Susan Nittrouer

Susan Nittrouer, Ph.D.

Professor

Department: HP-SLP LANG & HEARING SCI
Business Phone: (352) 273-5303
Business Email: snittrouer@phhp.ufl.edu

About Susan Nittrouer

Susan Nittrouer received a Master’s degree in deaf education from Smith College, and taught for five years before returning to university. She received her PhD in 1985 from the City University of New York in Speech and Hearing Science. Following a post-doctoral fellowship at Haskins Laboratories in New Haven, Connecticut, she began her research career at Boys Town National Research Hospital investigating how children learn language. Subsequently she was a faculty member at Utah State University and the Ohio State University. Currently she is Professor in the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at the University of Florida, and heads the Speech Development Laboratory. Her research focuses largely on questions regarding how children learn language, and what goes wrong when they encounter challenges. Children who are of special interest in this work include those with hearing loss and those with dyslexia. Susan’s goal is to develop more effective intervention strategies, and make them more readily available to children facing language-learning difficulties.

Related Links:

Accomplishments

Alumna of the Year
2023 · Graduate Center of the City University of New York, Speech, Language, and Hearing Science
Honors of the Association
2023 · American Speech, Language, and Hearing Association

Teaching Profile

Courses Taught
2020-2024
SPA3032 Fundamentals of Hearing
2019-2024
SPA6581 Special Clinical
2020-2021,2023-2024
HSC4970 Public Health and Health Professions Senior Honors Thesis
2020-2024
SPA4904 Individual Study
2018-2020
SPA4931 Honors in Communication Sciences and Disorders
2020
SPA6905 Individual Study
2018-2024
HSC4913 Supervised Research Experience
2019
SPA6531 Clinical Practice in Hearing Assessment
2019
SPA7958 Clinical Externship
2019
SPA6506 Clinical Clerkship in Audiology
2019
SPA7945 Graduate Practicum in Audiology
2017-2019,2021-2024,2023-2024
GMS6070 Sensory and Motor Systems
2018
SPA6305 Pediatric Audiology
2018
EEL7979 Advanced Research
2018
CIS7979 Advanced Research

Research Profile

Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID)

0000-0002-3235-1724

Areas of Interest
  • Impact of hearing loss
  • language development
  • speech development

