Department of Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences

Swathi Kiran

Associate Professor
Director, Aphasia Research Laboratory

http://kiranaphasia.wordpress.com/

Phone: 617-358-5478
kirans@bu.edu

2001 Ph.D. Northwestern University (Speech Language Pathology)
1998 M.A. Northwestern University (Speech Language Pathology)
1995 B.Sc. All India Institute of Speech & Hearing (Speech Path /Audiology)

Courses Taught:
SAR 756 Aphasia

Scholarly and Practice Interests

Bilingual aphasia, Aphasia rehabilitation, Functional neuroimaging, Language recovery, impairments in naming, reading, writing.

Selected Publications

*Kiran, S., Sandberg, C., & Abbott, K. (in press). Treatment for lexical retrieval using abstract and concrete words in patients with aphasia: Effect of complexity. Aphasiology.

* Kiran, S. & Roberts, P. (in press). Semantic feature analysis treatment in Spanish-English and French-English bilingual aphasia, Aphasiology.

*Edmonds, L., Nadeu, S., & Kiran, S. (in press).Effect of Verb Network Strengthening Treatment (VNeST) on Sentence Production in Persons with Aphasia. Aphasiology

* Kiran, S. (2008). Typicality of Inanimate Category Exemplars in Aphasia Treatment: Further Evidence for Semantic Complexity. Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research, 51, 1550-1568.

* Kiran, S., & Johnson, L. (2008). Semantic complexity in treatment of naming deficits in aphasia: Evidence from well-defined categories. American Journal of Speech Language Pathology, 17, 389-400.

*Pena, E., & Kiran, S. (2008). In Defense of Cookbooks: From Novice to Competent Clinician. Topics in Language Disorders.28 (3), 239-255

*Harris, J., Kiran, S. Marquardt, T. & Fleming. V. (2008). Communication Wellness Check-up: Age related changes in communicative abilities. Aphasiology, 22 ( 7-8), 813-825

*Kiran, S., & Viswanathan, M. (2008, March).Effect of model based treatment on oral reading abilities in severe alexia: A case study. Journal of Medical Speech Pathology.

*Kiran, S., & Bassetto, G. (2008). Evaluating the effectiveness of semantic based treatment for naming deficits in aphasia: what works? Seminars in Speech and Language, 29(1), 71-82.

*Kiran, S., & Lebel, K. (2007). Crosslinguistic Semantic and Translation Priming in Normal Bilingual Individuals and Bilingual Aphasia. Clinical Linguistics and Phonetics, 4, 277-303.

*Kiran, S., Ntourou, K., & Eubanks, M (2007). Effects of typicality on category verification in inanimate categories in aphasia. Aphasiology, 21 (9). 844-867

*Kiran, S. (2007). Semantic complexity in the treatment of naming deficits. American Journal of Speech Language Pathology, 16(Feb), 18-29.

*Edmonds, L., & Kiran, S. (2006). Effect of semantic naming treatment on crosslinguistic generalization in bilingual aphasia. Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research. 49 (4), 729-748.

*Kiran, S. & Tuctenhagen, J. (2005).Imageability Effects in Normal Bilingual Adults and in Aphasia: Evidence from Naming to Definition and Semantic Priming Tasks. Aphasiology, 19(3/4/5), 315-325.

*Kiran, S. (2005). Effect of training phoneme to grapheme conversion to improve written and oral deficits: A model based approach. Aphasiology, 19 (1), 53-76.

*Edmonds, L., & Kiran, S. (2004). Confrontation naming and semantic relatedness judgments in Spanish/English bilinguals. Aphasiology. 18 (5/6/7), 567-579

*Kiran, S. & Thompson, C. K. (2003) The role of semantic complexity in treatment of naming deficits: Training categories in fluent aphasia by controlling exemplar typicality. Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research, 46, 608-622

*Kiran, S., & Thompson, C. K. (2003) Effect of typicality on online category verification of animate category exemplars in aphasia. Brain and Language, 85, 441-450.

*Thompson, C. K. Shapiro, L. P., Kiran, S., & Sobecks, J. (2003). The role of syntactic complexity in treatment of sentence deficits in agrammatic aphasia: The complexity account of treatment effects (CATE). Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research, 46, 607

Selected Presentations

Kiran, S. (2008, September). Bilingual Aphasia: Factors affecting recovery and rehabilitation. 3rd Annual Eleanor M Saffran Cognitive Neuroscience Conference. Philadelphia, PA.

