Adriana Weisleder

Dr. Adriana Weisleder is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Northwestern University, serving as Director of the Child Language Lab. Her research focuses on early language development in diverse sociocultural contexts, particularly among dual-language learners. She employs methodologies including eye-tracking, naturalistic recordings, and intervention studies to investigate how bilingual experiences influence language trajectories in Spanish-English toddlers. A Costa Rican native and bilingual speaker, her work aims to reduce inequities in identifying and addressing child language disorders through evidence-based practices.

Dr. Weisleder holds a PhD in Developmental Psychology from Stanford University, a BA in Cognitive Science from Northwestern University, and postdoctoral training in pediatric primary care research at NYU School of Medicine. She is affiliated with the Child Communication Research Collaborative, the Institute for Innovations in Developmental Science, and Bilingualism Matters.

Her research emphasizes sociocultural contexts shaping language development, with studies exploring parental practices in bilingual households, assessment tools for Spanish-speaking children, and interventions to promote responsive parenting. Recent work highlights cross-cultural comparisons (e.g., Bolivia, Costa Rica, Brazil) and the role of gestures and shared reading in language acquisition. She critiques standardized developmental milestones for cultural validity and advocates for inclusive practices in clinical and educational settings.

Award-winning studies include validation of tools like the MacArthur Inventario and development of automated speech classifiers. Her interventions, such as the Video Interaction Project, demonstrate sustained impacts on parenting behaviors in low-income and immigrant families. Ongoing projects investigate multilingualism's cognitive benefits and ethical considerations in long-term recording studies of child development.