceptual deficits in SLI. © American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
• Alt, M., Meyers, C., & Figueroa, C. (2013). Factors that influence fast mapping in children exposed to Spanish and English. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 56(4), 1237-1248.
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  PMID: 23816663;Abstract: Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine whether children exposed to 2 languages would benefit from the phonotactic probability cues of a single language in the same way as monolingual peers and to determine whether crosslinguistic influence would be present in a fast-mapping task. Method: Two groups of typically developing children (monolingual English and bilingual Spanish-English) took part in a computer-based fast-mapping task that manipulated phonotactic probability. Children were preschool-aged (N = 50) or school-aged (N = 34). Fast mapping was assessed through name-identification and naming tasks. Data were analyzed using mixed analyses of variance with post hoc testing and simple regression. Results: Bilingual and monolingual preschoolers showed sensitivity to English phonotactic cues in both tasks, but bilingual preschoolers were less accurate than monolingual peers in the naming task. School-aged bilingual children had nearly identical performance to monolingual peers. Conclusion: Knowing that children exposed to two languages can benefit from the statistical cues of a single language can help inform ideas about instruction and assessment for bilingual learners. © American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
• Davidson, M. M., Weismer, S. E., Alt, M., & Hogan, T. P. (2013). Survey on perspectives of pursuing a Ph.D. in communicative sciences and disorders. Contemporary Issues in Communication Sciences and Disorders, 40, 98-115.
• Alt, M., & Moreno, M. H. (2012).

  The Effect of Test Presentation on Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders and Neurotypical Peers

  . Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 43(2), 121-131. doi:10.1044/0161-1461(2011/10-0092)
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  Purpose: The purpose of this experiment was to determine if there is alternate forms reliability for paper- and computer-administered standardized vocabulary tests. Another purpose was to determine whether the behavioral ratings of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) would improve during the computer-administered testing sessions secondary to a decreased need for social interaction. Method: Thirty-six school-age children (half with ASDs, half neurotypical [NT]) took 2 versions (i.e., paper vs. computer) of the Expressive One-Word Picture Vocabulary Test (EOWPVT-2000; Brownell, 2000a) and the Receptive One-Word Picture Vocabulary Test (ROWPVT-2000; Brownell, 2000b). Order of presentation was counterbalanced across participants. Test sessions were videotaped, and randomly selected 1-min intervals were rated for behaviors. Standardized test scores and behavior ratings were compared for equivalence across the test presentation methods. Results: Standard scores for both versions of the tests were not significantly different for both groups of participants. There were no differences in behavioral ratings between the two methods of test presentation. Conclusion: Alternate forms reliability was found, thus expanding the options for testing for school-age populations. The use of computers had no effect on the behaviors of the children with ASDs. The ramifications of this finding for assessment and intervention for children with ASDs are discussed.  
• Alt, M., & Moreno, M. H. (2012). The effect of test presentation on children with autism spectrum disorders and neurotypical peers. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 43(2), 121-131.
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  PMID: 22232425;Abstract: Purpose: The purpose of this experiment was to determine if there is alternate forms reliability for paper- and computeradministered standardized vocabulary tests. Another purpose was to determine whether the behavioral ratings of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) would improve during the computer-administered testing sessions secondary to a decreased need for social interaction. Method: Thirty-six school-age children (half with ASDs, half neurotypical [NT]) took 2 versions (i.e., paper vs. computer) of the Expressive One-Word Picture Vocabulary Test (EOWPVT- 2000; Brownell, 2000a) and the Receptive One-Word Picture Vocabulary Test (ROWPVT-2000; Brownell, 2000b). Order of presentation was counterbalanced across participants. Test sessions were videotaped, and randomly selected 1-min intervals were rated for behaviors. Standardized test scores and behavior ratings were compared for equivalence across the test presentation methods. Results: Standard scores for both versions of the tests were not significantly different for both groups of participants. There were no differences in behavioral ratings between the two methods of test presentation. Conclusion: Alternate forms reliability was found, thus expanding the options for testing for school-age populations. The use of computers had no effect on the behaviors of the children with ASDs. The ramifications of this finding for assessment and intervention for children with ASDs are discussed. © American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
• Alt, M., & Suddarth, R. (2012). Learning novel words: Detail and vulnerability of initial representations for children with specific language impairment and typically developing peers. Journal of Communication Disorders, 45(2), 84-97.
