Elizabeth Crais

Elizabeth Crais, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is Professor Emerita in the Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences, Department of Health Sciences, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine. She earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Alabama, a Master of Science from Vanderbilt University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin. Crais joined the Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences faculty in 1986 as a visiting assistant professor while completing her dissertation and transitioned to a full-time position in 1987. She served as coordinator of the PhD program in Speech and Hearing Sciences and as faculty advisor for the student Autism Speaks U chapter at UNC-Chapel Hill. A Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), she was elected to the ASHA Board of Directors as Vice President for Academic Affairs in Speech-Language Pathology for a three-year term beginning in 2019. In 2018, she was inducted into the UNC School of Medicine Academy of Educators.

Her research focuses on early identification and intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder, gesture development, and family-centered services for young children with special needs and their families. Affiliated with the UNC Autism Research Center and the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, Crais contributed to developing the First Year Inventory (FYI), a parent-report screening tool to identify 12-month-old infants at risk for autism spectrum disorder and communication disorders. She co-directs grants from the U.S. Department of Education aimed at preparing PhD students in autism spectrum disorder research, translational and community-engaged research, and addressing the research-to-practice gap. Key publications include 'The intersection of the development of gestures and intentionality' (2004, Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research), 'The first year inventory: A longitudinal follow-up of 12-month-old to 3-year-old children' (2013, Autism), 'The need for more effective father involvement in early autism intervention: A systematic review and recommendations' (2011, Journal of Early Intervention), 'A parent-report instrument for identifying one-year-olds at risk for an eventual diagnosis of autism: the first year inventory' (2007, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders), 'Use of gesture development in profiling children’s prelinguistic communication skills' (2009, American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology), and 'Communicative gesture use in infants with and without autism: A retrospective home video study' (2013, American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology).

Professional Email: bcrais@med.unc.edu