Dr. Amanda Blackwell is passionate about communication in all its forms. Since 2013, she has lived and worked full time in Guatemala as a bilingual (English/Spanish) speech-language pathologist, where she has had the opportunity to learn from and collaborate with people from a wide range of cultural and linguistic backgrounds.

She earned her clinical doctorate in speech-language pathology in 2019 and later completed a Doctor of Education (EdD) at Murray State University in 2022. She currently serves as assistant clinical professor and SLPD Applied Research & Practice Coordinator at Moravian University, where she mentors clinical doctoral students in applied research and supports projects that bridge the gap between research and practice.

In Guatemala, she directs the speech therapy department at the Guatemalan Association of Down Syndrome (Tebow Down Guatemala), supporting programs across four centers in different cities. She is also a co-founder of the official professional association for Guatemalan speech-language therapists (SomosTLgt), which offers continuing education opportunities for its members: www.SomosTLguatemala.com.

Dr. Blackwell collaborates on international research and training initiatives focused on autism, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), and multilingual service delivery, with a particular emphasis on neurodiversity-affirming practices and expanding access to services in under-resourced contexts. She is research reliable on the ADOS-2 and conducts comprehensive autism evaluations across Latin America.

She teaches and mentors students and clinicians internationally and offers courses in both Spanish and English on multimodal communication in autism through (@ComunicacionNatural) She loves to travel and collaborate with professionals around the world through presentations, workshops, and research, with recent work across Latin America and Europe, and ongoing research collaborations with colleagues in Africa and Asia. 

Other credentials:

·  ADOS-2 Research Reliable, University of Minnesota, as of October 2023 (Autism Diagnostic Observation Scale, 2^nd edition)  

·  Member of the ASHA-PAHO Ad Hoc Committee for Ecuador Approved by ASHA Board of Directors

·   Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), since 2011

·   Licensed Speech-Language Pathologist in Texas

·   Licensed Early Childhood through Sixth Grade Teacher (EC-6 Generalist), State of Texas, since 2009

·   Inside Out Sensory Certificate for SLPs (2021)

·   ADI-R Certified, clinical use 2019 (Autism Diagnostic Interview- Revised)

·   Certified Trainer, PEERS® for Young Adults

·   Certified Hanen More Than Words® Provider for Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

·   Pediatric Aural Habilitation Specialist, conferred after completing the PAH program at UT-Dallas 2010

·   Recipient of the Award for Continuing Education (ACE) by the Continuing Education Board, American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA) 2018-2020, 2023 for earning more than 70 contact hours of Continuing Education

·   Recipient of the Outstanding Scholarship in Communicative Disorders Award, Saint Mary’s College, 2009

·   Recipient of the Community Service Award, Notre Dame Club of Dallas, Texas, 2015

PUBLICATIONS

Coughlan, A. C., Gorman, B. K., Brice, A. E., & Blackwell, A. (2025). Attitudes and skills of Latinx caregivers and augmentative and alternative communication coaching: A pilot study. Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups. https://doi.org/10.1044/2025_PERSP-25-00016

Muttiah, N., Tonsing, K., Blackwell, A., Drager, K., Bornman, J., & Armendariz, K. (2025). Speech-language therapists’ perspectives on tele-augmentative and alternative communication (Tele-AAC) across three low- and middle-income countries. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 41(1), 56–70. https://doi.org/10.1080/07434618.2025.2476143

Blanc, M., Blackwell, A., & Elias, P. (2023). Using the Natural Language Acquisition Protocol to Support Gestalt Language Development. Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups. https://doi.org/doi:10.1044/2023_PERSP-23-00098 

Baigorri, M., Crowley, C. J., Sommer, C. L., Blackwell, A., Miranda, A. J., & Moya-Galé, G. (2022). Examining the prevalence of intervention approaches internationally: The use of nonspeech oral motor exercises in Guatemala. Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups. doi:10.1044/2022_PERSP-21-00285

Blackwell, A. (2022). The state of speech-language pathology in Guatemala: A case for creating a new post-graduate university program. Unpublished manuscript, Murray State University, KY.  

