Purdue Distinguished Alumna pioneers innovative approach to language development research by investigating motor skills

Written By: Rebecca Hoffa, rhoffa@purdue.edu 

Developmental language disorder (DLD) affects approximately one in 14 kindergarten-age children, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. This is a statistic Lisa Goffman, a bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral alumna from the Purdue University Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences (SLHS), is seeking to better understand through research in language, speech, and motor development and disorders. 

Goffman is being recognized with the 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award from Purdue’s College of Health and Human Sciences for her significant accomplishments throughout her career in research, teaching and service in the speech, language and hearing sciences — the foundation for which was laid in her studies and 21-year career at Purdue.  

“Purdue still is, in my opinion, the best program,” Goffman said. “Everywhere you go, you meet people who trained at Purdue or who interfaced with Purdue in some way or another, so to be selected from that extraordinary group is an honor. I’m extremely pleased to be recognized in this way. My deep connection with Purdue over many, many years makes it all the sweeter.” 

Goffman is currently a senior scientist and endowed chair in the Center for Childhood Deafness, Language and Learning at Boys Town National Research Hospital, a translational research hub that is renowned for its research contributions across hearing, language and neuroscience. In this role, she works as part of a team of eight language-focused scientists to conduct translational research on language and communication development and disorders in children with developmental language disorder and other language difficulties. 

Goffman (second from left) poses with her graduate students in front of their research poster at an American Speech-Language-Hearing Association event.(Photo provided)

“My position is focused on translational research, and we have substantial clinical and research resources,” Goffman said. “It’s very exciting to be here and to have seven other scientists who study language along with other groups who study hearing and neuroscience. Boys Town also provides critical services and conducts research for children experiencing trauma. We are a research think tank, and it’s a joy to work here.” 

Coming from a clinical background, having worked in the clinical space prior to beginning her PhD studies in 1989, Goffman appreciates the opportunity to inform the clinical approaches that support children and their families. 

“I think that my work has opened up new approaches to understanding developmental language disorders and development more broadly,” Goffman said. “I think I’m the first — but it’s getting more prominent — to really think about how motor development connects with language development, specifically for children with DLD. Right now, I’m working on a project that focuses on applying motor and nonverbal cognitive measures to identify DLD regardless of the language the child is learning. We now have some markers in the motor domain that indicate risk for DLD in children learning any language. In addition to developing new and robust assessments, I think that we are opening new pathways to intervention because the deficit is so much broader than we used to think it was.” 

Prior to Boys Town, Goffman spent seven years at the University of Texas at Dallas after her more than two decades at Purdue as a faculty member in SLHS. Having developed strong connections with some of the top language researchers in the field at Purdue, Goffman expressed that Purdue has always been a happy place that set her up for career success. 

“I love the people at Purdue,” Goffman said. “I still think it’s the nicest, best speech, language and hearing program on the planet.” 

Goffman (right) poses with a group of graduate students at the Symposium on Research in Child Language Disorders conference.(Photo provided)

For Goffman, her mentors at Purdue, including Anne Smith, Richard Schwartz, Larry Leonard, Howard Zelaznik, Barbara Younger, Rachel Stark, Jeanette Leonard and Claudia Mornout, helped her establish new ideas that have influenced both the research and clinical landscapes. Goffman was also able to carry forward that mentorship, serving as a mentor for many doctoral students and postdoctoral trainees throughout her career. 

 “To this day, I use the techniques I learned in Anne Smith’s lab, including motion capture of children’s speech (and now their hands), to understand how they learn words and sentences,” Goffman said. “My training at Purdue has allowed for new analytic approaches to determining the role of the motor system in young children who are defined by their language problems.” 

While Purdue has played an important role, ultimately, Goffman noted she wouldn’t be where she is today without having a curious mindset and exploring new avenues for learning and discovery. She suggests that early career scientists remain open to ideas outside of their direct discipline. 

“There are surprises out there, so make sure that you explore topics and areas that you don’t initially think will apply to your research,” Goffman said. “For me, delving into new areas — going to psychology classes and learning about human perception, statistical learning in animals and motor skill — these were not areas that I had any interest in when I started. The serendipity of engaging with other scientists and other clinicians opens the door to the most engaging, creative questions.”