Rate My Professor Susan Johnston

Susan Johnston is a Professor of Special Education in the Department of Special Education at the University of Utah's College of Education, where she has served for more than 25 years. She currently acts as Program Coordinator for Preschool/Early Intervention Special Education. Prior to joining the University of Utah, she was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Special Education at Eastern Michigan University. Johnston earned her Master of Arts and Ph.D. in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. Throughout her career at the University of Utah, she has held leadership roles including Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Director of International Initiatives for the College of Education. Her teaching encompasses courses in functional communication, language development, communication, social, and play development within special education core programs.

Johnston's research specializes in augmentative and alternative communication, early language intervention, and emergent literacy for young children with disabilities. She provides technical assistance and conducts studies in these areas, with digital health interests in tele-practice supporting caregivers of children with significant disabilities and complex communication needs. Her scholarly contributions include publications such as "Use of Social Stories to Improve Self-Regulation in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders" (2013), "Coaching Parents to Support Oral Language Skills During Shared Reading" (2022), "AAC Barriers and Facilitators for Children with Koolen de Vries Syndrome and Childhood Apraxia of Speech: Parent Perceptions" (2022), and contributions to books like AAC Strategies for Individuals with Moderate to Severe Disabilities. In 2024, she received a Fulbright Specialist Program award to collaborate with Ilia State University in Georgia on identifying AAC barriers, refining supervision models for pre-service students, and implementing case-based learning for complex communication needs. Her work has been cited over 1,000 times, influencing practices in special education and early childhood intervention.