Dr. Ciera Lorio
Associate Professor, PhD, CCC-SLP
- About
- Education
- Awards & Honors
- Selected Research
Biography
Dr. Lorio (she/her) is an associate professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. Prior to completing her doctorate at Florida State University, she worked as a school-based speech-language pathologist, serving children in preschool through fifth grade. Her current research focuses on parent- and teacher-implemented language and literacy interventions for young children with or at-risk for developmental disabilities. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on topics related to language, literacy, and professional issues in speech-language pathology.
Current Courses
CSD 499.001 Independent Research For The Master's Thesis
CSD 400.003 Independent Study
CSD 390.001 Special Topics in Communication Sciences and Disorders
CSD 275.001 Spoken And Written Language Analysis
CSD 175.001 Spoken And Written Language Development
CSD 291.003 Undergraduate Teaching Experience In Communication Sciences Disorders
Research Interests & Areas
Dr. Lorio's research specifically focuses on young children with or at risk for language and literacy disorders. Her program of research is organized around three main areas:
(1) validating and refining existing caregiver coaching strategies to support replication of research and application in the field;
(2) developing time-efficient professional development and educational opportunities with coaching to increase the fidelity and sustainability of caregiver-implemented interventions in natural routines; and
(3) designing interventions that target vocabulary development and emergent literacy skills for young children with or at risk for language disorders.
If you are a student interested in working in Dr. Lorio's lab (Research in Early Language and Literacy Acquisition - RELLA Lab), please reach out to her to set up a meeting.
Ph D Communication Sciences & Disorders
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL
MS Communication Sciences & Disorders
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, OH
BS Communicative Disorders
University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point
Stevens Point, WI
ASHA Centennial Session Award
ASHA Convention 2025
2025
Collaboratory Civic Engagement Champion
Center for Civic Engagement, Illinois Sate University
2025
SLP Educator of the Year
Communication Sciences and Disorders
2023
University Teaching Initiative Award
Center for Integrated Professional Development, Illinois State University
2022
Outstanding Alumnus Award
University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point
2019
Bridging the Word Gap Research Network Emerging Scholar
Bridging the Word Gap Research Network
2018
Grants and Contracts
Faculty Community Engagement Grant
Ciera Lorio.
ISU Center for Civic Engagement. August 2025 - December 2025
Summer BirdFEEDER Research Grant
Kristiana Mininger, Ciera Lorio.
ISU Office of Student Research. May 2025 - December 2025
Summer BirdFEEDER Research Grant
Hannah Hogue, Ciera Lorio.
ISU Office of Student Research. May 2025 - December 2025
CSD Achievement through Relationships and Empowerment (CARE Program)
Ciera Lorio, Shraddha Shende, McLoddy Kadyamusuma.
Provost's Office. June 2024 - June 2025
Faculty Community Engagement Grant
Ciera Lorio.
ISU Center for Civic Engagement. August 2024 - December 2024
BirdFEEDER Research Grant
Caroline Giuffre, Ciera Lorio.
Office of Student Research. May 2023 - August 2023
Pre-tenure Faculty Initiative Grant
Ciera Lorio.
College of Arts and Sciences. July 2023 - June 2024
Journal Article
An interdisciplinary early intervention learning experience for university students
Ciera Lorio, Hannah Rudkin, Christina Rauwolf, Luminita Hartle.
Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences and Disorders, 9 (2), (2025), DOI: 10.61403/2689-6443.1350
Early intervention providers’ perspectives on the use of telepractice during the COVID-19 pandemic
Jamie Mahurin Smith, Ciera M Lorio.
Perspectives, (2025)
Shared book reading experiences for young children who use augmentative and alternative communication systems
Braelyn Wence, Ciera Lorio, Amy Lynn Yacucci.
Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, 9 (4), 1102-1118, (2024)
Social communication and parent verbal responsiveness across interaction contexts in toddlers with autism, developmental delay, and typical development
Abigail Delehanty, Ciera Lorio.
American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, (2024)
The story so far: scoping review of narratives in deaf children
Jane Puhlman, Lauren Sabatino, Zara Waldman DeLuca, Ciera Lorio, Lindsay Decker.
Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 30 (2), 268-279, (2024), 10.1093/jdsade/enae052
Exploring language development support for foster children: A scoping review of interventions for foster care families
Ciera Lorio, Judy Carta, Nathan Stephens.
American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, (2023)
Transition class: A bridge between early intervention and early childhood special education
Jamie Smith, Ciera Lorio.
Education 3-13, (2023), http://10.1080/03004279.2023.2233983
A systematic review of parent-child shared book reading with infants and toddlers
Ciera Lorio, Abigail Delehanty, Mollie Romano.
Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, (2022)
Exploring Language Development Support for Foster Children: A scoping review of interventions for foster care families.
Ciera Lorio, Judith J. Carta, Nathan A. Stephens.
American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 1-19, (2022), 10.1044/2022_ajslp-22-00082
Family routines in caregiver-implemented early interventions: A scoping review
Mollie Romano, Ciera Lorio, Abigail Delehanty, Johanna Eugenio, Diana Abarca, Bhairvi Trivedi, Jennifer A. Brown.
Journal of Early Intervention, 44 (4), 371-392, (2022), 10.1177/10538151211062206
An exploration of reflective conversations in early intervention caregiver coaching sessions
Ciera Lorio.
Journal of Early Intervention, (2021)
Establishing innovative partnerships to support transitions from early intervention to preschool in the United States of America: Lessons from parent and provider experiences
Lumi Hartle, Ciera Lorio, Kosharek.
