Lab Director
Adriana Weisleder is an assistant professor in the department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Northwestern University and director of the Child Language Lab. Her research investigates early language development and processing in young children from diverse linguistic and socioeconomic backgrounds, with a focus on children who are dual language learners. She uses multiple methodologies – including eye-tracking, naturalistic recordings and clinical trials of interventions – to investigate both the learning mechanisms and contexts that support language development in infants and toddlers. She also collaborates on the development of family and community-based approaches for reducing poverty-related disparities in children’s developmental and educational outcomes.
Dr. Weisleder is a proud Costa Rican and Spanish-English bilingual. She obtained her B.A. in Cognitive Science from Northwestern University and her Ph.D. in Psychology from Stanford University. She completed her postdoctoral training in the Bellevue Project for Early Language, Literacy and Education Success at New York University School of Medicine.
Lab Coordinators
Marcela Cruz is a research assistant in the Child Language Lab. She has a BA in Linguistics and English from the University of Florida. She is a bilingual speaker (English and Spanish), and she is interested in how language development differs from monolingual to bilingual speakers. She was a research assistant at a bilingual psycholinguistics lab at the University of Florida. She is now working at the Child Language Lab on the Bi-TODLS project. Outside of the lab Marcela enjoys going on runs, reading and trying new restaurants.
Megan Choi is a research assistant in the Child Language Lab on the Stress, Pregnancy, and Health Kids study. She earned her B.S. in Integrative Biology in 2021 from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Prior to joining SPAH Kids, Megan was a research assistant for the Stress, Pregnancy, and Health Study at NorthShore University HealthSystem. Outside of the lab, Megan enjoys swimming, biking, and running.
Graduate Students
Anele Villanueva is a PhD student in Communication Sciences and Disorders. As a Chicana and bilingual speaker (Spanish-English), Anele is interested in how language interactions in the home may influence language development and school readiness in bilingual children and children with communicative delays. She is particularly interested in how bilingual language environments vary across socioeconomic status, and in naturally occurring interactions in the home. Anele aims to conduct culturally responsive research and contribute to reducing poverty-related disparities in school readiness in children from diverse communities.
Murielle Standley is a PhD student in Communication Sciences and Disorders. She speaks multiple languages (Swiss German, German, English, and French) and is interested in how bilingualism affects thinking and learning. In particular, Murielle is interested in what bilingual language development looks like across a wide range of language abilities such as young children with elevated likelihood of language impairments. Her goal is to conduct research that contributes to our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of Developmental Language Disorder.
Alejandra Reinoso is a PhD student in Communication Sciences and Disorders and an MPES fellow through the School of Education and Social Policy. As a Dominican Spanish-English bilingual, Alejandra is interested in investigating early language learning in the home and school environments of Latine dual language learners (DLLs), and how this may further affect DLLs’ school readiness and academic success. Alejandra’s ultimate goal is to conduct research that helps inform early childhood education policy for multilingual children, including those with language and communication disabilities.
Krystal Alvarez-Hernandez is a PhD student in Communication Sciences and Disorders. As a mother, Krystal has experienced some of the unique challenges associated with pregnancy, childbirth, and motherhood. As a first-generation Mexican-American, she found that different mothers are often presented with a different set of challenges. Krystal is interested in investigating how maternal stress interacts with the perinatal period, and to the extent it influences their babies’ developmental trajectories, particularly for individuals growing-up in primarily Spanish-speaking and/or bilingual homes. At the same time, Krystal hopes to work closely with Latina/x mothers in the community.
Milton Guendica (he/him/el) is a PhD student in Communication Sciences and Disorders. As a Chicago native and Spanish-English bilingual, Milton is interested in understanding dual-language development in Latino children. In particular, he is interested in exploring what kinds of parent-child interactions promote early language learning that can be utilized for interventions targeted at reducing educational disparities in school readiness. Milton’s ultimate professional goals are to conduct research that works at the microlevel with community partnerships in Chicago and at the macro level with policymakers.
Sefela L. Yalala is a PhD student in Communication Sciences and Disorders. Originally from Botswana and South Africa, she is fluent in multiple languages and is driven to expand on the minimal research available on early language development in the context of her home. In particular, Sefela’s research is focused on the creation and adaptation of early assessments and intervention methods. She has a Master of Arts in Linguistics from the University of Cape Town, and was previously the Project Manager for the Child Language Development Node at Stellenbosch University, South Africa.
Research Assistants
Magda Slowakiewicz is a student at Northwestern University majoring in Biological Sciences and Slavic Languages and Literatures while minoring in Psychology. She is fluent in Polish and is excited that she can combine her interests in language and psychology at the Child Language Lab. Magda is interested in learning about the multitude of benefits of bilingualism, from children’s language development to the role it plays in society. In her free time, Magda enjoys going on long walks with her dog and biking with her friends.
