معرفی
Nell Maltman, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at the University of Arizona. She directs the Lifespan Language Lab, focusing on interactions between language, cognition, and genetics in individuals/families affected by autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and fragile X-associated conditions. Her research integrates clinical, genetic, and behavioral approaches to understand developmental and neurogenetic factors influencing communication disorders.
Dr. Maltman earned her PhD from Northwestern University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison. She teaches courses including Communication Disorders I, Counseling for Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, and Neurodiversity Workshops.
Key research themes include pragmatic language development, genetic influences on cognitive functioning (particularly FMR1 gene variants), and the role of stress biomarkers in neurodevelopmental disorders. She has published extensively on maternal communication patterns, AAC practices in early intervention, and longitudinal trajectories of language abilities in neurodiverse populations.
Her work frequently addresses understudied areas such as socioeconomic disparities in ASD verbal status and the phenotypic profile of FMR1 premutation carriers. Current studies investigate stress-cognition interactions in mothers of children with fragile X syndrome and the neurocognitive correlates of verbal inhibition in aging female premutation carriers.
Labs/Teams: Director of the Lifespan Language Lab, collaborating with interdisciplinary teams across speech-language pathology, genetics, and child development. Active in community-based research partnerships with local special education organizations.
