Title: Full Professor

Office/Address: Instituto FILIUS
Universidad de Puerto Rico
Jardín Botánico Norte
Calle 17 Esq. 6 Villa Nevárez
Río Piedras, R.R.

Telephone: (787) 758-3053
(787) 766-2156
1-800-981-8861 (Toll free)

Fax: (787) 758-3059
(787) 763-0839

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Language Pathology from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign Campus, awarded in May, 1975.

Master of Sciences (M.S.) in Language Pathology from the University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus, awarded in June, 1973. Highest graduation grade-point-average and president of his class.

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Psychology from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, awarded in June, 1969.

Co-chair of the NIH Director’s COPR Benchmarking Work Group, 2005 to the present.

Member of the NIH Director’s Council of Public Representatives, 2005-2008.

Director of the FILIUS Institute of Disability and Rehabilitation Research, University of Puerto Rico, President's Office, July 1, 2000 to the present.

UPR representative in the PR Advisory Committee on Special Education, June 1999 to the present.

Founder and Director of the Infantile Autism Project of the College of Health-Related Professions, Medical Sciences Campus, University of Puerto Rico, 1988 to the present.

Member of the NIH Director’s Plain Language Committee for the evaluation of knowledge transfer materials published by the NIH, November 2005 to the present.

Member of the Puerto Rico Governor’s Commission for Government Reform, 2005 to the present.

Member of the Technology Advisory Committee of the University of Puerto Rico, President's Office, April 2000 to the present.

PHAL 6308 Statistical Principles Applied to Research I Communicative Disorders

HLAG 6309 Experimental Design in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences.

HLAG 6325 Communication development of the normal children

PHAL 6521 Speech and Language Disorders in Children with Autism and Children

with Schizophrenia

HLAG 6529 Organization and Administration of Service Programs in Communication Disorders

HLAG 6533 Language Disorders of Children

HLAG 6600 Thesis

Grants and contracts in academic year 2001 at present for sponsored projects on autism, corrections, violence prevention, childhood emotional disturbances, school director leadership, assistive technology, and other human disabilities

Grant from the U.S. Department of Education for a research on Hispanic juveniles with specific learning disabilities, 1999-2002

Grant from the Puerto Rico Department of Health to conduct research and training programs on infants and toddlers with disabilities (trainings on autism, mental retardation, communicative disorders; research on assessment and intervention protocols, universal hearing screening).

Creation of the Puerto Rico Initiative on Family-driven Services for Children with Severe Emotional Disturbances, 2003-2004.

Establishment of the PR Pediatric Asthma Alliance, February, 2001.

Creation of "The FILIUS Institute of Disability and Rehabilitation Research" at the University of Puerto Rico, President's Office, July, 2000.

“The expressive language characteristics of typical Puerto Rican toddlers 21-25 months of age”. UPR-Speech-Language Pathology Program, November 2000.

Article on “Language-learning disorders and youth incarceration” in the Journal of Communication Disorders, vol.38, 4, July/August 2005.

Conference on “The nature of autistic children” during the Annual Convention of the Puerto Rico Pediatric Society, San Juan, Puerto Rico, February 18, 2006.

Conference on “The nature of autistic children” during the Annual Convention of the Puerto Rico Pediatric Society, San Juan, Puerto Rico, February 18, 2006.

Workshop on “Juvenile justice services for delinquent boys with specific learning disabilities” for the Social Services Program of the Puerto Rico Juvenile Courts, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Februar7 17, 2006.

Conference on “The Puerto Rico Special Education Challenges” during the Universidad del Este Special Education Symposium, Carolina, Puerto Rico, November 29, 2005.

Television interview on “Higher Education for Students with Disabilities” for Channel 40 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, November 28, 2005.

Conference on “Juvenile Delinquents with Specific Learning Disabilities” during the Forensic Social Work Puerto Rico Conference, Interamerican University-Bayamon, August 19, 2005.

Participant in panel round table discussion about “Perspectives on Training Programs, Partnerships and Academic Preparedness in Research” during the NIDCD (NIH) Partnership Program 10^{th Anniversary Celebration for Advancing Diverse Students in Research, Bethesda, Maryland, December 10, 2004.}

Keynote speaker on “Assistive Technology and Inclusive Living” during the 4th Hispanic Congress of Health Related Professions and 1st Conference of Multidisciplinary Clinical Research at the University of Puerto Rico-Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico, December 7, 2004.

Invited guest speaker on “Language-learning Disorders and Youth Incarceration” for the NIH-NIDCD-sponsored 14th Annual Symposium about “Social, Economic, and Environmental Influences on Disorders of Hearing, Language, and Speech”, Philadelphia, PA, November 15-16, 2004.

Panel participation for an AARP-Puerto Rico televised presentation of “Long-term care of elders” and “The rising costs of medication”. Washington, DC, September 20, 2004.

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)
10801 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852
Certified Member