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  PMID: 22225571;PMCID: PMC3288194;Abstract: This study examines the phonological representations that children with specific language impairment (SLI) and typically developing peers (TD) have during the initial process of word learning. The goals of this study were to determine if children with SLI attended to different components of words than peers, and whether they were more vulnerable to interference than peers. Forty 7- and 8-year-old children, half with SLI, took part in a fast mapping, word learning task. In addition to producing the word, there was a mispronunciation detection task that included mispronunciations of the target word in the initial position, final position or that modified the word's syllable structure. Children with SLI showed a different learning profile than peers, demonstrating stronger representations of the word-initial phonemes, but less information about word-final phonemes. They were more prone to interference overall, but especially from word-final foils. Children with SLI did not demonstrate less-defined phonological representations, but did attend to different features than TD children, perhaps in an attempt to compensate for problems learning longer words. The greatest weakness of children with SLI appears to be their susceptibility to interference, particularly for word-final information.Learning outcomes: Readers will be able to: (1) explain what children attend to when learning new words; (2) state the pattern of recognition and production performance for both children with SLI and their typical language peers; and (3) identify specific parts of novel words that are most susceptible to interference in children with SLI. © 2011 Elsevier Inc..
• Alt, M., Meyers, C., & Ancharski, A. (2012). Using principles of learning to inform language therapy design for children with specific language impairment. International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders, 47(5), 487-498.
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  PMID: 22938060;Abstract: Background: Language treatment for children with specific language impairment (SLI) often takes months to achieve moderate results. Interventions often do not incorporate the principles that are known to affect learning in unimpaired learners. Aims: To outline some key findings about learning in typical populations and to suggest a model of how they might be applied to language treatment design as a catalyst for further research and discussion. Methods & Procedures: Three main principles of implicit learning are reviewed: variability, complexity and sleep-dependent consolidation. After explaining these principles, evidence is provided as to how they influence learning tasks in unimpaired learners. Information is reviewed on principles of learning as they apply to impaired populations, current treatment designs are also reviewed that conform to the principles, and ways in which principles of learning might be incorporated into language treatment design are demonstrated. Main Contribution: This paper provides an outline for how theoretical knowledge might be applied to clinical practice in an effort to promote discussion. Conclusions & Implications: Although the authors look forward to more specific details on how the principles of learning relate to impaired populations, there is ample evidence to suggest that these principles should be considered during treatment design. © 2012 Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.
• Beal, C. R., Arizmendi, G. D., Alt, M., & Hurtado, J. S. (2012). The Effect of Test Translation on the Performance of Second Grade English Learners on the KeyMath-3. Psychology in the Schools, 50(1), 27-36. doi:10.1002/pits.21656
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  This study was conducted to determine whether Spanish-enhanced administration of a standardized math assessment would result in improved scores for English Learners who used Spanish as a heritage language. Twenty-one typically developing second-graders (English Learners) were administered the traditional KeyMath-3. If the child made an error on an item, a Spanish version of the item was presented. Difference scores were calculated to determine whether the Spanish-enhanced version resulted in improved scores. Data were analyzed using paired t-tests and simple regression. The data results showed that all children significantly benefited from the Spanish-enhanced administration of items answered incorrectly in English. The amount of benefit was predicted by a child's degree of Spanish dominance. It was concluded that standardized math tests that do not accommodate second-language learners may be inadvertently testing language skills in addition to math skills. Implications for assessment and interpretations of assessments are discussed.
• Alt, M. (2011). Phonological working memory impairments in children with specific language impairment: Where does the problem lie?. Journal of Communication Disorders, 44(2), 173-185.
