Rate My Professor Stephanie Mallen

Dr. Stephanie Mallen serves as Lecturer in Speech Pathology within the School of Allied Health and Human Performance in the College of Health at Adelaide University. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy from Flinders University, awarded in 2010, with her doctoral thesis titled investigating the receptive language and reading abilities of students diagnosed with auditory processing disorder (APD). Prior to her PhD, she earned a Bachelor of Applied Science in Speech Pathology, along with CPSP and MSPAA certifications. As of 2010, Mallen had 14 years of experience as a practising speech pathologist specializing in paediatrics. Her career includes prior roles at the University of South Australia, where she lectured in speech pathology, and she has transitioned to Adelaide University following institutional developments.

Mallen's research centers on the intersections of auditory processing deficits, phonological working memory, receptive language, and reading skills in children aged 8-11. In her PhD studies, Study One compared 28 students with APD to 20 non-APD peers, revealing significant deficits in phonological working memory for the APD group, correlations between interhemispheric transfer deficits and phonological working memory, and links between auditory processing deficit severity, phonological working memory, receptive vocabulary, listening comprehension, and reading comprehension. Non-speech auditory deficits, such as frequency discrimination, contributed to phonological working memory and word reading performance. Reading error patterns in APD students involved fewer recoding errors and more whole-word substitutions based on meaning or shape. Study Two matched 21 APD students to 21 average readers on reading age, gender, and socio-economic status, showing poorer standard scores in receptive language and reading for APD participants, with similar correlation patterns. Her work underscores relationships between auditory processing, language, and literacy development. At Adelaide University, she coordinates and teaches undergraduate courses including Child Language and Literacy Disorders (SPTH-1007), Speech Pathology Assessment Practices (SPTH-1008), Introduction to Human Communication Science (SPTH-1004), and contributes to Planning, Innovation and Evaluation in Health A (SPTH-1019). Mallen participates in Speech Pathology Australia activities, including South Australian branch meetings, and has commented publicly on accent modification practices.