Susan Nittrouer

Susan Nittrouer is Professor in the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at the University of Florida, where she heads the Speech Development Laboratory. She has held faculty positions at Utah State University and the Ohio State University prior to her current appointment.

Dr. Nittrouer received her PhD in 1985 from the City University of New York in Speech and Hearing Science, following a Master's degree in deaf education from Smith College where she taught for five years. Her academic journey began with a Bachelor's degree from West Chester University.

Her research focuses on how children learn language and what goes wrong when they encounter challenges, with special interest in children with hearing loss and dyslexia. Dr. Nittrouer aims to develop more effective intervention strategies for children facing language-learning difficulties. Her work spans multiple areas including language development, speech production, phonological processing, and the effects of hearing loss on cognitive and linguistic abilities.

Dr. Nittrouer's recent publications demonstrate her continued focus on understanding the relationship between auditory processing, speech perception, and language development in children with hearing challenges. Her work increasingly incorporates sophisticated methods like electromagnetic articulography to examine speech motor control and coordination.

• Alumna of the Year 2023 from Graduate Center of the City University of New York
• Honors of the Association 2023 from American Speech, Language, and Hearing Association

Dr. Nittrouer has been actively mentoring students through various courses including Fundamentals of Hearing, Special Clinical, and Public Health and Health Professions Senior Honors Thesis. She has received multiple research grants, most notably from the National Institutes of Health (NIDCD), including the current "Poverty-Related Risk Factors for Auditory and Language Deficits in Children" project where she serves as Principal Investigator. She leads the Speech Development Laboratory at the University of Florida, which focuses on understanding language acquisition processes in typically developing children and those with hearing challenges.