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  PMID: 20943232;PMCID: PMC3021769;Abstract: Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine which factors contribute to the lexical learning deficits of children with specific language impairment (SLI). Method: Participants included 40 7-8-year old participants, half of whom were diagnosed with SLI and half of whom had normal language skills. We tested hypotheses about the contributions to word learning of the initial encoding of phonological information and the link to long-term memory. Children took part in a computer-based fast-mapping task which manipulated word length and phonotactic probability to address the hypotheses. The task had a recognition and a production component. Data were analyzed using mixed ANOVAs with post-hoc testing. Results: Results indicate that the main problem for children with SLI is with initial encoding, with implications for limited capacity. There was not strong evidence for specific deficits in the link to long-term memory. Conclusions: We were able to ascertain which aspects of lexical learning are most problematic for children with SLI in terms of fast-mapping. These findings may allow clinicians to focus intervention on known areas of weakness. Future directions include extending these findings to slow mapping scenarios.Learning outcomes: The reader will understand how different components of phonological working memory contribute to the word learning problems of children with specific language impairment. © 2010 Elsevier Inc.
• Alt, M., & Spaulding, T. (2011). The effect of time on word learning: An examination of decay of the memory trace and vocal rehearsal in children with and without specific language impairment. Journal of Communication Disorders, 44(6), 640-654.
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  PMID: 21885056;PMCID: PMC3215898;Abstract: Purpose: The purpose of this study was to measure the effect of time to response in a fast-mapping word learning task for children with specific language impairment (SLI) and children with typically developing language skills (TD). Manipulating time to response allows us to examine decay of the memory trace, the use of vocal rehearsal, and their effects on word learning. Method: Participants included 40 school-age children: half with SLI and half with TD. The children were asked to expressively and receptively fast-map 24 novel labels for 24 novel animated dinosaurs. They were asked to demonstrate learning either immediately after presentation of the novel word or after a 10-second delay. Data were collected on the use of vocal rehearsal and for recognition and production accuracy. Results: Although the SLI group was less accurate overall, there was no evidence of decay of the memory trace. Both groups used vocal rehearsal at comparable rates, which did not vary when learning was tested immediately or after a delay. Use of vocal rehearsal resulted in better accuracy on the recognition task, but only for the TD group. Conclusions: A delay in time to response without interference was not an undue burden for either group. Despite the fact that children with SLI used a vocal rehearsal strategy as often as unimpaired peers, they did not benefit from the strategy in the same way as their peers. Possible explanations for these findings and clinical implications will be discussed. Learning outcomes: Readers will learn about how time to response affects word learning in children with specific language impairment and unimpaired peers. They will see how this issue fits into a framework of phonological working memory. They will also become acquainted with the effect of vocal rehearsal on word learning. © 2011 Elsevier Inc.
• Antonucci, S. M., & Alt, M. (2011). A lifespan perspective on semantic processing of concrete concepts: Does a sensory/motor model have the potential to bridge the gap?. Cognitive, Affective and Behavioral Neuroscience, 11(4), 551-572.
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  PMID: 21842446;Abstract: Research regarding semantic knowledge of objects is often conducted independently in children and adults. Review of these bodies of evidence suggests that the two literatures are often complementary. It seems critical to determine what we can learn from a developmental perspective, toward the common goal of understanding semantic organization. Here we focus on the proposal that semantic knowledge about concrete concepts may be built on the foundation of sensory/motor processes. In particular, we focus on a moderate formulation of this viewpoint, the sensory/motor model of semantic representations of objects (e.g., Gainotti 2007; Martin 2007), which has been examined utilizing behavioral, neuroimaging, and neuropsychological evidence. Taken together, behavioral and neuroimaging studies with infants, older children, and adults have suggested that patterns laid down in early childhood remain salient throughout the lifespan and may also predict patterns of deficit that emerge following brain injury. © Psychonomic Society, Inc. 2011.