Kiran, S. (2008, September). Bilingual Aphasia: Factors affecting recovery and rehabilitation. Science of Aphasia IX (SOA). Chalkidiki, Greece.

Sebastian. R. & Kiran, S. (2008) Semantic Processing in Hindi-English Bilinguals Using fMRI. Human Brain Mapping, Melbourne, Australia, June 2008.

Sebastian. R. & Kiran, S. (2008) Metanalysis of First and Second Language Representation. Human Brain Mapping, Melbourne, Australia, June 2008.

Kiran, S. Sebastian, R. Chettiar, P. & Devous, M. (2008). Neural correlates of lexical semantic recovery after treatment in aphasia. Human Brain Mapping, Melbourne, Australia, June 2008.

Kiran. S. (2008). Effect of typicality within ad hoc categories on treatment of lexical retrieval deficits in aphasia. Clinical Aphasiology Conference. Wyoming, May, 2008.

Sandberg, C., Abbott, K., & Kiran, S. (2008). Treatment of abstract and concrete words for lexical retrieval in aphasia. Clinical Aphasiology Conference. Wyoming, May, 2008.

Harris, J., Kiran, S., & Marquardt, T. (2007). Thematic Discourse Markers of Communicative Changes: Promoting Communication Wellness. Poster, ASHA Convention, Boston, MA. November 2007.

Rangamani. G & Kiran, S. (2007). Semantic Representation in Kannada-English Bilinguals: Evidence From Semantic-Category Generation Tasks. Poster, ASHA Convention, Boston, MA. November 2007.

Sebastian. R. & Kiran, S. (2007). Semantic Processing in Hindi-English Bilinguals Using fMRI. Poster, ASHA Convention, Boston, MA. November 2007.

Kiran, S., Abbott, K., & Sandberg, C. (2007). Effect of Imageability on Treatment of Naming Deficits in Aphasia. Poster,ASHA Convention, Boston, MA. November 2007.

Kiran, S. (2007). Effect of abstractness on treatment for generative naming deficits in aphasia. Symposium on ‘Word Concreteness Effects in Aphasia and Neurodegenerative Disease.’ Paper, Academy of Aphasia, Washington DC. October, 2007.

Selected Grant Activity

2008-2009 ASHA foundation Clinical Research Grant. “Effect of a semantic based naming treatment on crosslinguistic generalization in bilingual patients with aphasia.” $50,000. PI: Swathi Kiran

2009-2011 NIDCD R21. “Computational and Behavioral Evidence for Bilingual Aphasia Rehabilitation.” ($275,000).
PIs: Swathi Kiran, Risto Miikkulainen

2007-2008 ASHA Office of Multicultural Affairs. Projects on multicultural activities The validation of a language use questionnaire across bilingual clinical populations. $11,720. PIs: Swathi Kiran, Elizabeth Pena, Lisa Bedore.

2003-2006 NIDCD R03 DC 6359-01. “Semantic complexity and treatment for lexical access” ($216,000) PI: Swathi Kiran

Consulting and Professional Activities

2009-2011       Committee Member, Research And Scientific Affairs, American Speech Language and Hearing Association
2009                Reviewer, Human Brain Mapping Conference
2008                Reviewer, Cognitive Science Society (2008)
2007                Program Committee, Clinical Aphasiology Conference (2008)
2006                Reviewer, American Speech Language and Hearing Foundation: New Investigator and New Century Scholars Grant Program
2006                Program Committee, Adult Language Disorders, ASHA Convention
2006                Guest Editor, American Speech Language and Hearing Association: Special Interest Division 2: Perspectives
2005                Program Committee, Adult Language Disorders, ASHA Convention

Awards and Honors

2008 Best Research Paper Award, College of Communication, University of Texas at Austin 2008 Reddick Award, University of Texas at Austin

2007 Mentor, Advancement of Academic and Research Career Award (AARC), American Speech Language and Hearing Association, Mentee: Sharon Antonucci.

2005 Advancement of Academic and Research Career Award (AARC), American Speech Language and Hearing Association.

Licensing and Certification

2001-present Licensed Member, American Speech-Language and Hearing Association