About

Mary Beth Schmitt, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin. She directs the Children’s Language, Literacy, and Learning (CL3) Lab, where her team investigates child-level and treatment-level aspects of therapy that influence language and literacy outcomes for children with developmental language disorders (DLD). Her research focuses on topics such as behavior regulation, optimal treatment intensity, and peer effects, aiming to improve therapeutic strategies for children with DLD. Dr. Schmitt has a background of 11 years serving children with DLD prior to earning her Ph.D. from The Ohio State University. Her work is supported by funding from the National Institutes of Health and the Institutes of Educational Science. She also serves as an editor for EBP Briefs, a peer-reviewed publication dedicated to supporting evidence-based practice for practitioners.

Research topics

• Developmental psychology
• Psychology
• Linguistics
• Pedagogy
• Clinical psychology

Selected publications

• The Word Knowledge Coding Tool: A Resource for Capturing Children’s Vocabulary Multidimensionally and Along a Continuum

  2025-09-12

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Purpose: The current study presents preliminary findings on the Word Knowledge Coding Tool (WKCT), a theoretically grounded measure that captures a continuum of word knowledge across three dimensions - form, meaning, and use. Unlike prior measures, the WKCT integrates both incremental and multidimensional aspects of word knowledge. It aligns well with current understanding of what it means to know a word and has the potential to capture developing word knowledge in all children including children with developmental language disorder (DLD). Method: The WKCT was developed by adapting and expanding upon previous measures of word knowledge, theories, and conceptual frameworks. The WKCT was used to code definitions provided by 51 children with DLD. Descriptive analyses and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were used to analyze results.Results: The WKCT reliably captures a continuum of vocabulary knowledge in the dimensions of form, meaning, and use (ICC = 0.89). The tool revealed meaningful variability in pre-intervention word knowledge among children with DLD. Conclusion: The WKCT offers a promising approach for assessing and tracking changes in word knowledge in children with diverse learning profiles, including those with DLD.

  PublisherDOI

• Service Delivery Determinants for School-Based Speech-Language Pathologists in Texas

  Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups · 2025-09-11

  preprintOpen accessSenior author

  Purpose: This study explores the experiences of school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in Texas, focusing on service delivery determinations. Despite SLPs' intentions to individualize therapy experiences to meet student needs, research suggests a lack of diverse school-based service delivery models, resulting in homogeneity across the field. This study sought to identify contextual or environmental factors that shape and present barriers to service delivery determinants for school-based SLPs. Method: Using a phenomenological approach, this study comprised nine semistructured interviews with SLPs currently practicing in Texas public schools. The interview data were transcribed and analyzed using a hybrid deductive–inductive thematic analysis approach. Results: Findings from this study suggest that, beyond the individual child, workplace and SLP factors play a critical role in service delivery determinations. The theme of SLP workload re-emerged, replicating and providing refinement to prior research. Four previously undocumented themes influencing service delivery determinations emerged: master schedule, parent preference, district norms, and evidence. A discussion of these findings is provided by the authors, all of whom have school-based clinical experience. Conclusion: By addressing the contextual factors that influence SLP service delivery determinations, stakeholders can collaboratively mitigate barriers to evidence-based practice in public schools.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Impacts of Caregiver Stress on the Receptive Language Skills of Children With Language Impairment During the COVID‐19 Pandemic

  International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders · 2025-10-15 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which ecological factors (e.g., COVID-related caregiver stress and parental warmth) were related to the receptive language skills of children with language impairment (LI) during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHOD: Thirty-five children with LI receiving speech therapy within US public schools and their families participated in this study. Standardised tests of receptive language were administered to measure children's language. Caregiver questionnaires were used to collect data on familial household experiences, parental stress, and parental warmth during the COVID-19 pandemic. RESULTS: Children with LI and their families experienced a range of adversities during the global pandemic. The frequency of experienced adversities positively correlated with COVID-related caregiver stress levels. Regression analysis revealed that the average level of COVID-related caregiver stress was the strongest predictor of child receptive language. Finally, parental warmth was found to marginally moderate the association between COVID-related caregiver stress and receptive language. CONCLUSIONS: These findings illustrate the importance of ecological factors, namely COVID-related caregiver stress, on the receptive language skills of children with LI, particularly during times of crisis. We provide three specific considerations for future inclusive emergency response plans and current policy, particularly relevant to families of children with developmental disabilities. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on the subject Ecological factors are well-documented to have an impact on child development and learning. Few studies have examined the role of environmental mechanisms, particularly caregiver stress, as they relate to children's language outcomes for children with developmental disabilities. COVID-19 offered an opportunity to examine the influence of caregiver stress on child development, including receptive language outcomes, of which impacts are ongoing. What this paper adds to the existing knowledge This study demonstrated that caregivers of children with language impairment experienced variability in parental stress related to COVID-19. Furthermore, COVID-19-related parental stress was significantly positively correlated with children's receptive language. However, parental warmth may be a protective mechanism for children with language impairment during times of high parental stress. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? Implications and recommendations for future emergency response and current policy based on these findings are provided. Specifically, we explore familial protective factors, such as social support and access to resources. HIGHLIGHTS: Caregivers of children with language impairment experienced variability in parental stress related to COVID-19. COVID-19-related parental stress was significantly positively correlated with children's receptive language. Parental Warmth may be a protective mechanism for children with language impairment during times of high parental stress.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Group Size: An Active Ingredient of School-Based Language Therapy

