![Elizabeth Smith](https://profiles-cardiff.imgix.net/attachments/3023?w=200&h=200&auto=format&crop=faces&fit=crop&q=90")
Overview
I am interested in a number of learning disabilities; my research has been particularly focussed on individuals with Down syndrome, and the development of interventions to support memory and language skills among this population. I have also been carrying out research developing technology apps to detect early dementia related changes among adults with Down syndrome. More recently I have been investigating the impact of smart home technology (e.g. smart speakers like Amazon Alexa and Google Home) on wellbeing, independence and communication among adults with various types of learning disabilities. I have also been exploring the effect of smart speaker use among children with speech and communication difficulties.
Publication
2024
- Smith, E., Sumner, P. and Powell, G. 2024. The lived experience of people with intellectual disability in community settings: A comparison of self-reports and staff reports. British Journal of Learning Disabilities (10.1111/bld.12629)
2023
- Smith, E., Sumner, P., Hedge, C. and Powell, G. 2023. Smart-speaker technology and intellectual disabilities: agency and wellbeing. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology 18(4), pp. 432-442. (10.1080/17483107.2020.1864670)
2022
- Næss, K. B., Hokstad, S., Engevik, L. I., Lervåg, A. and Smith, E. 2022. A randomized trial of the digital Down Syndrome LanguagePlus (DSL+) vocabulary intervention program. Remedial and Special Education 43(5), pp. 314-327. (10.1177/07419325211058400)
2021
- Næss, K. B., Nygaard, E. and Smith, E. 2021. Occurrence of reading skills in a national age cohort of Norwegian children with Down syndrome: what characterizes those who develop early reading skills?. Brain Sciences 11(5), article number: 527. (10.3390/brainsci11050527)
- Smith, E., Sumner, P., Hedge, C. and Powell, G. 2021. Smart speaker devices can improve speech intelligibility in adults with intellectual disability. International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders 56(3), pp. 583-593. (10.1111/1460-6984.12615)
2020
- Smith, E., Hokstad, S. and Næss, K. B. 2020. Children with Down Syndrome can benefit from language interventions; results from a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Communication Disorders 85, article number: 105992. (10.1016/j.jcomdis.2020.105992)
2019
- Smith, E., Hedge, C. and Jarrold, C. 2019. A novel framework to measure executive function in Down syndrome, with applications for early clinical diagnosis of dementia. American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities 124(4), pp. 354-373. (10.1352/1944-7558-124.4.354)
Articles
- Smith, E., Sumner, P. and Powell, G. 2024. The lived experience of people with intellectual disability in community settings: A comparison of self-reports and staff reports. British Journal of Learning Disabilities (10.1111/bld.12629)
- Smith, E., Sumner, P., Hedge, C. and Powell, G. 2023. Smart-speaker technology and intellectual disabilities: agency and wellbeing. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology 18(4), pp. 432-442. (10.1080/17483107.2020.1864670)
- Næss, K. B., Hokstad, S., Engevik, L. I., Lervåg, A. and Smith, E. 2022. A randomized trial of the digital Down Syndrome LanguagePlus (DSL+) vocabulary intervention program. Remedial and Special Education 43(5), pp. 314-327. (10.1177/07419325211058400)
- Næss, K. B., Nygaard, E. and Smith, E. 2021. Occurrence of reading skills in a national age cohort of Norwegian children with Down syndrome: what characterizes those who develop early reading skills?. Brain Sciences 11(5), article number: 527. (10.3390/brainsci11050527)
- Smith, E., Sumner, P., Hedge, C. and Powell, G. 2021. Smart speaker devices can improve speech intelligibility in adults with intellectual disability. International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders 56(3), pp. 583-593. (10.1111/1460-6984.12615)
- Smith, E., Hokstad, S. and Næss, K. B. 2020. Children with Down Syndrome can benefit from language interventions; results from a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Communication Disorders 85, article number: 105992. (10.1016/j.jcomdis.2020.105992)
- Smith, E., Hedge, C. and Jarrold, C. 2019. A novel framework to measure executive function in Down syndrome, with applications for early clinical diagnosis of dementia. American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities 124(4), pp. 354-373. (10.1352/1944-7558-124.4.354)
Research
I am interested in a number of learning disabilities; my research has been particularly focussed on individuals with Down syndrome, and the development of interventions to support memory and language skills among this population. I have also been carrying out research developing technology apps to detect early dementia related changes among adults with Down syndrome. More recently I have been investigating the impact of smart home technology (e.g. smart speakers like Amazon Alexa and Google Home) on wellbeing, independence and communication among adults with various types of learning disabilities. I have also been exploring the effect of smart speaker use among children with speech and communication difficulties.
Biography
I was awarded a Psychology BSc degree from the University of Leicester in 2009. I then worked as a teaching support assistant for adults with additional learning needs at Warwickshire College; I developed a strong interest and enjoyment of working with individuals with special educational needs and learning difficulties. I completed an MSc in Research Methods at the University of Bristol in 2011. Subsequently I carried out my PhD at Bristol exploring routes to support verbal short-term memory among individuals with Down syndrome, supervised by Prof. Chris Jarrold. I completed my PhD in 2014 and began a post-doctoral position based at the University of Bristol. While based in Bristol, I was largely working on a collaborative project within the Department of Special Needs Education, University of Oslo, Norway; the Down syndrome LanguagePlus project (http://dslplusproject.blogspot.co.uk/). This project was supervised by Prof. Kari-Anne Næss, and involved the development of a large-scale vocabulary intervention for 6-year-old children with Down syndrome across Norway. While at Bristol, I received a research grant from Jerome Lejeune Foundation, along with Prof. Chris Jarrold, to explore the feasibility of novel executive function tasks to detect early signs of dementia among adults with Down syndrome. Following this I began my current post-doctoral position at Cardiff University in 2018, supervised by Prof. Petroc Sumner, investigating the use of smart home technology among adults with learning disability. This research is in partnership with Innovate Trust; a local charity providing supported accommodation to individuals with learning disabilities, physical disabilities and mental health issues.