Current Members

Amy Donaldson, Ph.D., CCC-SLP is an Associate Professor in the Department of Speech & Hearing Sciences at Portland State University. Using a participatory research model she is interested in investigating social communication and social interaction, particularly within the autistic community, as well as disability representation. 

Melissa Ugianskis, MPH, is a graduate assistant and lab manager for the Autism Social Communication Lab. In addition to her work as a graduate student in the Speech and Hearing Sciences program at PSU, Melissa has extensive experience as a public health researcher and consultant for preventive intervention services. While working toward her graduate degree, Melissa continues to be an advocate for lessening barriers to care within the Portland metro area and around the country.

Erin is a first year graduate student in the Speech and Hearing Sciences program at PSU. Over the past couple years she spent time working in a preschool setting and a pediatric speech therapy private practice before beginning the graduate program. Her interest in research developed working on other projects related to child development and maternal prenatal health. She is excited to be a part of Dr. Donaldson’s lab due to her interest in AAC and communicative choice. In her free time, Erin likes to take care of her house plants, go on backpacking trips, have fun with photography, and spend time with her cat Abba.

Olivia is completing her final year at Portland State University. She is studying Speech and Hearing Sciences, working towards her goal of becoming a speech-language pathologist. She became interested in working with the autistic community following her volunteerism with Mt. Hood Kiwanis Camp. She is eager to continue to build her generalist perspective on speech-language pathology while collaborating with professionals and peers through supporting a diverse community of people. In her free time, Olivia enjoys baking, reading, and camping with her coonhound Hazel.