Laura J. Ball, Ph.D.

Laura J. Ball, Ph.D.

Laura J. Ball, Ph.D., is Director of Hearing and Speech Research at Children's National Health System and Professor at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Washington, DC. She completed her doctorate at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln with specialization in motor speech disorders and augmentative and alternative communication. She has more than 35 years' experience as a clinical speech-language pathologist. Her research addresses AAC and neuromotor speech disorders across the life span. Particular interests are in functional communication and participation, AAC assessment and implementation, and interventions for speech-language impairments resulting from neurologic (i.e., neuromuscular, neurogenetic, neuroimmune, white matter) diseases.