Rate My Professor Lynne Hewitt

Lynne Hewitt, PhD, CCC-SLP, is Professor and Chair of the Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology at Ithaca College, a position she assumed in January 2020. She earned a B.A. with distinction in all subjects, summa cum laude in linguistics and English, from Cornell University in 1980, an M.A. in Communicative Disorders and Sciences from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1987, and a Ph.D. in Communicative Disorders and Sciences from the same institution in 1994, with a dissertation titled "Communicative Competence of Young Adults with Autism: Ability to Meet Listeners' Needs." Prior to joining Ithaca College, Hewitt held faculty positions at Bowling Green State University, serving as Professor and Chair of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders from 2017 to 2019 (with chair responsibilities from 2009 to 2019), Associate Professor from 2005 to 2017, and Assistant Professor from 1999 to 2005. She was also Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Disorders at The Pennsylvania State University from 1994 to 1999. Additionally, she served as a Visiting Erskine Fellow at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand in 2008 and 2018, teaching courses on advanced topics in speech and language disorders, including autism.

Hewitt's academic interests and research specializations focus on language development and disorders in children, particularly autism spectrum disorders, pragmatics of language, and social communication impairments. Her key publications include "Structure and function of verbal conflicts among adults with mental retardation" (Hewitt, Duchan, & Segal, 1993, Discourse Processes), "Subjectivity in children’s fictional narrative" (Hewitt & Duchan, 1995, Topics in Language Disorders), "The influence of question type on response adequacy in young adults with autism" (Hewitt, 1998, Journal of Communication Disorders), "Perspectives on support needs of individuals with autism spectrum disorders: Transition to college" (Hewitt, 2011, Topics in Language Disorders), and "Social anxiety and pragmatics in autism spectrum disorders: Cognitive behavioral therapy and its relation to speech-language pathology" (Hewitt, 2014, Perspectives on Language Learning and Education). She has published and presented extensively on evidence-based practice in assessment for autism spectrum disorders and services for college students with autism spectrum disorders. Hewitt was elected a Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association in 2014, its second highest honor, and has received multiple Awards for Continuing Education, Erskine Fellowship Awards, and other recognitions. She serves as an editor for the American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, has been an associate editor and reviewer for journals such as the Journal of Speech-Language-Hearing Research and Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, and has held leadership roles in ASHA, including Chair of the Academic Affairs Board, Coordinator for Special Interest Group 1 (Language Learning and Education), and Topic Chair for Autism and Language in School Age Populations.