Lab Director
Cara M. Singer, PhD, CCC-SLP
Office Address: 303L Raleigh J. Finkelstein Hall
Phone: (616) 331-5564
Email: [email protected]
- B.A., University of Michigan
- M.A., University of Iowa
- Ph.D., Vanderbilt University
Current Research Assistants
Maisley Kreger
Hi! My name is Maisley, and I am a senior in the Communication Sciences and Disorders Undergraduate program at Grand Valley. This fall, I will continue my journey of becoming a speech-language pathologist (SLP) through the Master's program at GVSU. I have been a research assistant for the Stuttering in Pediatrics and Adults (SPA) lab since the summer of my sophomore year at Grand Valley (2022). Throughout this time, I have collaborated with Dr. Singer and other students on multiple research projects involving children with speech and language disorders. Over the past summer, I developed an intervention, using children's books, aimed at enhancing the resilience of children with speech sound and fluency disorders. More recently, Dr. Singer and I created a survey to gather perspectives from SLPs and caregivers of children who stutter on how they may acknowledge and talk to a child about their stuttering. Both of these projects have been important stepping stones in our efforts to identify possible resources to respond to the social and emotional impacts that children with communication disorders experience. After my time at GVSU, I hope to work as a Pediatric Speech-language Pathologist in the medical setting.
Abbey Pierce
Hello! My name is Abbey. I am a graduate student studying Speech-Language Pathology at GVSU. I completed my undergraduate education at Michigan State University with a double major in Communicative Sciences and Disorders and Psychology, with a minor in Human Behavior and Social Services. After I graduate in December, I hope to be an SLP working with individuals on the autism spectrum, potentially specializing in AAC! During the fall semester, I worked with Dr. Singer and Dr. Karasinski to develop a teach-in presentation regarding school accommodations for individuals who stutter and individuals with DLD. This semester, Dr. Singer and I are collaborating with a group of statistics students to develop a survey that measures resilience in children who stutter. When I am not at school or clinical, I love to crochet, read, go on hikes and play the guitar!
Allison Shattuck
Hi! My name is Allison Shattuck and I'm a graduate student in the M.S. Speech-Language Pathology program. I completed my undergraduate B.S. Communication Sciences and Disorders at GVSU with a minor in Spanish. My future career plans include practicing as an SLP treating individuals of all ages with speech and swallowing disorders, with a specific interest in the medical setting. I have collaborated previously with research assessing GVSU faculty, staff, and students perspectives and attitudes toward stuttering and we are currently in the process of drafting our findings for publication. My hobbies include reading, exercising, and spending time with my dog Tilly.