• Alt, M., & Gutmann, M. L. (2009). Fast mapping semantic features: Performance of adults with normal language, history of disorders of spoken and written language, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder on a word-learning task. Journal of Communication Disorders, 42(5), 347-364.
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  PMID: 19439319;PMCID: PMC2771630;Abstract: Purpose: This study was designed to test the word learning abilities of adults with typical language abilities, those with a history of disorders of spoken or written language (hDSWL), and hDSWL plus attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (+ADHD). Methods: Sixty-eight adults were required to associate a novel object with a novel label, and then recognize semantic features of the object and phonological features of the label. Participants were tested for overt ability (accuracy) and covert processing (reaction time). Results: The +ADHD group was less accurate at mapping semantic features and slower to respond to lexical labels than both other groups. Different factors correlated with word learning performance for each group. Conclusions: Adults with language and attention deficits are more impaired at word learning than adults with language deficits only. Despite behavioral profiles like typical peers, adults with hDSWL may use different processing strategies than their peers. Learning Outcomes: Readers will be able to: (1) recognize the influence of a dual disability (hDSWL and ADHD) on word learning outcomes; (2) identify factors that may contribute to word learning in adults in terms of (a) the nature of the words to be learned and (b) the language processing of the learner. © 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
• Alt, M., & Plante, E. (2006).

  Factors That Influence Lexical and Semantic Fast Mapping of Young Children With Specific Language Impairment

  . Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 49(5), 941-954. doi:https://doi.org/10.1044/1092-4388(2006/068)
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  This purpose of this study was to investigate the lexical and semantic fast mapping ability of young children with specific language impairment (SLI) and normal language (NL), with a specific emphasis on the influence of phonological factors.The study included 46 children (mean age 58 months), half with SLI and half with NL. Children were asked to fast map visual information only, visual-plus-nonlinguistic-auditory information, and visual-plus-linguistic-auditory information. A mixed design was used to compare children across and within groups.Children with SLI performed worse than children with NL overall. The SLI group showed specific deficits in semantic fast mapping when they saw visual information only. This condition may have disrupted encoding because it varied from the expected auditory and visual pattern. The children with SLI also performed poorly when they were asked to map phonotactically infrequent linguistic information and when the difficulty of the task increased. A nonword repetition task was correlated with both semantic and lexical fast mapping.The findings are discussed in the light of their support for a limited capacity model of processing, as well as the impact of phonology on word learning.
• Alt, M., & Plante, E. (2006). Factors that influence lexical and semantic fast mapping of young children with specific language impairment. JOURNAL OF SPEECH LANGUAGE AND HEARING RESEARCH, 49(5), 941-954.
• Alt, M., Plante, E., & Creusere, M. (2004).

  Semantic features in fast-mapping: Performance of preschoolers with specific language impairment versus preschoolers with normal language.

  . Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 47, 407-420. doi:https://doi.org/10.1044/1092-4388(2004/033)
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  This study examined the receptive language skills of young children (4-6 years old) with specific language impairment (SLI). Specifically, the authors looked at their ability to fast-map semantic features of objects and actions and compared it to the performance of age-matched peers with normally developing language (NL). Children completed a computer task during which they were exposed to novel objects and actions with novel names. The children then were asked questions about the semantic features of these novel objects and actions. Overall, the questions about actions were more difficult for children than objects. The children with SLI were able to recognize fewer semantic features than were their peers with NL. They also performed poorly relative to their peers on a lexical label recognition task. These results lend support to the idea that children with SLI have broader difficulties with receptive vocabulary than simply a reduced ability to acquire labels.
• Alt, M., Plante, E., & Creusere, M. (2004). Semantic features in fast-mapping: performance of preschoolers with specific language impairment versus preschoolers with normal language. Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR, 47(2), 407-20.
