Learning about language development in internationally adopted children is both a professional and personal quest.  On the professional side,  I am  a certified speech language pathologist on the faculty of Towson University in Maryland and have always been interested in language development.  However my specialty focused on working with children with severe disabilities who required computer technology to communicate.  I dedicated many years to this specialization and authored two textbooks and several articles on the subject.  On the personal side, my family originally consisted of my husband and son.  In 1996 we decided we wanted more children and decided to adopt a toddler from Russia.  Our son was adopted at age 17 months, and was followed two years later by our 19 month-old daughter.  After my children came home, their language development was both fascinating and puzzling.  My son especially went through some unusual language phases that didn't match anything in the textbooks.  As a concerned mother, I began searching for information to explain his situation.  I quickly learned that the information didn't exist.  That was the beginning of my interest in language development in internationally adopted children.  My personal quest to learn more about my son's language has evolved into my current professional quest.  This quest has led to several research projects on language development in internationally adopted children, some of which are reported in this web site.  Additional articles and information about completed and current projects are available on the Current Projects and  Resources pages.  In addition, I am involved in relief trips to Russian orphanages for children with disabilities.  I invite you to learn more about our efforts to help the children left behind.

This web site was developed for parents and professionals and will hopefully answer most of the questions that have been asked over the years.   I would like to thank all of the adoptive families and their children who helped me learn more about this topic.  I tell colleagues that working with adopted children is such a wonderful experience because adoptive families don't bat an eye when asked to complete stacks of paperwork.  The parents in my first project took the time to fill out page after page of questionnaires, then were sent the same questionnaires again and again, and again.  The parents in my second project have to fill out the same questionnaire paperwork, and in addition have to drive their children to Baltimore every 6 months so my students and I can evaluate their language.  To all of you, thanks for sharing your beautiful children.  Your support has led to the information contained in this web site, which will hopefully help adoptive families who follow behind in your footsteps.  I also want to thank the dozens of Towson University undergraduate and graduate students who have assisted me in collecting and analyzing information for my  projects.  Our efforts are creating a community of Towson University therapists who understand international adoption issues, and providing information so other therapists can learn more about this topic.