  Language Speech and Hearing Services in Schools · 2024-05-15 · 6 citations

  articleSenior author

  Purpose: This study explored the relation between therapy group size and language outcomes for children receiving school-based language therapy through an implementation science lens. Method: Data for the current study were gathered as part of the Speech-Language Therapy Experiences in Public Schools study. Participants included 273 English-speaking kindergarten through second-grade children with language impairment receiving business-as-usual therapy on the caseloads of 75 speech-language pathologists. Data were collected over an academic year, including weekly therapy logs, speech-language pathology questionnaires, and pre– and post–language measures. Results: Descriptive analysis revealed that children primarily experienced small-group therapy sessions (two to four children); however, there was considerable variability in group size. Hierarchical general linear modeling indicated that caseload size did not explain group size variability. However, the number of student cancellations was positively associated with receipt of large-group sessions. Notably, a significant negative association was found between receipt of large-group sessions (i.e., five to 10 children) and language outcomes. Children who received more than the average number of sessions in large groups (i.e., more than 5% of total sessions) experienced 0.18 SD less language gain over the academic year compared to the mean (0.54 SD ). No other group size configurations (i.e., individual, small group, and extra large) yielded significant associations with language outcomes. Conclusions: The findings suggest that young children receiving language-based therapy in large groups make substantially fewer language gains over an academic year. These results have considerable implications for educational policy and clinical practice, which are discussed through an implementation science frame.

  PublisherDOI

• Accuracy of Automatic Processing of Speech-Language Pathologist and Child Talk During School-Based Therapy Sessions

  Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research · 2024-07-17 · 6 citations

  articleSenior author

  PURPOSE: This study examines the accuracy of Interaction Detection in Early Childhood Settings (IDEAS), a program that automatically transcribes audio files and estimates linguistic units relevant to speech-language therapy, including part-of-speech units that represent features of language complexity, such as adjectives and coordinating conjunctions. METHOD: measure determines the accuracy of IDEAS diarization (i.e., speech segmentation and speaker classification). Two additional evaluation metrics, namely, median absolute relative error and correlation, indicate the accuracy of IDEAS for the estimation of linguistic units as compared with two conditions, namely, Oracle (manual diarization) and Voice Type Classifier (existing diarizer with acceptable accuracy). RESULTS: measure for SLP talk data suggests high accuracy of IDEAS diarization for SLP talk but less so for child talk. These differences are reflected in the accuracy of IDEAS linguistic unit estimates. IDEAS median absolute relative error and correlation values for nine of the 10 SLP linguistic unit estimates meet the accuracy criteria, but none of the child linguistic unit estimates meet these criteria. The type of linguistic units also affects IDEAS accuracy. CONCLUSIONS: IDEAS was tailored to educational settings to automatically convert audio recordings into text and to provide linguistic unit estimates in speech-language therapy sessions and classroom settings. Although not perfect, IDEAS is reliable in automatically capturing and returning linguistic units, especially in SLP talk, that are relevant in research and practice. The tool offers a way to automatically measure SLP talk in clinical settings, which will support research seeking to understand how SLP talk influences children's language growth.

  PublisherDOI

• Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Household Experiences and Language Skills of Children with Language Impairment

  2024-10-07

  preprintOpen access

  Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe home environments of children with language impairments (LI) during the COVID-19 pandemic, to examine the extent to which aspects of their household experiences related to their receptive language, and to identify protective factors that could buffer negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on children’s receptive language. Method: Thirty-five children with LI receiving speech therapy within U.S. public schools and their families participated in this study. Standardized tests of receptive language were administered to measure children’s language. Caregiver questionnaires were used to collect data on familial household experiences, parental stress, and parental warmth during the pandemic.Results: Children with LI and their families experienced a range of COVID-related adversities. The frequency of experienced adversities positively correlated with caregiver stress levels. Regression analysis revealed that average level of caregiver stress was the strongest predictor of child receptive language. Finally, parental warmth was found to marginally moderate the association between COVID-related stress and receptive language. Conclusions: These findings illustrate proximal household experiences of families with children with LI during the pandemic. We provide three specific considerations for future inclusive emergency response plans and current policy, particularly relevant to families of children with developmental disabilities.

