The Connections Between Language and Reading Disabilities

Dr. Hugh W. Catts, (Ph.D. University of Florida) is currently Professor and Chair in the Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences and Disorders at the University of Kansas. He teaches undergraduate courses in communication disorders and graduate seminars in language and reading disabilities. Dr. Catts's research interests include the study of the relationship between oral and written language disorders. He is currently involved in a large-scale longitudinal investigation of language and reading development. Dr. Catts serves on the editorial boards of several scientific journals and is on the scientific advisory board of the International Dyslexia Association.
Alan G. Kamhi (Ph.D. Indiana University at Bloomington) is currently an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Communicative Disorders at Northern Illinois University where he teaches graduate courses in school-age language disorders and reading disabilities. He has served as co-principal investigator of two leadership personnel preparation grants funded by the U.S. Department of Education OSEP: (a) Preparation of leadership personnel for multicultural issues in communication disorders, and (b) Preparation of leadership personnel for communication and literacy in African-American children and youth. His early research focused on linguistic and cognitive abilities of children with specific language impairments (SLI) and mental handicaps. Later research has focused on language-learning disabilities. Dr. Kamhi is currently the editor for the Language section of the Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research.