Blackwell, A. (2019). Training the Communication Partners of Adults with Complex Communication Needs in Guatemala. Unpublished manuscript, Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions, UT. 

Blackwell, A. & Thibodeau, L. (2013). Verbal Auditory Agnosia in Volkmar, F.R. (eds), Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders (pp. 3231-3225). New York, NY: Springer-Verlag. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1698-3_372

AD HOC REVIEWER

Blackwell, A. (Ongoing). Reviewer, Augmentative and Alternative Communication.  

Blackwell, A. (Ongoing). Reviewer, American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology.

Blackwell, A. (Ongoing). Reviewer, Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups.

Blackwell, A. (2024). Ad Hoc Reviewer, 2024 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Convention, Seattle, Washington (Augmentative and Alternative Communication).

Blackwell, A. (2020). Ad Hoc Reviewer, ASHA-PAHO Ad Hoc Committee for Ecuador (Approved by ASHA Board of Directors).

SELECTED CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

Drager, K., Muttiah, N., Fiore, N., Valle, A., Perera N., Armendariz, K., Blackwell, A., Tӧnsing, K., & Bornman, J. (2025). Identifying the AAC Needs of Educators and Parents Based in a Low- and Middle-Income Country [Poster session]. ASHA Convention, Washington D.C. 

Armendariz, K., Blackwell, A., Bornman, J., Muttiah, N., Drager, K., & Tӧnsing, K. (2025). Applying the Nominal Group Technique to Assess AAC Needs in Low- and Middle-Income Countries [Poster session]. ASHA Convention, Washington D.C. 

Gaddy, C. & Blackwell, A (2024). Let’s Get Back to the Heart of the Matter: AAC Personalization for Gestalt Language Processors [1-hour session]. ASHA Convention, Seattle, WA. 

Armendariz, K. & Blackwell, A (2024). Campamento CAA: A Pre-Service, Hands-on Clinician Training Module Based in Spain [Poster session]. ASHA Convention, Seattle, WA. 

Blackwell, A. (2024, May 30-June 1). Adapting AAC for Gestalt Language Development in Spanish-Speaking Countries. Breaking Barriers Congress 2024 (BBC 2024): Assistive Technology and Alternative Communication, Barcelona, Spain.

Pfeil, A., Drager, K., & Blackwell, A. (2023). The perspectives of speech therapists in Guatemala on AAC knowledge and use [Poster session]. ISAAC Conference, Cancún, Mexico.

Muttiah, N., Tӧnsing, K., Blackwell, A., Bornman, J., Drager, K., & Armendariz, K. (2023). Augmentative and alternative communication telepractice in low- and middle-income countries: Perspectives of parents and caregivers. ISAAC Conference, Cancún, Mexico.

Blackwell, A., & Latham, S. (2023). Supporting autistic students who are gestalt language processors. Presentation at the Indiana Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ISHA) Annual Convention, Indianapolis, IN. 

Blackwell, A. (2023). Natural language acquisition: Echolalia to self-generated language. Mi Terapia con Ximena International Conference, Mexico City, Mexico.

Blackwell, A. (2023). Natural language acquisition: Echolalia as another way to acquire language. Live webinar presented at the SLP Summit Conference.

Muttiah, N., Tӧnsing, K., Blackwell, A., Drager, K. (2022). Augmentative and alternative communication telepractice in low- and middle-income countries: Perspectives of speech-language pathologists [Poster session]. ASHA Convention, New Orleans, LA.

Gorman, B. & Blackwell, A. (2021). Advocacy and capacity building for global equity: The ASHA-PAHO collaboration in Ecuador. Presentation at the ASHA Convention, Washington, DC.

LANGUAGES

·         Full Native Proficiency (reading, writing, speaking) in both English and Spanish