Speech-language pathologist (SLP) Emma Shipley '17, '19, has found her educational home at Towson University.

After completing her undergraduate and master’s degrees at TU, she was one of five in the all-woman cohort in TU’s autism studies doctoral program.

Finding an Unexpected Area of Study

Shipley says specializing in working with adolescents and adults on the autism spectrum was something of a surprise. 

“It’s not at all where I expected to end up. It just wasn’t where I thought I was going to be, but it’s where [my studies] led me, and I love it. 

“It’s very strange how the bricks get laid in front of you on this path where you’re so uncertain, and these doors just open for you,” she says.

As an SLP at TU’s Institute for Well-Being, Shipley supervises first-year speech pathology graduate students during their clinical internships in the Speech and Language Center. She also manages treatment and guides clinical decision-making for patients, plus putting in hours at the Hussman Center for Adults with Autism—all while juggling her doctoral work.

It’s very strange how the bricks get laid in front of you on this path where you’re so uncertain, and these doors just open for you,

Emma Shipley '17, '19

Learning From Advocates for Neurodivergent People

After specializing in speech pathology in TU’s speech-language pathology master’s program, Shipley had her light-bulb moment while teaching in a Carroll County public high school.

In language and literacy-based interventions with autistic students, they questioned why they had to do certain tasks or activities to fit in socially when that wasn’t who they were, and Shipley often felt like she couldn’t give a satisfying answer.

Within the neurodiversity movement, autistic advocates started speaking out about their experiences in therapies. They had ideas for ways professionals could better support autistic people. Their suggestions resonated with Shipley and aligned with the feedback her students shared with her.

“I think I learned more from the advocates than they did from me,” she says.

Following Her Calling and Staying at TU

While Shipley was deciding where she would go for her doctorate, her colleague-turned-mentor, Kelly Coburn, Ph.D., put a bug in Shipley’s ear that an autism studies doctoral program was on its way to becoming a reality at TU.

Staying at TU felt like a natural choice for Shipley, whose parents met at TU while studying mass communication.

By learning in an interdisciplinary format, they’re growing in their ability to view and research autism from multiple angles, which will enhance their future contributions to the field.

Kaitlyn Wilson, Ph.D., program director of the Autism Studies doctoral program

The program is focused on integrative learning beyond the classroom. The cohort of candidates interacts with and works alongside autistic people, amplifying their voices and priorities within professional fields.

Tuition and scholarship support covers professional development and training courses, including the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition assessment, a training course that may not have been accessible to most without the support of the department.

Coburn says of Shipley, “Emma is an outstanding student whose dedication to TU and our community is admirable. I’m looking forward to the results of her upcoming research.”

Linking Autism Research and Clinical Application

The Autism Studies doctorate is an interdisciplinary collaboration between the College of Education and the College of Liberal Arts. Students can take classes in both organizations. Other TU colleges are looking at ways to offer classes and join the effort.

Inaugural graduate program director, Kaitlyn Wilson, Ph.D., says, “The program is designed to provide students with the tools they need to develop robust research that is meaningful to their field. 

“By learning in an interdisciplinary format, doctoral candidates are growing in their ability to view and research autism from multiple angles, which will enhance their future contributions to the field.”

TU dean of the College of Health Professions, Lisa Plowfield Ph.D., agrees. 

“The Autism Studies doctoral program is paving the way for the next generation of professionals and researchers in the autism field through an interprofessional education collaboration. 

“I value our partners across the university who have shared faculty and expertise to create a truly interdisciplinary program for our students. We are excited to see where the first cohort’s research takes them, and how it will impact the future of this field and the lives of people in the TU community and beyond.”

Real-world Perspective

Shipley’s research interests lie in applied improvisational theater within communication therapy to build communicative skill and confidence. As Shipley works toward her degree, she will be researching whether improv-based programs are a viable, flexible method for improving a breadth of communication in a neurodiversity-affirming way.

Being able to implement and innovate what supervision looks like for our students and teach them from a real-world perspective is so rewarding to me.

Emma Shipley '17, '19

Her goal is to become a professor and educate the next generation of speech-language pathologists in the clinical field. 

It is important to her as an educator and supervisor to teach her students how to hold space for neurodivergent individuals, multimodal communicators, and realize communication therapy is not “one size fits all.”

"I tell my students that I try to be the supervisor that I wanted in my clinical internships," she says. "Being able to implement and innovate what supervision looks like for our students and teach them from a real-world perspective is so rewarding to me."