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  This study examined the receptive language skills of young children (4-6 years old) with specific language impairment (SLI). Specifically, the authors looked at their ability to fast-map semantic features of objects and actions and compared it to the performance of age-matched peers with normally developing language (NL). Children completed a computer task during which they were exposed to novel objects and actions with novel names. The children then were asked questions about the semantic features of these novel objects and actions. Overall, the questions about actions were more difficult for children than objects. The children with SLI were able to recognize fewer semantic features than were their peers with NL. They also performed poorly relative to their peers on a lexical label recognition task. These results lend support to the idea that children with SLI have broader difficulties with receptive vocabulary than simply a reduced ability to acquire labels.
• Creusere, M., Alt, M., & Plante, E. (2004). Recognition of vocal and facial cues to affect in language-impaired and normally-developing preschoolers. Journal of communication disorders, 37(1), 5-20.
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  The current study was designed to investigate whether reported difficulties in language-impaired children's ability to identify vocal and facial cues to emotion could be explained at least partially by nonparalinguistic factors. Children with specific language impairment (SLI) and control participants received an affect discrimination task, which consisted of the following cue situations: (1) facial expression and unfiltered speech; (2) lowpass-filtered speech only; (3) facial expression only; and (4) facial expression and filtered speech. The results of the study indicated that impaired and nonimpaired group performance differed only for the items including facial expression and nonfiltered speech. Developmental and investigative implications of this finding are addressed.

Presentations

• Alt, M., & Gray, S. (2020, February). Working memory and word learning in children with dyslexia and DLD, and in Bilingual Spanish-English speakers. Audio Podcast - seehearspeakpodcast Episode 26.
• Alt, M. (2018, March). Math and Language: What SLPs should know. Utah Speech-Language-Hearing Association Spring Conference. Salt Lake City, UT: USHA.
• Alt, M. (2018, March). Vocabulary learning without trying. Utah Speech-Language-Hearing Association Spring Conference. Salt Lake City, UT: USHA.
• Alt, M. (2018, May). Early language intervention for children with developmental language disorder.. Unversity of Hong Kong Visiting Scholars Scheme. Hong Kong: University of Hong Kong.
• Alt, M. (2018, May). Evidence-based strategies for improving vocabulary. Association of Baltimore Community Speech Language Pathologists. Timonium, MD: Association of Baltimore Community Speech Language Pathologists.
• Alt, M., Gray, S., Green, S., Hogan, T., Petscher, Y., Fox, A., & Cowan, N. (2018, May). Working memory profiles of children with dyslexia, developmental language disorder, and typical development.. University of Hong Kong Visiting Faculty Scheme. Hong Kong: University of Hong Kong.
• Cabbage, K., Hogan, T., Gray, S., Alt, M., Green, S., & Cowan, N. (2018, July). Characterizing nonword repetition production error patterns in children with dyslexia.. Twenty-fifth Annual meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Reading. Brighton, United Kingdom.: SSSR.
• Alt, M., Gray, S., Green, S., Hogan, T., Petscher, Y., & Cowan, N. (2017, September). Working memory profiles of children with dyslexia, language impairment, and typical development. Cognitive Science Colloquium. Tucson, AZ: Department of Cognitive Science, University of Arizona.
• Gray, S., Green, S., Alt, M., Hogan, T., & Cowan, N. (2017, July). Working memory profiles of children with dyslexia, language impairment, and typical development. Society for the Scientific Study of Reading 24th Annual Meeting. Halifax, Nova Scotia: Society for the Scientific Study of Readin.
• Hogan, T., Green, S., Alt, M., Gray, S., & Cowan, N. (2017, October). The structure of working memory in children with dyslexia. New England Research on Dyslexia Society Conference. Storrs, CT: New England Research on Dyslexia Society.
• Alt, M. (2016, April). Applying learning theory to clinical practice: Strategies for toddlers to adolescents. Speech Language Pathology Conference. Towson University: Towson University.
• Alt, M. (2016, November). Word learning in three groups of children: Monolingual, bilingual, and those with dyslexia. Departmental Colloquium. Tucson, AZ: Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences.
