Not many people know what they want to be when they grow up. Helen Long, assistant professor in the communication sciences program of the Department of Psychological Sciences, is not one of those people. 

At the age of five, Long knew she wanted to be a speech-language pathologist (SLP). After working for several years in the field and realizing her clinical questions were unanswered, she pursued a research career to begin to build an evidence base that would allow clinicians to feel more confident about early diagnosis and intervention planning for children with disabilities. 

Long earned her PhD from the University of Memphis before becoming a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research focused around early pre-speech and early speech development through the study of baby babbling in children with cerebral palsy (CP), a common childhood disability that affects motor development, and in children with autism. According to her, the earlier that signs of speech impairments are able to be detected, the earlier that SLPs can more confidently start to introduce other methods of communication to families.

At CWRU, Long’s research will study a range of early communication behaviors in young children with CP, to explore their relationship with motor development, and how these interactions shape parent-child interactions. She hopes to develop targeted parent-coaching strategies to support communication development in young children with childhood motor disabilities. She is excited to build research and community connections with others in the university and Cleveland community to work together to enhance the lives of people with disabilities. 

“Don’t strive for perfection where it starts to sacrifice your mental health and friendships in college,” Long encourages students. “There will be plenty of time to chase perfection after college if you so choose. In the meantime, embrace the opportunity to explore, take some risks, explore new ideas and live boldly.” 

Long is also a co-founder of CSDisseminate, an early career group of scientists and clinicians advocating for the use of open access practices within the communication sciences and disorders community to make research in the field more accessible and transparent. Aside from her research and the classroom, Long enjoys exploring museums, nature centers and parks, and getting to know Cleveland. She is excited to ride the roller coasters at Cedar Point!