Pumpki Lei Su

Pumpki Lei Su is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing at the University of Texas at Dallas, affiliated with the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences. She leads the Language Interaction and Language Acquisition in Children (LILAC) Lab. Her research focuses on language development in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and bilingual children, emphasizing caregiver-child interaction and culturally sensitive assessment tools.

Education:

• PhD in Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University
• MS in Interdisciplinary Science in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities, Vanderbilt University
• BS in Communication Sciences and Disorders & Linguistics, Northwestern University

Research Interests: Dr. Su’s work is guided by the Transactional Model of Language Development, investigating how child-level and input-level factors influence language acquisition. She employs observational methods, eye-tracking, and naturalistic recordings to study language learning in ASD and bilingual populations. Her long-term goals include identifying optimal caregiver interactions and developing inclusive assessment tools for diverse populations.

Awards & Recognition:

• Advancing Academic-Research Career (AARC) Award, ASHA (2023)

Grants & Projects:

• NIH NIDCD R21 Grant (2024–2027): Investigates word learning from infant-directed speech in autistic children.
• ASHFoundation Grant (2021–2022): Explores word learning in bilingual children using eye-gaze and all-day recordings.
• Mandarin-English Narrative Analysis Project: Develops transcription protocols for bilingual children’s narratives.

Affiliations: Callier Center for Communication Disorders, Center for Children and Families, Center for Vital Longevity.