• Alt, M., Gomez, R. L., Goffredina, S., Bianca, D., Cowen, S. L., & Edgin, J. O. (2016, Summer). Sleep and Memory Consolidation in Toddlers with Down syndrome:. The 6th International Conference on Memory, ICOM-6. Budapest, Hungary.
• Baron, L., Hogan, T., Alt, M., Gray, S., Cabbage, K., Green, S., & Cowan, N. (2016, July). Predictors of orthographic boost during word learning in second-graders with dyslexia and language impairment. 23rd Annual Meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Reading. Porto, Portugal.
• Cowan, N., Hogan, T., Alt, M., Green, S., Cabbage, K., Brinkley, S., & Gray, S. (2016, June). Profiles of working memory: a microanalysis of span elucidates developmental dyslexia with and without specific language impairment. Symposium of Research in Child Language Disorders. Madison, WI.
• Erikson, J., Alt, M., Gray, S., Hogan, T., Green, S., & Cowan, N. (2016, June). Phonological transfer during word learning: Evidence from bilingual school-age Spanish-English-speaking children. Symposium on Research in Child Language Disorders. Madison, WI.
• Gray, S., Hogan, T., Alt, M., Green, S., Brinkley, S., & Cowan, N. (2016, March). Working memory deficits in children with dyslexia: Beyond phonology?. 10th biennial conference of the British Dyslexia Association. Oxford, England.
• Hogan, T., Green, S., Alt, M., Gray, S., Brinkley, S., & Cowan, N. (2016, July). Modeling working memory in school-age children with dyslexia. 23rd Annual Meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Reading. Porto, Portugal.
• Alt, M. (2015, April). Learning Theory: Another Evidence-Base for our Practice. Seminars in Hearing and Communication Sciences. Seattle, WA: University of Washington.
• Baron, L., Hogan, T., Alt, M., Gray, S., Cabbage, K., Limson, C., Brinkley, S., Green, S., & Cowan, N. (2015, November). Orthographic influences on word learning by second graders with comorbid dyslexia and specific language impairment.. American Speech Language Hearing Association National Convention. Denver, CO.
• Hogan, T., Alt, M., Gray, S., Baron, L., Cabbage, K., Green, S., & Cowan, N. (2015, July). Orthographic influences on word learning by second-graders with dyslexia and typical development. Society for the Scientific Study of Reading. Hawaii.
• Plante, E., Alt, M., & Meyers, C. N. (2015, November). Using Learning Theory to Improve Treatment. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Convention. Denver: ASHA.
• Alt, M., & Plante, E. M. (2014, September 2014). The Common Core: What it Means for Speech-Language Pathologists in Arizona. GBC Conference. Tucson, AZ: Grunewald-Blitz Clinic for Children with Communication Disorders and the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at the University of Arizona.
• Hogan, T. P., Gray, S., Alt, M., Green, S. B., Cabbage, K. L., & Cowan, N. (2014, October 2014). Working memory in children with dyslexia.. 2nd Annual Meeting of the New England Research on Dyslexia (NERDY) Society. Boston, MA: New England Research on Dyslexia (NERDY) Society.
• Hogan, T. P., Gray, S., Alt, M., Green, S. B., Cabbage, K. L., & Cowan, N. (2014, September 2014). Working memory deficits in children with dyslexia: global or local?. Seventh European Working Memory Symposium. Edinburgh, Scotland: European Cognitive Psychology Society (ESCoP), and the International Conference on Working Memory (ICWM)..

Poster Presentations

• Erikson, J., Alt, M., & Pyarelal, A. (2022, June). Science vocabulary knowledge and science achievement for children with and without developmental language disorder. Symposium on Research in Child Language Disorders (SRCLD). Madison, WI.
• Neiling, S. L., Alt, M., & Márquez, I. (2022, June). Train-the-trainer models: Exploring their feasibility to increase service reach. The Symposium on Research in Child Language Disorders. Madison, WI.
