Diane L. Williams

• Center for Brain, Behavior, and Cognition
• Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences

My primary area of interest is in language processing, reciprocal communication, social cognition, memory, and learning in autism spectrum disorders using behavioral measures and functional magnetic resonance imaging. My work in this area is interdisciplinary in nature, therefore, I work across the fields of communication sciences and disorders, neurology, psychology, and cognitive science.

Language and Language Disabilities Across the Lifespan

A Bio-Physiologically Integrated Approach to Studying Mechanisms of Swallow and Speech in Down Syndrome. Wilkinson, K. M. (PI), Madhavan, A., Etter, N., Lee, J., Olmstead, A., Miller, C. A., Sandberg, C., & Williams, D. (2023-2028).  National Institutes of Health Project INCLUDE.

This grant examines the mechanisms underlying speech and swallow function in individuals with Down syndrome. We examine the relation of structural and functional characteristics associated with the genetic underpinnings of Down syndrome (trisomy 21) to the functional production of speech and of swallow.  The team includes experts from across the CSD department in areas of clinical swallow measurement, oral somatosensation, speech production, speech perception, language, and brain imaging. 

• View all publications on Google Scholar