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Communication Sciences and Disorders

Faculty

Melcher Life Sciences
3871 Holman St. Room M242
Houston, TX 77204-6018

Phone: 713.743.2897
Fax: 713.743.2926  

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Austin Thompson, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

Austin Thompson, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

Assistant Professor
Email: athomp27@central.uh.edu 
Office Location: Melcher Life Sciences M243D
Curriculum Vitae |  SPEAK lab

Austin Thompson is an Assistant Professor in Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Houston. He obtained his Ph.D. from Florida State University in 2023, following his B.A. and M.A. degrees from Louisiana State University in 2016 and 2018. As a certified speech-language pathologist, Austin strives to bring a clinical emphasis to his research, which delves into the perceptual, acoustic, and kinematic aspects of speech in individuals with and without motor speech disorders such as dysarthria. Outside of work, Austin enjoys reading, running, listening to music, and spending time with his family and his four-legged children.

Education

  • Ph.D., Communications Sciences and Disorders, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL
  • M.A., Communication Sciences and Disorders, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA
  • B.A., Communication Sciences and Disorders, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA

Teaching

  • Fluency Disorders (COMD 7221)
  • Research & Critical Thinking (COMD 6261)

Research Interests

Dr. Thompson uses state-of-the-art technology to analyze the speech of individuals with and without dysarthria, a neurological motor speech disorder, aiming to develop effective assessment and treatment approaches that enhance speakers’ communicative participation and overall quality of life. His research primarily focuses on dysarthria in conditions like Parkinson’s disease or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, as well as speakers of English as a second language or speakers of regional dialects. Dr. Thompson’s work utilizes perceptual, acoustic, and kinematic methods, such as electromagnetic articulography (and ultrasound, to examine speech.

For more information, view Dr. Thompson’s research page and his lab website.

Research Grants

(past 5 years)

  • 2021-2023  National Institutes of Health, NIDCD, F31 National Research Service Award, A multidimensional study on articulation deficits in Parkinson’s disease, Role: Principal Investigator

Selected Publications

(for a full list of publications, see CV and Google Scholar Profile)

  • Thompson, A., & Kim, Y. (In Press). Acoustic and kinematic predictors of intelligibility and articulatory precision in Parkinson’s disease. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research.
  • Kim, Y-J., Thompson, A., & Lee, S. J. (2024). Does native language matter in perceptual ratings of dysarthria? Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research. https://doi.org/10.1044/2024_JSLHR-23-00668
  • Kim, Y., Thompson, A., & Nip, I. S. B. (2024). Effects of deep-brain stimulation on speech: Perceptual and acoustic data. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 67(4), 1090–1106. https://doi.org/10.1044/2024_JSLHR-23-00511
  • Thompson, A., Hirsch, M. E., Lansford, K. L., & Kim, Y. (2023). Vowel acoustics as predictors of speech intelligibility in dysarthria. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research. https://doi.org/10.1044/2022_JSLHR-22-00287 
  • Hirsch, M. E., Thompson, A., Kim, Y., & Lansford, K. L. (2022). The reliability and validity of speech-language pathologists’ estimations of intelligibility in dysarthria. Brain Sciences, 12(8), 1011. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12081011

Honors

  • ASHA Research Mentoring-Pair Travel Award (RMPTA), Mentee: Maura Philippone, 2024
  • ASHA Lessons for Success Program Awardee, 2024
  • ASHA Distinguished Early Career Professional Award, 2023

Professional Activities

  • Member and Leader, CSDisseminate (https://www.csdisseminate.com/), which is a volunteer organization aiming to educate and foster the use of open science practices within the field of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD). 
  • Member and Founder, OpenCSD (www.open-csd.com), which is a volunteer organization aiming to educate and foster the use of open science practices within the field of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD).
  • Committee Member, Speech and Language Science Topic Committee of the American Speech Language Hearing Association (2021 Convention)
  • Ad hoc scholarly reviewer, various research journals