Stacy Shumway Manwaring, PhD, CCC-SLP portrait
  • Associate Professor, Communication Sciences & Disorders

Research Statement

Dr. Manwaring's research is focused on identifying young children at-risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other communication delays, leading to opportunities for early intervention. She is currently involved in research examining: 1) early communication impairments, with particular emphasis on gesture use, as predictors of ASD and later language development, and 2) how early communication impairments correlate with brain abnormalities in both structure and function. The primary aim of this longitudinal research is to characterize the communication of toddlers at-risk for ASD in order to identify early behavioral and biological predictors of ASD and/or aberrant language development.

Research Keywords

  • Screening and Assessment of ASD in Young Children
  • Gesture Use and Development in Infants and Toddlers
  • Autism Spectrum Disorders
  • Early Social Communication Developmen
  • Early Intervention for Children with ASD

Presentations

  • Mead, D.L., Manwaring, S.S., Wilder, A., Thompson, L., Houghton, S., Adedipe, O., Mohanty, E., & Thurm, A. Reliability of Language Samples from Parent-Child Interactions in Toddler with and without Language Delays. Poster to be presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Salt Lake City, UT. Poster, Accepted, 12/2022.
  • Manwaring, S.S., Mead, D.L., Hill, E., Thompson, L., Voth, J., & Thurm, A. Play in Toddlers with and without Language Delay From 18 to 24 Months. Poster to be presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Salt Lake City, UT. Poster, Accepted, 12/2022.
  • Houghton, S., Mead, D., Thompson, L., Thurm, A., Stuart, A., & Manwaring, S.S. Parent Gesture during Play in 18-month Toddlers with and without Language Delay Predicts Later Language. Flash talk to be presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Salt Lake City, UT. Presentation, Accepted, 12/2022.
  • Manwaring, S.S., Mead, D.L., *Hill, E., *Mori, E., *Christopulos, T.R., Thompson, L., & Thurm, A. (2021, April). Exploring Play in Toddlers with and without Language Delay. Poster presented at the virtual biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development. Poster, Presented, 04/2021.
  • Swineford, L., Farmer, C., Manwaring, S.S., & Thurm, A. Developmental Trajectories in Children At-Risk for ASD Based on Early Language Delays. Poster to be presented at the Meeting on Language in Autism, Durham, NC. Poster, Accepted, 01/02/2020.
  • Manwaring, S.S. & Stuart A. (2019, February). Autism Spectrum Disorder, Late Talking, and Developmental Delay: Overlapping Symptoms in the Context of Early Development. Utah Speech-Language Hearing Association Conference, Salt Lake City, UT. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 02/2019.
  • Redcay, E., Xiao, Y., Manwaring, S.S., Smith, E.G., Swineford, L., French, J., & Thurm, A. (2019, March). Bilateral Posterior Temporal Brain Connectivity is Related to Social Communication in Toddlers. Poster to be presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Baltimore, MD. Poster, Accepted, 01/2019.
  • Blitzo, B. Manwaring, S.S., Chapman, K., Gee, A., & Hardin-Jones, M. (2019, April). Gesture and Vocal Use in 17-Month-Olds with and without Cleft Palate. Poster to be presented at the annual meeting of the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association, Tucson, AZ. Poster, Accepted, 01/2019.
  • Manwaring, S.S., Swineford, L., Mead, D.L., & Thurm, A. (2019, March). The Gesture-Language Association Over Time in Toddlers with and without Language Delays. Poster to be presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Baltimore, MD. Poster, Accepted, 01/2019.
