I study language use in adults and children from a psycholinguistic perspective. My interests include skilled reading and reading development. One goal is to understand why some children are better readers than others, and how targeted instruction might assist children to overcome reading difficulties. Another is to examine the development and teaching of reading skills in special populations, including children with Down syndrome. Recently, my research has also investigated the language, speech, reading and psycho-social outcomes of children with hearing loss, and the extent to which the presence of an additional disability (e.g., cerebral palsy, visual impairment, intellectual delay, or autism) can affect outcomes in this population.

I am Deputy Director of the Macquarie University Centre for Language Sciences and a member of the Macquarie University Centre for Reading.