• Alt, M., Neiling, S. L., & Marquez, I. (2021, August). Exploring the social validity of telehealth-based language interventions for young Latine children.. Late Talker Workshop. University of Warwick (UK).
• Alt, M., Neiling, S. L., & Marquez, I. (2021, June). Exploring the social validity of telehealth-based language interventions for young Latine children. Symposium on Research in Child Language Disorders. Madison, WI.
• Erikson, J. A., Schoelen, S., Alt, M., & Pyaralel, A. (2021, June). A low-language alternative for measuring academic science vocabulary depth. Symposium on Research in Child Language Disorders. Madison, WI.
• Mettler, H. M., Neiling, S. L., Figueroa, C. R., Evans-Reitz, N., & Alt, M. (2021, August). The feasibility of translating an expressive vocabulary treatment for late-talking toddlers to a caregiver-implemented model. Late Talker Workshop. University of Warwick UK.
• Mettler, H. M., Neiling, S. L., Figueroa, C. R., Evans-Reitz, N., & Alt, M. (2021, June). The feasibility of translating an expressive vocabulary treatment for late-talking toddlers to a caregiver-implemented model. Symposium on Research in Child Language Disorders. Madison, WI.
• Alt, M., & Arizmendi, G. (2019, June). The development and validation of a functional task for quantifying language proficiency in Spanish-English bilingual children. Symposium on Research in Child Language Disorders. Madison, WI.
• Alt, M., & Van Linden, N. (2019, June). Implicit improvement of spelling through talker variability. Symposium on Research in Child Language Disorders. Madison, WI.
• Wilkinson, M., & Alt, M. (2019, August). Moving towards culturally competent research in the field of speech language pathology. 24th Annual Undergraduate Research Opportunities Consortium Research Conference. Tucson, Arizona: UROC.
• Cabbage, K., Stanley, C., Morgan, K., Gray, S., Alt, M., Cowan, N., Green, S., & Hogan, T. (2018, November). Phonological processing in children with dyslexia: Analyzing non-word repetition error types.. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Annual Convention. Boston, MA: ASHA.
• Peter, B., Hogan, T., Alt, M., Green, S., Cowan, N., Schrauwen, I., Naymik, M., Sacchetta, M., Vose, C., Deshpande, K., Guido, J., & Gray, S. (2018, November). Dense microarray genotypes validate genes of interest for disorders of spoken and written language. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Annual Convention. Boston, MA: ASHA.
• Peter, B., Hogan, T., Alt, M., Green, S., Cowan, N., Schrauwen, I., Naymik, M., Sacchetta, M., Vose, C., Deshpande, K., Guido, J., & Gray, S. (2018, October). Copy-number variations in children with disorders of spoken and written language point to genes with prenatal cerebellar expression.. American Society of Human Genetics Meeting. San Diego, CA: American Society of Human Genetics.
• Arizmendi, G., Alt, M., Gray, S., Hogan, T., Green, S., & Cowan, N. (2017, June). Exploring the bilingual advantage in 2nd-grade children: Monolingual and bilingual performance on central executive tasks of working memory. Symposium on Research in Child Language Disorders. Madison, WI.
• Hernandez, G., Alt, M., & Figueroa, C. (2017, August). Applying principles of learning theory to a spelling intervention. 22nd Annual Undergraduate Research Opportunities Consortium (UROC) Research Conference. Tucson, AZ: University of Arizona Undergraduate Research Opportunities Consortium (UROC).
• Mettler, H., Alt, M., Gray, S., Hogan, T., Green, S., & Cowan, N. (2017, June). The relationship between phonological working memory and sentence production in school-age children. Symposium on Research in Child Language Disorders. Madison, WI.
• Sacchetta, M., Gray, S., Green, S., Alt, M., Hogan, T., & Cowan, N. (2017, November). Working memory increases in elementary age children.. American Speech Language Hearing Association National Convention. Los Angeles, CA: American Speech Language Hearing Association.