  • Manwaring, S.S. (2018, August). Autism Spectrum Disorder, Late Talking, and Developmental Delay: Overlapping Symptoms in the Context of Early Development. Early Intervention Program, Center for Persons with Disabilities, Utah State University, Logan, UT. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 08/2018.
  • Manwaring, S.S. (2018, May). Early Identification of Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Context of Speech-Language Pathology. Family and Consumer Studies 5962: Autism Across the Lifespan, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT. Other, Presented, 05/2018.
  • Richards, L., Johnson, X., Mathy, P., Woolley, H., Caywood, P., Manwaring, S.S., et al. (2018, April). Development of an Interdisciplinary Drama Intervention to Improve Social Skills in Preschool Children with Autism. Poster presented at the American Occupational Therapy Association Annual Conference, Salt Lake City, UT. Poster, Presented, 04/2018.
  • Manwaring, S.S. (2018, March). Speech, Language, and Communication in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Utah Regional LEND (Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities), Salt Lake City, UT. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 03/2018.
  • Stevens, A.L., Manwaring, S.S., Thurm, A., & Swineford, L. (2017, November). Maternal Gesture Use: Relationship to Language Development and ASD Risk in Toddlers. Oral session presented at the annual convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Los Angeles, CA. Presentation, Presented, 11/2017.
  • Manwaring, S.S. (2017, October). Routines-Based Intervention: Improving Communication and Language in Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Annual Conference on Critical Issues Facing Children & Adolescents. Salt Lake City, UT. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 10/2017.
  • Thurm, A., Farmer, C., Swineford, L., & Manwaring, S.S. (2017, October). Social-Emotional and Behavioral Problems in Toddlers with Language Delay. Poster presented at the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Annual Meeting, Washington, DC. Poster, Presented, 10/2017.
  • Henry, L., Farmer, C., Swineford, L., Manwaring, S.S., & Thurm, A. (2017, May). Trajectories of Cognitive Development in Toddlers At-Risk for Autism due to Language Delays. Poster presented at the International Meeting for Autism Research, San Francisco, CA. Poster, Presented, 05/2017.
  • Smith, E., Condy, E., Thurm, A., Anderson, A., Manwaring, S.S., Swineford, L., Gandjbakhche, A., & Redcay, E. (2017, March). Speech and Gestures Alter the fNIRS Signal in Prefrontal Cortex in Toddlers. Poster presented at the Society for Research in Child Development, Austin, TX. Poster, Presented, 03/2017.
  • Mead, D.L., Henry, L., Manwaring, S.S., Swineford, L., & Thurm, A. (2017, March). Spontaneous Language During the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule in Young Children with or without Autism Spectrum Disorder. Poster presented at the Society for Research in Child Development, Austin, TX. Poster, Presented, 03/2017.
  • Manwaring, S.S., Delmonte, M., & Stevens, A.L. (2016, November). Gesture Use in Young Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders: A Systematic Review. Poster presented at the annual convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Philadelphia, PA. Poster, Presented, 11/2016.
  • Gotts, S.J., Redcay, E., Milleville, S.C., Thurm, A., Manwaring, S.S., Swedo, S.E., & Martin, A. (2016, November). Resting Brain Interactions during Natural Sleep in Typically Developing Toddlers are Biased to the Left Hemisphere. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, San Diego, CA. Poster, Presented, 11/2016.
