Brittney Cooper

University of California Berkeley |
San Francisco State University
cooper.b at berkeley dot edu

Research Interests:

My research is focused on language development and, in particular, how children develop relational concepts through social interaction and embodied activity. My current projects are related to language development among children who communicate using Augmentative and Alternative Communication.

I am also interested in finding ways to support students who are bilingual and have special learning needs. As a school-based Speech and Language Pathologist, I am passionate about promoting additive bilingual environments for students and families.

Prior to entering the doctoral program at UC Berkeley and San Francisco State University, I worked as an SLP-CCC in the public school system serving PreK-8th grade students. I continue to serve children and families and mentor American Speech Language and Hearing Association (ASHA) Clinical Fellows.

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

  • Primary Investigator, Constructing relational concepts: A pedagogical design for students with complex communication needs: Development and implementation, UCSF & UC Berkeley Schwab Dyslexia and Cognitive Diversity Center.
  • Research Assistant, Testing a hypothesis of multi-layer network of orthographic neighbors via an innovative measure of orthographic knowledge, UCSF & UC Berkeley Schwab Dyslexia and Cognitive Diversity Center.
  • Research Assistant, Preparing effective practitioners in the delivery of classroom-based AAC services, SFSU, Graduate School of Special Education.
  • Research Assistant, Developing a developmental and high frequency Spanish core vocabulary for individuals with AAC needs, SFSU, Graduate School of Special Education.
  • Research Assistant, Recast, repair, and language acquisition in AAC-mediated interaction, SFSU, Graduate School of Special Education.

PUBLICATIONS

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

  • Lecturer, Speech Sound Production (SLHS 709), San Francisco State University, Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences.
  • Graduate Student Instructor, Introduction to Cognitive Science, UC Berkeley, Department of Cognitive Science.
  • Graduate Student Instructor, General Psychology, UC Berkeley, Department of Psychology.
  • Graduate Student Instructor, Language: Its Structure and Use, UC Berkeley, Department of Linguistics.
  • Clinical Supervisor, Child Language Clinic, San Francisco State University, Department of Communication Disorders.

PRESENTATIONS

  • Cooper, B. (2023, Dec). Building Relational Vocabulary Together. Poster presentation, Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation’s Winter Design Showcase, University of California, Berkeley.
  • Cooper, B. (2023, Oct). The prevalence of relational concepts on core word lists for AAC: Going beyond word frequency. Technical research session, American Speech Language and Hearing Association, Boston, MA.
  • Cooper, B. (2023, Feb). Vocabulary selection and symbolic representation for Augmented and Alternative Communication devices (AAC). Guest lecture, Introduction to AAC, San Francisco State University.
  • Cooper, B. (2022, Dec). Constructing relational concepts: A pedagogical design for students with complex communication needs. Poster presentation, Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation’s Winter Design Showcase, University of California, Berkeley.
  • Cooper, B. (2022, May). Constructing relational concepts: A pedagogical design for students with complex communication needs. Paper presentation, AAC Doctoral Student Think Tank, Penn State University.
  • Cooper, B., & Wang-Kildegaard, B. (2022, April). Investigating the intersectional gap for bilingual children in special education. Poster presentation, American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA.
  • Cooper, B. (2022, April). Special-education game-based use of Augmented and Alternative Communication devices (AAC) to learn relational concepts. Poster presentation, Graduate School of Education Research Day, University of California, Berkeley.
  • Cooper, B. (2022, January). Constructing relational concepts: A pedagogical design for students with complex communication needs. Work in progress roundtable, University of California Research on Special Education, Disabilities and Developmental Risk (UC SPEDDR) Conference, University of California, Riverside, January 21, 2022.
  • Cooper, B. (2022, March). Spatial concepts are universal, right? Exploring the influence of language on space. Guest lecture for Introduction to Cognitive Science, University of California, Berkeley.
  • Krause, C.M., Chen, R. S. Y., Tancredi, S., Cooper, B., Foley, E., Anton, J., Kim, J., & Abrahamson, D. (2021, October). Catching up with SpEED: Applying a framework for inclusive equitable learning opportunities through Special Education Embodied Design. Invited workshop, Unimc for Inclusion Settimana dell’inclusione (Inclusion Week), University of Macerata, Italy, October 25, 2021.
  • Krause, C.M., Chen, R. S. Y., Tancredi, S., Cooper, B., Foley, E., Anton, J., Kim, J., & Abrahamson, D. (2021, October). Catching up with SpEED: Applying a framework for inclusive equitable learning opportunities through Special Education Embodied Design. Invited colloquium talk, Graduate Group in Science and Mathematics Education (SESAME) Colloquium, University of California Berkeley, California, United States, October 21, 2021.
  • Cooper, B. & Ramos, E. (2014, November). The effect of a multi-component consultation intervention on the pragmatic language skills of students with symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Thesis presented at the annual meeting of the American Speech Language and Hearing Association, Orlando, FL.

GRANTS, HONORS, and AWARDS

  • Cooper, B. (P.I.). Constructing relational concepts: A pedagogical design for children with complex communication needs. Jacobs Institute Innovation Catalysts ($1386.14).
  • Cooper, B. (P.I.). Constructing relational concepts through peer-assisted Construction. Schwab Center for Dyslexia and Cognitive Diversity Innovation Fund ($5,000).
  • Outstanding GSI Award, Graduate Division, UC Berkeley, 2019
  • Graduate Equity Scholarship, SFSU, 2019
  • Special Education Continuing Education Fellowship, UC Berkeley, 2019, 2020
  • Special Education Continuing Education Fellowship, UC Berkeley, 2019, 2020
  • Special Education Continuing Education Fellowship, UC Berkeley, 2019, 2020

AFFILIATIONS/MEMBERSHIPS

  • American Speech Language and Hearing Association