Boys Town welcomes Jacob I. Feldman, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, an early-career research scientist who is establishing a new autism research lab at the Center for Childhood Deafness, Language and Learning at Boys Town National Research Hospital. His speech and language research focuses on the links between sensory development and clinical features such as language and literacy development in children diagnosed with or at increased familial likelihood for autism and other intellectual and developmental disabilities.
“I am excited to join Boys Town because I’ve been aware of it as a hub of emerging language research. I’ve seen that excellence grow and I’ve watched colleagues I respect choose to do their research here,” said Dr. Feldman.
His early-language intervention study — “The Looking and Language (LoLa) Project” — is funded through the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders as the independent R00 phase of a Pathway to Independence Award.
“With the LoLa project, I’m assessing whether embedding a cue that encourages infant siblings of autistic children to look towards the mouth of a speaker during parent-child interactions boosts language above just a standard, early-in-life treatment package,” he said. “Hopefully this work would lead to being able to tailor interventions that might help these children achieve more optimal language outcomes regardless of their autism status.”
Krystal Werfel, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, director of the Center for Childhood Deafness, Language and Learning, called Dr. Feldman an incredibly strong early-career scientist.
“His communication research adds to our expertise and expands our work in an area where we have clinical services, which is exciting,” she said. “It’s so vital as the prevalence of autism continues to rise and families are looking for more options and strategies that fit their needs.”
Dr. Feldman will also be conducting a qualitative study looking at local community interest and opinions on early interventions delivered prior to an autism diagnosis.
He completed a similar qualitative study as a research fellow at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he received his master’s degree in speech-language pathology and his Ph.D. in hearing and speech sciences.
“What my qualitative study in Nashville showed is that parents are eager for these types of services,” Dr. Feldman said. “I’m excited to work with the local autism community to understand what the priorities are of people in this area and build trust and relationships here.”
As the parent of a son diagnosed with autism, Dr. Feldman has a parent’s, a clinician’s and a researcher’s perspective.
“I want him to navigate the world around him in a way that is more intuitive for him, and I want to give him the tools to get him to his most optimal outcome,” he said. “That's what I want for all kids who are diagnosed with autism.”