  • Mead, D.L., Manwaring, S.S., Swineford, L., & Thurm, A. (2016, May). Relations among Parent-Reported and Spontaneous Gestures, Fine Motor, and Language in Young Children with ASD: A Structural Equation Model Approach. Poster presented at the International Meeting for Autism Research, Baltimore, MD. Poster, Presented, 05/2016.
  • Manwaring, S.S., Cardon, T., Fischer, A., Cunningham, S., Stevens, A., Kirby, A., et al., (2016, May). Community Training Outreach: The Utah Network for Early Autism Response. Poster presented at the International Meeting for Autism Research, Baltimore, MD. Poster, Presented, 05/2016.
  • Manwaring, S.S., Swineford, L., & Thurm, A. (2016, May). Comparison of Gestures across Contexts: Gesture Types, Functions, and Coordinated Vocalizations. Poster presented at the International Conference on Infant Studies, New Orleans, LA. Poster, Presented, 05/2016.
  • Swineford, L., Thurm, A., & Manwaring, S.S. (2016, May). Developmental Delays and Autism Symptoms in Toddlers Screening for Language Delay. Poster presented at the International Conference on Infant Studies, New Orleans, LA. Poster, Presented, 05/2016.
  • Thurm, A., Gallo, R., Maeda, M., Farmer, C., Swineford, L., & Manwaring, S.S. (2016, May). Social-Emotional Problems in Toddlers At-Risk for Autism Due to Language Delays. Poster presented at the International Conference on Infant Studies, New Orleans, LA. Poster, Presented, 05/2016.
  • Thurm, A., Manwaring, S.S., Swineford, L., Stevens, A., & Farmer, C. (2016, May). The Onset of Restricted, Repetitive and Stereotyped Patterns of Behavior in 18 Month Olds with Suspected Language Delay. Poster presented at the International Meeting for Autism Research, Baltimore, MD. Poster, Presented, 05/2016.
  • Swineford, L., Thurm, A., & Manwaring, S.S. (2015, November). Developmental and ASD Characteristics of Toddlers Screening for Language Delay. Seminar presented at the annual convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Denver, CO. Presentation, Presented, 11/2015.
  • Manwaring, S.S., Delmonte, M., Phillips, M., Swineford, L., & Thurm, A. (2015, November). Detailed Gesture Analysis in Toddlers with Language Delays: Relationship with Language and ASD Risk. Technical research oral presentation at the annual convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Hearing Association, Denver, CO. Presentation, Presented, 11/2015.
  • Gabrielsen, T., Manwaring, S.S., Cardon, T., Cunningham, S., Fischer, A., Stevens, A.L., Carolan, A., West, R., Burgon, D., & Lynam, K. (2015, July). Training and Support for Early Identification of Autism: Creating the Utah Network for Early Autism Response. Poster presented at the Autism CARES Grantee Meeting: Implementing Evidence-Based Practices in Real World Settings, Bethesda, MD. Poster, Presented, 07/2015.
  • Manwaring, S.S., Swineford, L., *Albert, P., & Thurm, A. (2015, May). Detailed Gesture Analysis Reveals Relationships of Gestures with Language and ASD Risk in Children with Language Delays. Poster presented at the International Meeting for Autism Research, Salt Lake City, UT. Poster, Presented, 05/2015.
  • Swineford, L., *Zachary, C., *Albert, P., Manwaring, S.S., & Thurm, A. (2015, March). Early Gesture Use: Longitudinal Implications for Language Development in Toddlers at Risk for ASD. Poster presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Philadelphia, PA. Poster, Presented, 03/2015.
  • Manwaring, S.S. (2013, October). Early Development of Nonverbal Communication in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Presented as part of the Institute on Communication & Language Development: Implications for Clinical Practice at the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL. Presentation, Presented, 10/2013.