Publications

2024
Asynchronies in Auditory and Language Development Obscure Connections to Phonological Deficits in Children
American Journal of Audiology. 33(1):151-170 [DOI] 10.1044/2023_aja-23-00147.
2024
Early otitis media puts children at risk for later auditory and language deficits
International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology. 176 [DOI] 10.1016/j.ijporl.2023.111801.
2023
Interarticulator Speech Coordination: Timing Is of the Essence
Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research. 1-15 [DOI] 10.1044/2022_jslhr-22-00594.
2023
Recognition of Sentences With Complex Syntax in Speech Babble by Adolescents With Normal Hearing or Cochlear Implants
Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research. 1-26 [DOI] 10.1044/2022_jslhr-22-00407.
2022
Beyond Recognition: Visual Contributions to Verbal Working Memory.
Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR. 65(1):253-273 [DOI] 10.1044/2021_JSLHR-21-00177. [PMID] 34788554.
2022
Disparate Oral and Written Language Abilities in Adolescents With Cochlear Implants: Evidence From Narrative Samples.
Language, speech, and hearing services in schools. 53(1):193-212 [DOI] 10.1044/2021_LSHSS-21-00062. [PMID] 34898258.
2022
The emergence of bifurcated structure in children’s language.
Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. 151(12):3045-3059 [DOI] 10.1037/xge0001245. [PMID] 35696175.
2021
Electromagnetic articulography appears feasible for assessment of speech motor skills in cochlear-implant users
JASA Express Letters. 1(10) [DOI] 10.1121/10.0006719.
2021
MIPA: A theory of phonological acquisition and speech motor control
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 150(4):A111-A111 [DOI] 10.1121/10.0007799.
2021
The contribution of spectral processing to the acquisition of phonological sensitivity by adolescent cochlear implant users and normal-hearing controls.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 150(3) [DOI] 10.1121/10.0006416. [PMID] 34598601.
2021
The Devil in the Details Can Be Hard to Spot: Malapropisms and Children With Hearing Loss
Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools. 52(1):335-353 [DOI] 10.1044/2020_lshss-20-00033.
2021
When language outgrows them: Comprehension of ambiguous sentences in children with normal hearing and children with hearing loss.
International journal of pediatric otorhinolaryngology. 141 [DOI] 10.1016/j.ijporl.2020.110514. [PMID] 33268011.
2020
Parental Language Input to Children With Hearing Loss: Does It Matter in the End?
Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR. 63(1):234-258 [DOI] 10.1044/2019_JSLHR-19-00123. [PMID] 31834998.
2020
The Duality of Patterning in Language and Its Relationship to Reading in Children With Hearing Loss
Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups. 5(6):1400-1409 [DOI] 10.1044/2020_persp-20-00029.
2019
Children’s suffix effects for verbal working memory reflect phonological coding and perceptual grouping.
Journal of experimental child psychology. 183:276-294 [DOI] 10.1016/j.jecp.2019.03.003. [PMID] 30933869.
2019
Ending the lottery
Florida law Review. 71:132-144
2019
Perception-Production Links in Children’s Speech.
Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR. 62(4):853-867 [DOI] 10.1044/2018_JSLHR-S-18-0178. [PMID] 30986136.
2018
Development of Phonological, Lexical, and Syntactic Abilities in Children With Cochlear Implants Across the Elementary Grades.
Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR. 61(10):2561-2577 [DOI] 10.1044/2018_JSLHR-H-18-0047. [PMID] 30242344.
2018
Speech Recognition in Noise by Children with and without Dyslexia: How is it Related to Reading?
Research in developmental disabilities. 77:98-113 [DOI] 10.1016/j.ridd.2018.04.014. [PMID] 29724639.
2017
Speech Recognition in Adults With Cochlear Implants: The Effects of Working Memory, Phonological Sensitivity, and Aging.
Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR. 60(4):1046-1061 [DOI] 10.1044/2016_JSLHR-H-16-0119. [PMID] 28384805.
2017
Verbal Working Memory in Children With Cochlear Implants.
Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR. 60(11):3342-3364 [DOI] 10.1044/2017_JSLHR-H-16-0474. [PMID] 29075747.
2016
Beyond early intervention: Supporting children with CIs through elementary school
Otology & Neurotology. 37:e43-e49
2016
Beyond Early Intervention: Supporting Children With CIs Through Elementary School.
Otology & neurotology : official publication of the American Otological Society, American Neurotology Society [and] European Academy of Otology and Neurotology. 37(2):e43-9 [DOI] 10.1097/MAO.0000000000000906. [PMID] 26756154.
2016
Early Bimodal Stimulation Benefits Language Acquisition for Children With Cochlear Implants.
Otology & neurotology : official publication of the American Otological Society, American Neurotology Society [and] European Academy of Otology and Neurotology. 37(1):24-30 [PMID] 26571408.
2016
Early predictors of phonological and morphosyntactic skills in second graders with cochlear implants.
Research in developmental disabilities. 55:143-60 [DOI] 10.1016/j.ridd.2016.03.020. [PMID] 27078086.
2016
Verbal Working Memory in Older Adults: The Roles of Phonological Capacities and Processing Speed.
Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR. 59(6):1520-1532 [DOI] 10.1044/2016_JSLHR-H-15-0404. [PMID] 27936265.
2016
Word Recognition Variability With Cochlear Implants: “Perceptual Attention” Versus “Auditory Sensitivity”.
