Lynn Dempsey

Lynn Dempsey is an Associate Professor in Applied Linguistics and Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies in the Faculty of Social Sciences at Brock University. She holds a PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences from the University of Western Ontario (2005), an M.Sc. in Speech-Language Pathology, and degrees in Psychology and Social Work from McMaster University. A certified Speech-Language Pathologist, her research focuses on narrative comprehension in preschool children with and without language impairments, emphasizing story representation, early literacy development, and the application of the ICF framework in clinical assessment.

Dr. Dempsey directs the Child Language Laboratory and contributes to the LifeSpan Development Centre. Her teaching spans courses in child language acquisition, language disorders, and clinical evaluation. She has held leadership roles including Chair of the Department of Applied Linguistics (2020-2023), Graduate Program Director, and member of ethics and academic committees. Her publications emphasize methodologies for assessing story comprehension, the impact of play-based interventions, and literacy support for children with hearing impairments.

Dr. Dempsey’s work bridges developmental psychology, speech-language pathology, and educational practices. Her research consistently examines how narrative structures, background knowledge, and clinical frameworks influence young children’s language development. Recent studies explore emotion categorization in children’s language and the validity of assessment tools for pre-readers.