  • Shumway, S., Thurm, A., Swineford, L., Wetherby, A. Observation and Parent Report of Social Communication and Language in Toddlers with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Submitted for presentation at the biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Seattle, WA. Poster, Presented, 09/2013.
  • Swineford, L., Shumway, S., Thurm, A., Farmer, C., & Butler, K. (2013, April). Motor and Vocal Imitation in Preschoolers with ASD, Other Developmental Delays and Typical Development. Poster presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Seattle, WA. Poster, Presented, 04/2013.
  • Shumway, S., Swineford, L., Farmer, C., Butler, K., & Thurm, A. (2012, November). Language Acquisition in Young Children with and without ASD. Technical Research Session presented at the annual convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Atlanta, GA. Conference Paper, Refereed, Presented, 11/2012.
  • Shumway, S., Thurm, A., Marti, C., Joseph, L., Rothschild, L., Swineford, L., & Luckenbaugh, D.A. (2012, May). Speech Delays and Early Social Communication and Symbolic Functioning in Toddlers with and without Autism. Poster presented at the International Meeting for Autism Research, Toronto, Canada. Poster, Presented, 05/2012.
  • Pinborough-Zimmerman, J., Bakian, A.B., & Shumway, S. (2012, May). Characteristics of Speech-Language Pathology Evaluations Abstracted During an Autism Prevalence Study. Poster presented at the International Meeting for Autism Research, Toronto, Canada. Poster, Presented, 05/2012.
  • Shumway, S., Thurm, A., Swineford, L., & Wetherby, A. (2012, May). Parent Report of Gesture Use in Toddlers: Implications for Early Identification and Intervention. Poster presented at the Autism Speaks Toddler Treatment Network Conference, Toronto, Canada. Poster, Presented, 05/2012.
  • Celebrating 20 Years in the Treasure Valley. Twentieth Anniversary Conference: What’s Next? Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Idaho State University. Presentation, Other, 07/2011.
  • Joseph, L., Shumway, S., & Thurm, A., (2011, May). Repetitive Behaviors in Young Children with Autism: Specificity and Stability. Poster presented at the International Meeting for Autism Research, San Diego, CA. Presentation, Other, 07/2011.
  • Autism Spectrum Disorders: Early Identification and Behavioral Indicators in Young Children. Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, George Washington University. Presentation, Other, 07/2011.
  • Thurm, A., Shumway, S., Luckenbaugh, D.A., Lord, C., & Swedo, S. (2011, May). Patterns of Early Skill Attainment and Loss in Young Children with Autism. Poster presented at the International Meeting for Autism Research, San Diego, CA. Poster, Presented, 05/2011.
  • Joseph, L., Shumway, S., & Thurm, A., (2011, May). Repetitive Behaviors in Young Children with Autism: Specificity and Stability. Poster presented at the International Meeting for Autism Research, San Diego, CA. Poster, Presented, 05/2011.
  • Golden-Williams, C., Thurm, A., Shumway, S., Black. D.O., & Joseph, L. (2011, April). Assessing Cognitive Functioning: A Cross Group Comparison of the MSEL and DAS-II. Poster presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Montreal, Canada. Poster, Presented, 04/2011.
  • Shumway, S., Mead, D.L., *Hanley, A., & Thurm, A. (2011, April). Specific Gesture Use as a Predictor of Language Development in Young Children with ASD. Poster presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Montreal, Canada. Poster, Presented, 04/2011.
  • Golden-Williams, C., Thurm, A., Shumway, S., Black. D.O., & Joseph, L. (2011, April). Assessing Cognitive Functioning: A Cross Group Comparison of the MSEL and DAS-II. Poster presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Montreal, Canada. Presentation, Other, 04/2011.