Ear and hearing. 37(1):14-26 [DOI] 10.1097/AUD.0000000000000204. [PMID] 26301844.
2016
Word Recognition Variability With Cochlear Implants: The Degradation of Phonemic Sensitivity.
Otology & neurotology : official publication of the American Otological Society, American Neurotology Society [and] European Academy of Otology and Neurotology. 37(5):470-7 [DOI] 10.1097/MAO.0000000000001001. [PMID] 26967255.
2015
All cues are not created equal: the case for facilitating the acquisition of typical weighting strategies in children with hearing loss.
Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR. 58(2):466-80 [DOI] 10.1044/2015_JSLHR-H-14-0254. [PMID] 25611214.
2015
Measuring the effects of spectral smearing and enhancement on speech recognition in noise for adults and children.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 137(4):2004-14 [DOI] 10.1121/1.4916203. [PMID] 25920851.
2015
Speech perception of sine-wave signals by children with cochlear implants.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 137(5):2811-22 [DOI] 10.1121/1.4919316. [PMID] 25994709.
2015
Weighting of Acoustic Cues to a Manner Distinction by Children With and Without Hearing Loss.
Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR. 58(3):1077-92 [DOI] 10.1044/2015_JSLHR-H-14-0263. [PMID] 25813201.
2014
A longitudinal study of very young children’s vowel production.
Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR. 57(1):1-15 [DOI] 10.1044/1092-4388(2013/12-0112). [PMID] 24687464.
2014
Benefits of preserving stationary and time-varying formant structure in alternative representations of speech: implications for cochlear implants.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 136(4):1845-56 [DOI] 10.1121/1.4895698. [PMID] 25324085.
2014
Do adults with cochlear implants rely on different acoustic cues for phoneme perception than adults with normal hearing?
Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR. 57(2):566-82 [DOI] 10.1044/2014_JSLHR-H-12-0323. [PMID] 24686722.
2014
Dynamic spectral structure specifies vowels for adults and children.
Language and speech. 57(Pt 4):487-512 [PMID] 25536845.
2014
Language structures used by kindergartners with cochlear implants: relationship to phonological awareness, lexical knowledge and hearing loss.
Ear and hearing. 35(5):506-18 [DOI] 10.1097/AUD.0000000000000051. [PMID] 24992492.
2014
Low-frequency signals support perceptual organization of implant-simulated speech for adults and children.
International journal of audiology. 53(4):270-84 [DOI] 10.3109/14992027.2013.871649. [PMID] 24456179.
2014
Nonword repetition in children with cochlear implants: a potential clinical marker of poor language acquisition.
American journal of speech-language pathology. 23(4):679-95 [DOI] 10.1044/2014_AJSLP-14-0040. [PMID] 25340675.
2014
Perceptual weighting strategies of children with cochlear implants and normal hearing.
Journal of communication disorders. 52:111-33 [DOI] 10.1016/j.jcomdis.2014.09.003. [PMID] 25307477.
2014
SEPARATING THE EFFECTS OF ACOUSTIC AND PHONETIC FACTORS IN LINGUISTIC PROCESSING WITH IMPOVERISHED SIGNALS BY ADULTS AND CHILDREN.
Applied psycholinguistics. 35(2):333-370 [PMID] 24729642.
2013
Amplitude rise time does not cue the /ba/-/wa/ contrast for adults or children.
Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR. 56(2):427-40 [DOI] 10.1044/1092-4388(2012/12-0075). [PMID] 22992704.
2013
Detecting soft failures in pediatric cochlear implants: relating behavior to language outcomes.
Otology & neurotology : official publication of the American Otological Society, American Neurotology Society [and] European Academy of Otology and Neurotology. 34(9):1648-55 [DOI] 10.1097/MAO.0b013e3182a0036c. [PMID] 24136308.
2013
Explaining coherence in coherence masking protection for adults and children.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 133(6):4218-31 [DOI] 10.1121/1.4802638. [PMID] 23742373.
2013
Improving speech-in-noise recognition for children with hearing loss: potential effects of language abilities, binaural summation, and head shadow.
International journal of audiology. 52(8):513-25 [DOI] 10.3109/14992027.2013.792957. [PMID] 23834373.
2013
Panel 8: Complications and sequelae.
Otolaryngology–head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. 148(4 Suppl):E122-43 [DOI] 10.1177/0194599812467425. [PMID] 23536529.
2013
Perceptual organization of speech signals by children with and without dyslexia.
Research in developmental disabilities. 34(8):2304-25 [DOI] 10.1016/j.ridd.2013.04.018. [PMID] 23702597.
2013
Speech perception in noise by children with cochlear implants.
Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR. 56(1):13-30 [DOI] 10.1044/1092-4388(2012/11-0338). [PMID] 22744138.
2013
Working memory in children with cochlear implants: problems are in storage, not processing.
International journal of pediatric otorhinolaryngology. 77(11):1886-98 [DOI] 10.1016/j.ijporl.2013.09.001. [PMID] 24090697.
2012
A new perspective on developmental language problems: Perceptual organization deficits.
Perspectives on language learning and education. 19(3):87-97 [PMID] 23977405.
2012
Children weight dynamic spectral structure more than adults: evidence from equivalent signals.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 132(6):EL443-9 [DOI] 10.1121/1.4763554. [PMID] 23231206.
2012
Emergent literacy in kindergartners with cochlear implants.
Ear and hearing. 33(6):683-97 [DOI] 10.1097/AUD.0b013e318258c98e. [PMID] 22572795.
2012
