Lab Director
Arnold (A.J.) Olszewski
Dr. Olszewski is a speech-language pathologist with previous experience working in schools. His research focuses on developing feasible, evidence-based language and literacy interventions for young children. Specifically, he has contributed to the development and evaluation of interventions for phonological awareness, alphabet knowledge, vocabulary, and syntax. His interventions involve parents, teachers, special educators, and speech-language pathologists. He also is interested in identifying potential barriers to literacy acquisition in young children. To this end, he uses observational approaches, cross-sectional designs, and eye tracking to measure children’s acquisition of key early literacy skills.
Dr. Olszewski earned a B.S. in Psychology and Speech and Hearing Sciences from The Ohio State University. He earned a M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology from Purdue University. He earned a Ph.D. in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of South Florida and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Cincinnati. He has experience working on projects funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences and has received funding from the National Institutes of Health, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, and Miami University. In his spare time, he enjoys hiking, cooking, and spending time with his husband, Brandon, and their dogs- Toby and Ollie.
Graduate Students
Lauren Satterlee
Lauren is a first-year Masters student majoring in Speech Pathology & Audiology from Cleveland, Ohio. She is interested in working with children in a clinical or school setting. Her passion for speech pathology comes from the desire to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others.
Maria Paskert
Maria is a first-year graduate student at Miami University’s Speech Pathology graduate program. She graduated from The Ohio State University in May of 2020 with a Bachelor of Arts in Speech and Hearing Sciences as well as a minor in Spanish. Maria’s professional interests include working with spanish-speaking children as well as language development and articulation and phonological disorders. Outside of academics, Maria enjoys traveling, spending time with friends and family, and watching the Buckeyes play football.
Undergraduate Students
Colleen Altomari
Colleen is a senior undergraduate student majoring in Speech Pathology & Audiology from Delaware, Ohio. She is also pursuing a double major in Italian Studies. Colleen has a current career aspiration to become a pediatric audiologist. Her interest in audiology comes from her past history of hearing difficulties, and wanting to help children like her. She plans to graduate from Miami University in 2026 and pursue her Doctorate of Audiology.
Rachel Bell
Rachel is a senior undergraduate student majoring in Speech Pathology and Audiology from Plainfield, Illinois. She is pursuing a minor in disability studies and entrepreneurship. Rachel has a current passion for becoming an early intervention and pediatric speech-language pathologist. Her passion for speech pathology stems from the experiences she has faced with family members during their journeys through speech therapy, and she wants to make a difference in others’ lives. She plans to graduate from Miami University in 2026 and pursue her Master’s in Speech Pathology.
Recent Graduates
Jillian Everett
Bri Ferguson
Victoria Lopez Rangel
Melanie Weber