Research Groups

  • Morgan Johnson, Undergraduate Student. 05/2017 - 05/2018.
  • Melissa Phillips, Graduate Student. 08/2016 - 05/2017.
  • Elizabeth Utchel, Undergraduate Student. 08/2016 - 05/2017.
  • Breanna Gabaldon, Undergraduate Student. 01/2016 - 05/2017.
  • Cecilia Cardozo, Undergraduate Student. 08/2015 - 08/2016.

Languages

  • English, fluent.

Publications

  • Wetherby, A., & Guthrie, W., Hooker, J.L., Delehanty, A., Day, T.N., Woods, J., Pierce, K., Manwaring, S.S., Thurm, A., Ozonoff, S., Petkova, E., & Lord, C. (2021). The Early Screening for Autism and Communication Disorders (ESAC): Field-Testing an Autism-Specific Screening Tool for Children 12 to 36 Months of Age. Autism. Vol. 25, 2112-2123. Published, 05/07/2021.
    https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1362...
  • Smith, E., & Condy, E., Anderson, A., Thurm, A., Manwaring, S.S., Swineford, L., Gandjbakhche, A., & Redcay, E. (2020). Functional near-infrared spectroscopy in toddlers: Neural differentiation of communicative cues and relation to future language abilities. Developmental Science. Vol. 23, 1-12. Published, 02/11/2020.
    https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/desc.1...
  • Manwaring, S.S. & Swineford, L., Mead, D.L., Yeh, C., Zhang, Y., & Thurm, A. (2019). The gesture-language association over time in toddlers with and without language delays. Autism & Developmental Language Impairments. Vol. 4, 1-15. Published, 05/15/2019.
    https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/239694151...
  • Manwaring, S.S., & Barber, A. (accepted). Speech-Language Pathology. In R.D. Rieske (Ed.), Handbook of Interdisciplinary Treatment for Autism Spectrum Disorder. New York: Springer. Accepted, 03/01/2019.
  • Thurm, A., Manwaring, S.S., Cardozo Jimenez, C., Swineford, L., Farmer, C., Gallo, R., & Maeda, M. (2018). Social-emotional and behavioral problems in toddlers with language delay. Infant Mental Health Journal, 39, 569-580.. Published, 08/14/2018.
  • Henry, L., Farmer, C., Manwaring, S.S., Swineford, L., & Thurm, A. (2018). Trajectories of cognitive development in toddlers with language delays. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 81, 65-72. Published, 04/24/2018.
  • Manwaring, S.S., Stevens, A.L., Mowdood, A., & Lackey, M. (2018). A scoping review of deictic gesture use in toddlers with or at-risk for autism spectrum disorder. Autism & Developmental Language Impairments, 3, 1-27.. Published, 02/02/2018.
  • Anderson, A.A., Smith, E., Chowdhry, F.A., Thurm, A., Condy, E., Swineford, L., Manwaring, S.S., Amyot, F., Matthews, D., & Gandjbakhche, A.H. (2017). Prefrontal hemodynamics in toddlers at rest: A pilot study of developmental variability. Frontiers in Neuroscience: Brain Imaging Methods, 11, 1-10. . Published, 05/30/2017.
  • Manwaring, S.S. & Stevens, A.L. (2017). Does teaching joint attention improve language in children with autism spectrum disorder? Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interests Groups, SIG 1, 2(1), 11-26. Published, 02/01/2017.
  • Manwaring, S.S., Mead, D.L., Swineford, L., & Thurm, A. (2017). Modelling gesture use and early language development in autism spectrum disorder. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, 52, 637-651.. Published, 01/24/2017.
  • Thurm, A., Manwaring, S.S., Swineford, L., & Farmer, C. (2015). Longitudinal study of symptom severity and language in minimally verbal children with autism. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 56, 97-104. Published, 01/2015.
  • Thurm, A., Manwaring, S.S., Luckenbaugh, D.A., & Lord, C., & Swedo, S. (2014). Patterns of skill attainment and loss in young children with autism. Development and Psychopathology, 1, 203-214. Published, 02/26/2014.
  • Joseph, L., Thurm, A., Farmer, C., & Shumway, S. (2013). Repetitive behavior and restricted interests in young children with autism: Comparisons with controls and stability over 2 years. Autism Research, 6, 584-595. Published, 07/18/2013.
  • Kim, S. H., Thurm, A., Shumway, S., & Lord, C. (2013). Multisite study of new autism diagnostic interview-revised (ADI-R) algorithms for toddlers and young preschoolers. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 43, 1527-1538. Published, 07/2013.
  • Shumway, S. Farmer, C., Thurm, A., Joseph, L., Black, D., Golden, C. (2012). The ADOS Calibrated Severity Score: Relationship to phenotypic variables and stability over time. Autism Research, 5, 267-276. Published, 04/16/2012.
  • Shumway, S., Thurm, A., Swedo, S. E., Deprey, L., Amaral, D. G., Rogers, S. J., & Ozonoff, S. (2011). Brief Report: Symptom onset patterns and functional outcomes in young children with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 41, 1727-1732. Published, 12/2011.
  • Thurm, A., Bishop, S., & Shumway, S. (2011). Developmental Issues and Milestones. In J.L. Matson & Sturmey, P. (Eds.), International handbook of autism and pervasive developmental disorders (159-173). New York: Springer. Published, 09/2011.
  • Shumway, S., Wetherby, A. (2009). Communicative acts of children with autism spectrum disorders in the second year of life. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 52, 1139-1156. Published, 07/27/2009.
  • Wetherby, A., Watt, N., Morgan, L. & Shumway, S. (2007). Social communication profiles of children with autism spectrum disorders late in the second year of life. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 37, 960-975. Published, 05/2007.
  • Watt, N., Wetherby, A., & Shumway, S. (2006). Prelinguistic predictors of language outcome at three years of age. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 49, 1224-1237. Published, 12/2006.