Dr. Larson’s research examines relationships between language and other cognitive processes in individuals with language disorders, including Developmental Language Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder, from a psycholinguistic lens using behavioral and functional neuroimaging methodologies. She also examines the role of language in long-term outcomes in adolescents and young adults with these conditions, including measures of well-being and self-efficacy. The long-term goal of her research is to answer foundational questions about language development and language processing in neurotypical and clinical populations. Her long-term translational goal is to improve differential diagnosis and treatment for individuals with language disorder to affect positive change on their lived experiences.
Dr. Larson is an American Speech-Language-Hearing Association certified speech-language pathologist with 4 years of pediatric clinical experience and a member of the advocacy group, Raising Awareness of Developmental Language Disorder.

Larson Language and Cognition Lab

Within the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at the University of Missouri, Sophie Barth works with both Dr. Larson and Dr. Robin Karlin to manage the LLC and NeSST Labs. She is a recent graduate of the University of Chicago with a B.A. in Psychology and prior experience researching the development of social stereotypes in young children and the impact of Imposter Syndrome on early career academics. She is broadly interested in speech and language learning and neurodevelopmental disability and aims to gain more experience in these areas before refining her focus in graduate school.