Overview
Ralf is an Assistant Dean for Research in the School of Clinical and Rehabilitation Sciences and a Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders.
His research tackles augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) and related technology-based interventions for autistic children and children with other developmental disabilities. Repurposing general consumer-level technologies is a central theme of his research (e.g., wearables, smart speakers, etc.). He holds an Extraordinary Professor appointment at the Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication, University of Pretoria and serves as a Research Design Consultant for the Autism Language Program and the Augmentative Communication Program at Boston Children’s Hospital.
Ralf has published 110 peer-reviewed articles, ~30 chapters, and 3 books. His research has been funded by federal agencies such as NIDILRR, HRSA, SSHRC, and OSEP as well as state agencies. He holds the Honors of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association and is a Fellow of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, and the International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication, respectively. Ralf is the founding Editor-in-Chief of Evidence-Based Communication Assessment and Intervention and the immediate past Editor of Augmentative and Alternative Communication.