Measuring what matters: effectively predicting language and literacy in children with cochlear implants.
International journal of pediatric otorhinolaryngology. 76(8):1148-58 [DOI] 10.1016/j.ijporl.2012.04.024. [PMID] 22648088.
2011
Coherence masking protection for mid-frequency formants by adults and children.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 130(5):EL290-6 [DOI] 10.1121/1.3638223. [PMID] 22088030.
2011
Coherence masking protection for speech in children and adults.
Attention, perception & psychophysics. 73(8):2606-23 [DOI] 10.3758/s13414-011-0210-y. [PMID] 21948285.
2011
Sensitivity to structure in the speech signal by children with speech sound disorder and reading disability.
Journal of communication disorders. 44(3):294-314 [DOI] 10.1016/j.jcomdis.2011.01.001. [PMID] 21329941.
2011
What is the deficit in phonological processing deficits: auditory sensitivity, masking, or category formation?
Journal of experimental child psychology. 108(4):762-85 [DOI] 10.1016/j.jecp.2010.10.012. [PMID] 21109251.
2010
Learning to perceptually organize speech signals in native fashion.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 127(3):1624-35 [DOI] 10.1121/1.3298435. [PMID] 20329861.
2010
New Approaches to the Study of Childhood Language Disorders.
Current directions in psychological science. 19(5):308-313 [PMID] 22707856.
2009
Children discover the spectral skeletons in their native language before the amplitude envelopes.
Journal of experimental psychology. Human perception and performance. 35(4):1245-53 [DOI] 10.1037/a0015020. [PMID] 19653762.
2009
Does harmonicity explain children’s cue weighting of fricative-vowel syllables?
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 125(3):1679-92 [DOI] 10.1121/1.3056561. [PMID] 19275325.
2009
The effects of bilateral electric and bimodal electric–acoustic stimulation on language development.
Trends in amplification. 13(3):190-205 [DOI] 10.1177/1084713809346160. [PMID] 19713210.
2008
Outcomes for children with HL: Effects of age of ID, sign support, and auditory prosthesis
. 18:74-82
2008
Patterns of acquisition of native voice onset time in English-learning children.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 124(2):1180-91 [DOI] 10.1121/1.2945118. [PMID] 18681606.
2008
Spectral structure across the syllable specifies final-stop voicing for adults and children alike.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 123(1):377-85 [DOI] 10.1121/1.2804950. [PMID] 18177167.
2008
Speech production in 12-month-old children with and without hearing loss.
Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR. 51(4):879-88 [DOI] 10.1044/1092-4388(2008/064). [PMID] 18658058.
2007
Children’s weighting strategies for word-final stop voicing are not explained by auditory sensitivities.
Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR. 50(1):58-73 [PMID] 17344548.
2007
Dynamic spectral structure specifies vowels for children and adults.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 122(4):2328-39 [PMID] 17902868.
2006
Children hear the forest.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 120(4):1799-802 [PMID] 17069277.
2005
Age-related differences in weighting and masking of two cues to word-final stop voicing in noise.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 118(2):1072-88 [PMID] 16158662.
2005
The emergence of mature gestural patterns in the production of voiceless and voiced word-final stops.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 117(1):351-64 [PMID] 15704427.
2005
The role of early language experience in the development of speech perception and phonological processing abilities: evidence from 5-year-olds with histories of otitis media with effusion and low socioeconomic status.
Journal of communication disorders. 38(1):29-63 [PMID] 15475013.
2004
Development of [j] in young, midwestern, American children.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 115(2):871-84 [PMID] 15000198.
2004
The role of temporal and dynamic signal components in the perception of syllable-final stop voicing by children and adults.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 115(4):1777-90 [PMID] 15101656.
2002
A reply to “Innate phonetic boundaries revisited,” by Aslin, Werker, and Morgan
Journal of Acoustal Society of America. 112:1261-1264
2002
From Ear to Cortex: A Perspective on What Clinicians Need to Understand About Speech Perception and Language Processing.
Language, speech, and hearing services in schools. 33(4):237-252 [DOI] 10.1044/0161-1461(2002/020). [PMID] 27764498.
2002
Learning to perceive speech: how fricative perception changes, and how it stays the same.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 112(2):711-9 [PMID] 12186050.
2001
Challenging the notion of innate phonetic boundaries.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 110(3 Pt 1):1598-605 [PMID] 11572369.
2001
Coherence in children’s speech perception.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 110(4):2129-40 [PMID] 11681390.
2001
The role of early language experience in the development of speech perception and language processing abilities in children with hearing loss
Volta Review. 103:5-37
2000
The effect of segmental order on fricative labeling by children and adults.
Perception & psychophysics. 62(2):266-84 [PMID] 10723207.
1999
Chronic OME hinders normal language development
.
1999
Do temporal processing deficits cause phonological processing problems?
Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR. 42(4):925-42 [PMID] 10450912.
1999
