I am a linguist with a Master’s of Arts, a Master’s in Special Education, and a PhD in Psychology. My work has focused on the study of oral and written language, specifically in children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD). Language development problems tend to impact these children’s written performance as well, and my research focuses on understanding this complex relationship. In addition, I develop instruments to assess child language and interventions to support children with DLD. I have been the Director and Deputy Director of the Speech Therapy Department of the University of Chile.
Description of her work
Currently, my research focuses on two main areas:
- Characterization of the decoding (the ability to transform written words into spoken expressions) and reading comprehension of 4th grade/primary students with DLD. Children are studied in 4th grade because this level is the end of the elementary school level in Chile, which means that children are in a position to use reading to learn.
- Development and analysis of programs to simultaneously work on vocabulary and the ability to identify and manipulate sounds within spoken words, a concept known as phonological awareness. Vocabulary and phonological awareness are relevant for the reading learning of children with Developmental Language Disorder.
My main lines of research include:
– Developmental Language Disorder and reading performance.
– Grammar in Language Development Disorder.
– Development of instruments to assess child language.
– Interventions to support linguistic aspects of children with DLD.
Key Findings
A fundamental aspect of my work has been identifying that vocabulary and phonological awareness are predictive skills for initial reading in Spanish-speaking DLD students. As a result, I have proposed programs that work on these skills in an integrated manner, seeking to enhance their development more effectively than if they were addressed separately.
Speech therapists applied the program to children with DLD in four schools in the Metropolitan Region of Chile. The implementation was carried out during the children’s school day, and the sessions were distributed as follows: 60 sessions exclusively with students with DLD and 40 sessions with the whole class.
The integrated work of the above skills showed that both vocabulary and phonological awareness increased. However, phonological awareness skills increased more than vocabulary. This result suggests that integrated work benefits phonological awareness more than vocabulary.
Useful Links
Professor Coloma Tirapegui: https://deptofonoaudiologia.med.uchile.cl/profesores/carmen-julia-coloma-tirapegui/
Centro de Investigación Avanzada en Educación. Universidad de Chile: https://www.ciae.uchile.cl/
English 
Spanish 
French