Education 3-13, (2021)
A Review of Problem Solving and Reflection as Caregiver Coaching Strategies in Early Intervention
Ciera Lorio, Mollie Romano, Juliann Woods, Jennifer Brown.
(2020)
Language interventions taught to caregivers in homes and classrooms: A review of intervention and implementation fidelity
Ciera Lorio.
(2020)
Multi-component professional development for educators in an Early Head Start: Explicit vocabulary instruction during interactive shared book reading
Ciera Lorio, Juliann Woods.
(2020)
Digital platforms and supervisory feedback to graduate student clinicians
Ciera M Lorio, Abigail D Delehanty, Juliann J Woods.
(2016)
Presentations
Caring for Caregivers: Applications through Case Study.
Ciera Lorio, Jennine Harvey, Jordan Bowman.
Illinois Speech-Language-Hearing Association,, Chicago, IL, February, 2026
Taking Care of Caregivers: Considerations When Supporting Caregivers of Clients Across the Lifespan.
Ciera Lorio, Jennine Harvey, Jordan Bowman.
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Washington D.C, November, 2025
Coaching children’s museum staff to implement AAC communication partner strategies: A single case design study
Hannah Hogue, Ciera Lorio.
Annual Convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Washington, D.C., November, 2025
Developing materials for caregivers of Senegalese children with disabilities to support their communication development
Kristiana Mininger, Ciera Lorio.
Annual Convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Washington, D.C., November, 2025
Speech-language pathologsists‘ knowledge and use of caregiver coaching across work settings
Ciera Lorio, Abigail Delehanty, Mollie Romano, Jennifer Brown, Olivia Lanker.
Annual Convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Washington, D.C., November, 2025
Taking care of caregivers: Considerations when supporting caregivers of clients across the lifespan
Ciera Lorio, Jennine Harvey, Jordan Bowman.
Annual Convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Washington, D.C., November, 2025
Practical Strategies to Help Caregivers Choose Family Routines as Intervention Contexts in Early Intervention
Ciera Lorio.
Annual Convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Seattle, WA, December 7, 2024
Building Undergraduate Students’ Knowledge of Early Intervention Through an Interdisciplinary Learning Community
Ciera Lorio, Hannah Rudkin, Christina Rauwolf.
Illinois Speech-Language Hearing Association Convention, Rosemont, IL, February, 2024
An analysis of fathers‘ and children’s behaviors during shared book reading
Caitlin Kelly, Ciera Lorio.
Annual Convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Boston, MA, November, 2023
Foster care, ACEs, and social communication development: A survey study
Caroline Giuffre, Ciera Lorio.
Annual Convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Boston, MA, November, 2023
Narratives to measure language in children who are deaf/hard-of-hearing: A scoping review
Jane Puhlman, Ciera Lorio.
Annual Convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Boston, MA, November, 2023
Social communication and parent verbal responsiveness across interaction contexts in toddlers with and without autism
Abigail Delehanty, Ciera Lorio.
Annual Convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Boston, MA, November, 2023
Provider perceptions of early intervention telepractice
Jamie Smith, Ciera Lorio.
American Speech-Language Hearing Association Convention, New Orleans LA, November, 2022
Early intervention in childcare settings: Using the SS-OO-PP-RR coaching framework
Ciera Lorio.
Illinois Speech-Language Hearing Association Convention, Online, February, 2021
The LIMITLESS project: Building EI providers‘ understanding of sensory disabilities
Ciera Lorio.
Illinois Speech-Language Hearing Association Convention, Online, February, 2021
An Interdisciplinary EI Learning Community for University Students
Ciera Lorio, Christina Zolper.
Division of Early Childhood Convention, Online, January, 2021
Coaching Child Care Providers to Support Toddler Gesture Use in High Poverty Contexts
Ciera Lorio.
ASHA Convention, San Diego, CA, November, 2020
Coaching Counts in Child Care: Using an Evidence-based Coaching Framework to Support Caregiver-child Interactions
Ciera Lorio.
ASHA Convention, San Diego, CA, November, 2020
Meeting the Needs of Infants and Toddlers with Sensory Disabilities: An Inter-Professional Training Approach
Ciera Lorio.
ASHA Convention, San Diego, CA, November, 2020
An Examination of Procedures used to Teach Interactive Shared Book Reading Practices to Parents of Infants/Toddlers
Ciera Lorio.
Conference on Research Innovations in Early Intervention, San Diego, CA, January, 2020
Incorporating transformational goals into teaching methodologies
Ciera Lorio, Yi-Hsiang Chang, Hakan Ener, Yun Chang.
2020 ISU Teaching and Learning Symposium, Normal, IL, January 8, 2020
Strengthening Pre-Service SLPs' AAC Knowledge and Confidence through Community Partnership
Michelle Therrien, Rachel Hoge, Ciera Lorio.
American Speech-Language and Hearing Association, Boston, MA, November 17, 2018
Problem-Solving and Reflection as Caregiver Coaching Strategies in Early Intervention: A Systematic Review
Ciera Lorio, Stephanie Haley, Juliann Woods, Mollie Romano, Jennifer Brown.
American Speech-Language and Hearing Association, Boston, MA, November 16, 2018
Graduate Student Clinicians' Use of Reflection During a Telepractice "Summer Camp" for Children with ASD
Madeline Bryant, Ciera Lorio, Abigail Delehanty, Juliann Woods.
American Speech-Language and Hearing Association, Boston, MA, November 15, 2018
Coaching parents via telepractice to use visual supports with preschoolers with ASD
Abigail Delehanty, Ciera Lorio, Juliann Woods.
Division for Early Childhood Conference, Orlando, FL, October 24, 2018