• Alt, M., Hogan, T., Green, S., Gray, S., Cabbage, K., & Cowan, N. (2016, February). Word learning deficits in children with dyslexia. Pacific Coast Research Conference. San Diego, CA: PCRC.
• Bourgoyne, A., & Alt, M. (2016, June). Applying learning theory to the acquisition of academic vocabulary. Symposium on Research in Child Language Disorders. Madison, WI.
• Gray, S., Alt, M., Hogan, T., Brinkley, S., Schlesinger, N., Green, S., & Cowan, N. (2016, June). Children with dyslexia and concominant dyslexia and SLI show different phonological processing deficits, but not visual recall deficits, during word learning. Symposium on Research in Child Language Disorders. Madison, WI.
• Arizmendi, G., Alt, M., Gray, S., Hogan, T., Green, S., & Cowan, N. (2015, June). Word learning in Spanish-English bilingual children. Symposium on Research in Child Language Disorders. Madison, WI.
• Cota, M., Alt, M., Gray, S., Hogan, T., & Cowan, N. (2015, January). Are Symptoms of Specific Language Impairment confused with the symptoms of an Attentional Issue?: An exploratory study.. Undergraduate Biology Research Program. Tucson, AZ: University of Arizona.
• Gray, S., Green, S., Alt, M., Hogan, T., Brinkley, S., & Cowan, N. (2015, October). The structure of working memory in young children with typical development. Cognitive Development Society. Columbus, OH.
• Alt, M., Gray, S., Hogan, T. P., Green, S. B., & Cowan, N. (2014, June 2014). Word learning deficits in children with dyslexia: More than phonology.. Symposium on Research in Child Language Disorders. Madison, WI: SRCLD.
• Alt, M., Nicholas, K., Hauwiller, E., Plante, E. M., Alt, M., Nicholas, K., Hauwiller, E., & Plante, E. M. (2014, June). Effect of variability on preposition learning by preschoolers with impaired and normal language. Society for Research in Child Language Disorders. Madison, WI.
• Carmen, N., & Alt, M. (2014, June 2014). Comparing manual spelling practice to visual learning strategy in children with hearing loss.. Symposium on Research in Child Language Disorders. Madison, WI: SRCLD.
• Edwards, L., Alt, M., Gray, S., Hogan, T. P., Green, S. B., & Cowan, N. (2014, August 2014). Parental Attention ratings of children with and without specific language impairment. Undergraduate Research Opportunities Consortium Research Conference. Tucson, AZ: University of Arizona.
• Edwards, L., Alt, M., Gray, S., Hogan, T. P., Green, S. B., & Cowan, N. (2014, November 2014). Parental ratings of attention and central executive performance of children with and without language impairment.. Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students. San Antonio, TX: National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), Division of Training, Workforce Development, and Diversity (TWD) under award number T36GM073777 and managed by the American Society for Microbiology (ASM)..
• Nicholas, K., Alt, M., Hauwiller, E., & Plante, E. M. (2014, June 2014). Effect of variability on preposition learning by preschoolers with impaired and normal language.. Symposium on Research in Child Language Disorders. Madison, WI: SRCLD.
• Olson, S., Shehorn, J., Marrone, N. L., Alt, M., & DeDe, G. L. (2014, March). Auditory working memory under varying cognitive and perceptual load. American Auditory Society.
• Yang, H., Gray, S., Reno, R., Parikh, P., Brinkley, S., Hogan, T. P., Alt, M., & Green, S. (2014, November 2014). Do children with dyslexia have a phonological short-term memory deficit?. American Speech Language Hearing Association Conference. Orlando, FL: ASHA.
• Alt, M., Fabiano-Smith, L., & Oglivie, T. (2011, Fall). Morphophonemic crosslinguistic interaction in the language samples of bilingual children. The annual convention of the American Speech, Language, and Hearing Association (ASHA). San Diego, CA.

Others

• Alt, M. (2016, January). Helping toddlers learn to talk. Arizona Daily Star: Science Supplement.