Anika Velasco is a student majoring in Psychology and minoring in Portuguese. Considering that Anika grew up bilingual and is now learning a third language, she is especially excited to better understand how a multilingual environment impacts children’s overall language development. Outside of the lab, she enjoys painting with watercolor, playing with her cats, and spending time with her friends and family.
Emma Finkelstein is a student at Northwestern University majoring in Linguistics and minoring in Spanish. She grew up speaking English and Spanish and is excited to use both languages in the CLL. Emma is fascinated by bilingualism in children, from how children learn two languages to how they benefit them in the future. Outside of the lab, Emma loves volunteering with her therapy dog and traveling to foreign countries.
Eli Oesterheld (he/they) is a student at Northwestern University pursuing degrees in Linguistics and Music Cognition. Originally from southern California, Eli is passionate about language and education, and is especially interested in work studying and supporting language development in neurodivergent populations. In his free time, Eli enjoys reading, skateboarding, playing classical guitar, and spending time with their dog, Monty.
Courtney Sindelar is a student at Northwestern University studying Cognitive Science and Communication Sciences Disorders. She joined the SPAH Kids team in April 2022 as an undergraduate research assistant with Dr. Weisleder’s Child Language Lab. Courtney plans to pursue a Master’s in Speech, Language, and Learning to become a pediatric speech-language therapist
Samantha Calderon is a student at Northwestern University majoring in Communication Sciences and Disorders and minoring in Psychology. She is a Mexican-American, first generation student and is passionate about helping her community. Samantha is bilingual and speaks both Spanish and English. She is interested in learning about different aspects of child language development and bilingualism. Outside of the lab, Samantha enjoys reading, learning about nature/the ocean, playing with her dogs, swimming, and spending time with friends and family.
Child Language Lab Alum
Lauren Miller Formerly an undergraduate volunteer in the lab, Lauren now works at the Cornerstone Counseling Center of Chicago. |
Bella Vavra Formerly an undergraduate volunteer in the lab, Bella is now a student in the Speech-Language Pathology Master’s program at the University of Oregon. |
Rahma Almajid Formerly an honors undergraduate in the lab, Rahma now works as a therapeutic assistant at Blue Bird Day in Chicago while applying to medical school. |
Philip Robert Curtis Formerly a PhD student in the lab, Phil is now completing his Clinical Fellowship year as a Speech-Language Pathologist with Chicago Public Schools. |
Emma Smyles Formerly an undergraduate volunteer in the lab, Emma now works as a teacher with Teach for America. |
Arely Solis Formerly an undergraduate volunteer in the lab, Arely is now a student in the Speech-Language Pathology Master program at Rush University. |
Michelle Lee Formerly a Speech, Language, and Learning master’s student volunteer in the lab, Michelle now works as a Speech-Language Pathologist in California. |
Lupe Olivares Formerly a CLL collaborator via Northwestern Settlement’s Project Y.E.S., Lupe now works as a Student Enrollment Coordinator at Chicago Bulls College Prep. |
Kaveri Sheth Formerly an intern in the lab, Kaveri is now a PhD student in linguistics at the University of Washington. |
Lauren Engelhart
Formerly an intern in the lab, Lauren is now a student in Northwestern’s Master in Counseling program. |
Alaina Arthurs Formerly an undergraduate volunteer in the lab, Alaina is now a student in the Speech-Language Pathology Master program at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. |
Anna Stone Formerly a master’s student volunteer in the lab, Anna is now a Speech-Language Pathologist with Chicago Public Schools. |
Juan Vicente Nuño Hermosillo Formerly the CLL’s first lab manager, Juan now works as a Student Affairs Administrator at the University of Chicago Law School. |
McKenna Lanter Formerly an undergraduate student majoring in Communication Sciences and Disorders on the pre speech-language pathology track. Mckenna now is pursuing a Master’s in speech pathology. |
Talia Apter Former volunteer in the Child Language Lab. Talia is now attending The University of Edinburgh pursing her Master’s in language processing. |
Dana Zakieh Former Master’s student in the MS SLL program at Northwestern University. She is now working as a speech language pathologist. |
Tammy Le Former Master’s student in the MS SLL program at Northwestern University. She is now working as a speech language pathologist. |
Abigail Holthaus Formerly an undergraduate student studying Communication Sciences and Disorders with a minor in Cognitive Science. She is now pursuing a Master’s in speech pathology. |
Jill Rawls Former undergraduate student majoring in Communication Sciences and Disorders and Linguistics. Jill is now pursuing a Master’s in speech pathology. |
Josselin Martinez Formerly a Research Coordinator for the Child Language Lab and worked on the Bi-TODLS project. Josselin moved back to California to be closer to family. |
