Child Language Research Center
Research has four focus areas: 1) typical and disordered speech and language skills in childhood and adolescence, 2) social communication and its difficulties, 3) hearing, speech perception and auditory processing and their difficulties, and 4) speech, language and communication interventions and their efficacy.
The first area aims to derive a comprehensive picture of the multi-level factors associated with speech and language outcomes. The second area focuses on how individuals use language and non-verbal cues for interaction. Research encompasses social interaction, social cognition, pragmatics and language processing. The third area aims to deepen our understanding of how the brain processes complex auditory signals and to examine various factors associated with spoken language outcomes in individuals with hearing loss. The fourth area aims to ensure that interventions to support speech, language and communication development and outcomes deliver maximum benefit to individuals at risk or with speech, language and communication disorders (SLCD). All together, we aim to enhance the national and international significance of our research and secure our role alongside leading scientists in our focus areas.
Research conducted within CLRC promotes several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Good health and wellbeing, Quality education, Decent work and economic growth, and Reduced inequalities. We will provide research-based strategies to mitigate the negative consequences of low language skills and speech, language and communication disorders. In addition, we will provide professionals, stakeholders, and policymakers with access to up-to-date evidence for service planning and evidence-based practice.
Research within the CLRC is carried out in multidisciplinary research groups. Many of the researchers are active in several research groups. Below is a list of key staff members who conduct research on speech, language, and communication development and their disorders in children and/or adolescents.
Professor Sari Kunnari
Professor Kerttu Huttunen
Professor Taina Välimaa
Postdoctoral Researcher Rosa González Hautamäki
Postdoctoral Researcher Krista Tuohimaa
Postdoctoral Researcher Aija Kotila
Project researcher Maiju Kemppainen
Doctoral Researcher Reetta Baldin
Doctoral Researcher Seila Pihanurmi
Firm collaboration is established at the international and national levels. The most important international collaborators come from the University of Oxford (UK), the University of Limerick (Ireland), the University of Melbourne, the University of Turin, Purdue University (USA) and University College Cork (Ireland). The national collaboration is established with the Universities of Eastern Finland, Helsinki, Tampere, Turku and Jyväskylä, Åbo Akademi and all five University Hospitals in Finland.
At the University of Oulu, doctoral study rights are applied from the University of Oulu Graduate School (UniOGS), which is dedicated to fostering high-quality doctoral education. Before applying for a doctoral study right, the applicant must find a supervisor for her/his PhD research. PhD research can be carried out as part of ongoing projects in CLRC, but PhD students can also choose a topic for their doctoral thesis from other areas of interest. Some practical information about PhD studies is available on the following website: http://www.oulu.fi/uniogs/