The development of phonemic coding strategies for serial recall
Applied Psycholinguistics. 20:563-588
1998
Examining the role of auditory sensitivity in the developmental weighting shift.
Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR. 41(4):809-18 [PMID] 9712128.
1998
The relative weighting of acoustic properties in the perception of [s] + stop clusters by children and adults.
Perception & psychophysics. 60(1):51-64 [PMID] 9503911.
1997
Developmental weighting shifts for noise components of fricative-vowel syllables.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 102(1):572-80 [PMID] 9228818.
1997
Predicting developmental shifts in perceptual weighting schemes.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 101(4):2253-66 [PMID] 9104027.
1996
Discriminability and perceptual weighting of some acoustic cues to speech perception by 3-year-olds.
Journal of speech and hearing research. 39(2):278-97 [PMID] 8729917.
1996
How children learn to organize their speech gestures: further evidence from fricative-vowel syllables.
Journal of speech and hearing research. 39(2):379-89 [PMID] 8729924.
1996
The relation between speech perception and phonemic awareness: evidence from low-SES children and children with chronic OM.
Journal of speech and hearing research. 39(5):1059-70 [PMID] 8898258.
1995
“Say-stay” identification and psychoacoustic performance of hearing-impaired listeners.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 97(3):1830-8 [PMID] 7699164.
1995
Children learn separate aspects of speech production at different rates: evidence from spectral moments.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 97(1):520-30 [PMID] 7860830.
1995
The perception of amplified speech by listeners with hearing loss: acoustic correlates.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 98(3):1388-99 [PMID] 7560508.
1993
The emergence of mature gestural patterns is not uniform: evidence from an acoustic study.
Journal of speech and hearing research. 36(5):959-72 [PMID] 8246484.
1992
Age-related differences in perceptual effects of formant transitions within syllables and across syllable boundaries
Journal of Phonetics. 20:351-382
1992
Reply to Garrett and Healey
Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR. 35:96-98
1991
Phase relations of jaw and tongue tip movements in the production of VCV utterances.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 90(4 Pt 1):1806-15 [PMID] 1960276.
1990
Acoustic measurements of men’s and women’s voices: a study of context effects and covariation.
Journal of speech and hearing research. 33(4):761-75 [PMID] 2273889.
1990
Context effects in phoneme and word recognition by young children and older adults.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 87(6):2705-15 [PMID] 2373804.
1989
The emergence of phonetic segments: evidence from the spectral structure of fricative-vowel syllables spoken by children and adults.
Journal of speech and hearing research. 32(1):120-32 [PMID] 2704187.
1989
The perceptual effects of child-adult differences in fricative-vowel coarticulation.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 86(4):1266-76 [PMID] 2808902.
1988
Differences in fricative production between children and adults: evidence from an acoustic analysis of /sh/ and /s/.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 83(1):229-36 [PMID] 3343442.
1988
Mathematical treatment of context effects in phoneme and word recognition.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 84(1):101-14 [PMID] 3411038.
1988
Patterns of interarticulator phasing and their relation to linguistic structure.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 84(5):1653-61 [PMID] 3209770.
1987
The role of coarticulatory effects in the perception of fricatives by children and adults.
Journal of speech and hearing research. 30(3):319-29 [PMID] 3669639.
1986
A reply to Adams’ comment
Journal of Fluency Disorders. 11:91-92
1986
The stop-glide distinction: acoustic analysis and perceptual effect of variation in syllable amplitude envelope for initial /b/ and /w/.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 80(4):1026-9 [PMID] 3771922.
1985
Speech instruction for deaf children: a communication-based approach.
American annals of the deaf. 130(6):491-5 [PMID] 3832936.
1984
Operant techniques used in stuttering therapy: A review
Journal of Fluency Disorders. 9:169-190

Grants

Sep 2023 ACTIVE
Poverty-Related Risk Factors for Auditory and Language Deficits in Children
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding: NATL INST OF HLTH NIDCD
Jan 2023 – Jan 2023
Ana Rodriguez -$480 Robert Young Award for HSP
Role: Other
Funding: ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA
Oct 2021 – Aug 2023
Effects of congenital hearing loss on speech motor control: Acoustic and articulatory evidence from 4-to-6-year-olds and adults
Role: Co-Investigator
Funding: HEARING HEALTH FOU
Mar 2017 – Feb 2022
Spoken Language in Adolescents with Hearing Loss
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding: NATL INST OF HLTH NIDCD
Sep 2015 – Jul 2017
the ontogeny of segmental speech organization
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding: NATL INST OF HLTH NIDCD

Education

PhD
1985 · City University of New York Graduate Center
Master's Degree
1975 · Smith College
Bachelor's Degree
1974 · West Chester University

Contact Details

Phones:
Business:
(352) 273-5303
Emails:
Addresses:
Business Mailing:
PO Box 100174
1225 Center Drive, HPNP Room 2145
GAINESVILLE FL 326103007