Dr Marleen Westerveld is a Professor in Speech Pathology at Griffith University in Australia. She has a strong track record in applied research in the area of language and literacy development and disorders in typically developing children, children with developmental language disorders, and children with language disorders associated with biomedical conditions, including Down syndrome and autism. Marleen’s research focuses on children’s spoken (and written) language skills needed to participate in daily activities at home, at school, and in the community, with a particular interest in narrative development and language sample analysis.

Dr Westerveld graduated from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand in 2007 with a Dean’s List Distinction for a PhD thesis of exceptional quality. Since that time, she has published more than 90 peer-reviewed papers, 7 book chapters, and 1 book. In 2021, she was awarded Fellowship of Speech Pathology Australia, based on her sustained and significant contributions to the profession. Dr Westerveld holds key professional leadership positions including Chair of the Child Language Committee of the International Association for Communication Sciences and Disorders (IALP) and Executive Committee Member of the International Association for the Study of Child Language. She currently chairs the Global TALES Network, an international consortium of 45 child language researchers whose vision is to develop and evaluate a culturally and linguistically valid personal narrative assessment tool.