Research Centers
Aphasia Rehabilitation and Bilingualism Research Lab
Aphasia is an acquired language disorder most often caused by stroke (as well as traumatic brain injury, dementia, and more). Aphasia results in impairments in the production and comprehension of language that can significantly compromise a person’s ability to communicate in all facets of life. At the heart of the lab’s mission is clinical research focused on the development and systematic evaluation of novel treatments for aphasia that aim to improve effective communication in persons with aphasia.
Bilingual Extension Institute (Leaders Project)
The Bilingual Extension Institute at Teachers College Columbia University provides clinicians with the knowledge and skills to make these differential diagnoses and provide appropriate services. The bilingual extension certificate requirement of the State Education Department recognizes the need for special training. Any clinician who works with bilingual children and adolescents (ages 3-21) for IEP based-services must obtain this add-on to their Teacher of Students with Speech and Language Disabilities certificate. The Bilingual Extension Institute at Teachers College Columbia University fulfills all requirements of the bilingual extension, except for the NYSED BEA, the language proficiency test.
Biomechanics Research Lab
The Biomechanics Research Lab (BRL) is home to our state of the art motion capture system. The BRL utilizes a Vicon Nexus 2.9 motion capture system along with 10 Vero cameras attached around the walls. Our lab is equipped with portable electromyography (EMG) and electroencephalogram (EEG) systems to analyze the influence of skeletal muscle and the brain on human movement. Additionally, we have two force plates installed in the ground to measure ground reaction forces during locomotion. The combination of these systems allow our researchers to analyze movements such as gait, sit to stand, postural sway, balance, and other functional tasks.
Center for Cerebral Palsy Research
The Center for Cerebral Palsy Research was founded in 1996 and is committed to understanding the mechanisms underlying the symptoms of cerebral palsy and developing evidence-based treatment approaches targeting these symptoms. The Center is a non-profit organization located at Teachers College, Columbia University, a leading institution of Education, Health and Psychology. Our Center is committed to improving the lives of children with cerebral palsy through research. These include both speech and motor disorders associated with CP.
Developing Language and Literacy
The DLL Lab researches the language and literacy development of young children from diverse backgrounds, with an emphasis on bilingual or dual language learners (DLLs).
Edward D. Mysak Clinic for Communication Disorders
The Edward D. Mysak Clinic for Communication Disorders is an integral part of the graduate training program in communication sciences and disorders at Teachers College. The Clinic offers a wide range of diagnostic and therapeutic services to individuals of all ages with communication disorders. Services are provided by program faculty and supervisory staff who hold national and state certification in their respective areas. Qualified graduate students provide or assist in the provision of these services under the direct supervision of the faculty and staff.
EXerT Clinic
The EXerT clinic offers individualized physical activity and nutrition counseling services provided by highly trained, certified staff and Movement Science and Nutrition graduate students. The goal of the EXerT Clinic is to assist you in designing an effective movement/exercise training and healthy eating regimen that will meet your own personal goals.
Language & Cognitive Neuroscience Lab
The Language and Cognition Lab at Teachers College examines:
- Relationships between language and thought from both developmental and adult perspectives.
- Numerical cognition and representation in adults.
Motor Learning and Control
The motor learning and control laboratory at Teachers College evaluates upper and lower extremity motor tasks as a window to understanding how movements are learned and controlled.
Neurocognition of Language Lab
The Neurocognition of Language Lab were recently upgraded to cutting edge technology for the study of The neurocognition of language.
Neurocognition, Early Experience and Development Lab
Broadly, the center is interested in how early experiences lead to individual differences in child neurocognition. We use a variety of methods (standardized tests, MRI, home observation) and populations to investigate this topic.
Neurorehabilitation Research Laboratory
The Neurorehabilitation Research Laboratory (NRL) conducts research on assessments and interventions for individuals with neurological diseases and disorders, including Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease, and stroke. The lab also engages in research investigating motor control and motor learning processes in both healthy individuals and those with neurological diseases and disorders. Our broad aim is to develop effective interventions to improve functional abilities and quality of life for people with motor control impairments through physical therapy and exercise-based interventions.
Neurocognition, Early Experience and Development (NEED) Lab
The NEED Lab investigates how early life experiences and adversity influence children’s brain and cognitive development, including language, memory and self-regulation. Their aim is to use neuroscience to inform educational, health, and policy interventions to promote healthy development for all children.
Physical Culture & Education Lab
Faculty and students in Physical Culture & Education are committed to the sociocultural and pedagogical study of physical education [PE], physical activity, and health to understand the complex links between the body, identity, physical culture, pedagogy, and social justice issues. Physical culture is the study of human physical movement performed in a wide range of domains such as PE, sport, health, dance, and recreation from a critical perspective.
Speech Production & Perception Lab
The goals of our research are to better understand patterns of speech production and perception in individuals with various language backgrounds and to develop remediation strategies, when needed, for increasing their intelligibility. We aim to recreate natural speech patterns as much as possible within the laboratory setting. A theme of this research has been the investigation of utterances in continuous speech, in which neighboring vowels and consonants affect each other’s pronunciation, as opposed to examining speech sounds in isolation. Our work informs educational and therapeutic approaches to speech learning and disorders in multilingual populations.
Laboratory for the Study of Upper Airway Dysfunction
The Laboratory for the study of Upper Airway Dysfunction (UAD) is committed to improving clinical outcomes and quality of life in patients with dysphagia and dystussia through research, clinical care, and education. The UAD engages in research aimed at improving health outcomes and quality of life associated with disorders of airway protection. Our current projects focus on multiple behaviors contributing to airway protection and the ability to modify those behaviors via non-pharmacological treatment paradigms. Research participants include healthy volunteers, people with Parkinson’s disease, other movement disorders, and ischemic stroke.
Visual Research Center for Education, Art & Social Change
The Visual Research Center for Education, Art & Social Change is an innovative institution created to showcase Teachers College commitment to education, art, visual culture, visual methods and media studies. Our goal is to foster high-quality collaborative, interdisciplinary qualitative visual research among departments, faculty and students.