  PublisherDOI

• Dimensionality of Speech-Language Pathologists' Child-Directed Talk During School-Based Therapy With Primary-Grade Students

  American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology · 2023-12-20 · 4 citations

  articleSenior author

  PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the measurement structure of the linguistic features of speech-language pathologists' (SLPs) talk during business-as-usual therapy sessions in the public schools and to test the longitudinal stability of a theorized dimensional structure consisting of quantity, grammatical complexity, and lexical complexity. METHOD: Seventy-five SLPs' talk during therapy sessions with primary-grade students was automatically transcribed and coded for linguistic features from a corpus of 579 videotaped therapy session videos collected at the beginning, middle, and end of one school year with an approximately 12-week interval. We explored video characteristics and conducted descriptive statistics on eight linguistic indices of SLP talk to examine the variability in SLP talk between therapy sessions. Confirmatory factor analyses were used to explore the dimensional structure of SLP talk at each time point separately for the theorized three dimensions, and we conducted longitudinal measurement invariance analyses to test the stability of the three-factor structural model across the academic year. RESULTS: There were considerable variabilities among SLPs in the characteristics of SLP talk during therapy sessions. The proposed three-factor structure of SLP talk consisting of quantity, grammatical complexity, and lexical complexity had good model fit at all three time points. The linguistic measurement properties representing the three factors were invariant over time. CONCLUSIONS: Results provided robust evidence of between-SLP variability in their child-directed talk, established a three-dimensional structure of the linguistic features in SLP talk, and identified that the linguistic features in SLP talk stably measured the same constructs across one school year, based on measurement invariance. The dimensions of SLP talk during therapy with students may represent important, malleable features of therapy that influence child language gains.

  PublisherDOI

• Feasibility of Assessing Expressive and Receptive Vocabulary via Telepractice for Early Elementary-Age Children With Language Impairment

  Language Speech and Hearing Services in Schools · 2022 · 17 citations

  1st authorCorresponding
  • Psychology
  • Developmental psychology
  • Clinical psychology

  PURPOSE: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of school-age children with language impairment (LI) and their speech-language pathologists (SLPs) relied on telepractice service delivery models. Unfortunately, the dearth of evidence and procedural guidance available to SLPs has made this transition challenging at best. METHOD: The current study utilized a sample of 20 young children with LI to determine the feasibility of procedures necessary for conducting vocabulary assessments via telepractice platforms and the reliability of scoring participant responses using standardized assessments. RESULTS: Study findings resulted in numerous practical suggestions for SLPs working with young children with LI via telepractice. Results suggest that these adaptations result in strong interrater reliability for scoring participant responses in an online format. CONCLUSION: Study findings suggest that conducting telepractice assessments can be a useful and reliable tool for school-based SLPs, with implications reaching beyond the pandemic era.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Story Champs: changing the narrative on oral language intervention¹

  Evidence-Based Communication Assessment and Intervention · 2022-04-03 · 1 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Environmental, Instructional, and Structural Features of Classrooms: What These Mean for SLPs

  Seminars in Speech and Language · 2021-03-01

  article1st authorCorresponding

  For the 1.1 million school-age children receiving speech and language therapy from their school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs), the public schools are not only an environment for learning but the context through which their communication disorders are addressed.[1] Indeed, the charge for SLPs is not simply to boost the oral language proficiency of these students but rather to support children's short- and long-term academic success.[2] As such, effective speech-language therapy must consider not just the child's needs but also the environment in which the child finds him/herself.

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Laura M. Justice

  55 shared

• Sherine R. Tambyraja

  The Ohio State University

  43 shared

• Kelly Farquharson

  Florida State University

  30 shared

• Jessica A. R. Logan

  19 shared

• Hui Jiang

  11 shared

• Jing Sun

  The Ohio State University

  8 shared

• Hugo Gonzalez Villasanti

  University of Michigan–Ann Arbor

  8 shared

• Carrie Hutchins

  8 shared

Labs

• Aphasia Research and Treatment Lab (ARTlab)PI