Professor Jenny Thomson

BMedSci, PhD, MRCSLT

Human Communication Sciences, School of Allied Health Professions, Nursing and Midwifery

Speech and Language Therapist

j.m.thomson@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 2440

Room 303, 362 Mushroom Lane

Full contact details

Professor Jenny Thomson
Human Communication Sciences, School of Allied Health Professions, Nursing and Midwifery
Room 303
362 Mushroom Lane
Sheffield
S10 2TS

Profile

I joined the department in 2013. Trained as a Speech and Language Therapist, my research and clinical work have been focused on the intersection between language and literacy difficulties. I completed a PhD at the Institute of Child Health, University College London which explored causal mechanisms in developmental dyslexia using both neuroscientific and behavioural measures.

I then continued researching developmental dyslexia through a postdoc at the University of Cambridge (2004-06) and more latterly through Assistant and Associate Professor positions at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (2006-2013). I also hold a visiting position at the National Reading Centre, University of Stavanger, Norway.

Research interests

Developmental dyslexia and digital literacies
The neuroscience of specific learning disabilities
Relationships between music, rhythm and literacy

Current Research Projects

Erasmus+ Grant (2018-202): A is for App (https://www.aisforapp.eu/), with school, university and literacy organization partners in Belgium, the Netherlands and Czech Republic.
Heather van der Lely Foundation (2018-2019): Digital assessment and Developmental Language Disorder (DLD)
Leverhulme Trust Research Grant (2015-2019): Evaluating the effect of exposure to digital text on early literacy development
White Rose DTC ESRC Network (2015 – 2019): Understanding and enhancing reading and language skills in children learning English as an Additional Language (EAL) (Academic Lead: Anna Weighall (University of Leeds); Collaborators: Claudine Bowyer-Crane and Emma Marsden (University of York), Silke Fricke and Jenny Thomson (University of Sheffield), Anna Weighall and Hannah Nash (University of Leeds); Partners: Born in Bradford (BiB))
COST E-Read (2014-18) Management Committee and Core Group member: http://ereadcost.eu/index.php/en/

Publications

Edited books

Thomson JM & Jarmulowicz L (Ed.) (2016) Linguistic Rhythm and Literacy. John Benjamins.

Journal articles

Brooks R, Warmington M & Thomson J (2024) Evaluating the impact of vocabulary instruction on oral vocabulary, phonemic awareness and nonword reading. Reading and Writing.
Oliveira CM, Vale AP & Thomson JM (2021) The relationship between developmental language disorder and dyslexia in European Portuguese school-aged children. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology.
Thomson JM, Foldnes N, Uppstad PH, Njå M, Solheim OJ & Lundetræ K (2020) Can children's instructional gameplay activity be used as a predictive indicator of reading skills?. Learning and Instruction, 68. View this article in WRRO
Dixon C, Thomson J & Fricke S (2020) Evaluation of an explicit vocabulary teaching intervention for children learning English as an additional language in primary school. Child Language Teaching and Therapy. View this article in WRRO
Dixon C, Thomson J & Fricke S (2020) Language and reading development in children learning English as an additional language in primary school in England. Journal of Research in Reading. View this article in WRRO
Geronikou E, Vance M, Wells B & Thomson J (2019) Phonology, morphology and speech processing development in Greek-speaking children. Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics. View this article in WRRO
Prieler T, Wood C & Thomson JM (2018) Developing a Visual Attention Assessment for Children at School Entry. Frontiers in Psychology, 9. View this article in WRRO
Geronikou E, Vance M, Wells B & Thomson J (2018) The case for morphophonological intervention: Evidence from a Greek-speaking child with speech difficulties. Child Language Teaching & Therapy. View this article in WRRO
Barzillai M & Thomson JM (2018) Children learning to read in a digital world. First Monday, 23(10). View this article in WRRO
Grajo L, Candler C, Bowyer P, Schultz S & Thomson J (2018) The Clinical and Classroom Utility of the Inventory of Reading Occupations: An Assessment Tool of Children’s Reading Participation. Open Journal of Occupational Therapy, 6(2). View this article in WRRO
Lundetrae K & Thomson JM (2018) Rhythm production at school entry as a predictor of poor reading and spelling at the end of first grade. Reading and Writing, 31(1), 215-237. View this article in WRRO
Van der Steen S, Samuelson D & Thomson JM (2017) The Effect of Keyboard-Based Word Processing on Students With Different Working Memory Capacity During the Process of Academic Writing. Written Communication, 34(3), 280-305. View this article in WRRO
Kim JS, Hemphill L, Troyer M, Thomson JM, Jones SM, LaRusso MD & Donovan S (2017) Engaging Struggling Adolescent Readers to Improve Reading Skills. Reading Research Quarterly, 52(3), 357-382. View this article in WRRO
Chen C, Schneps M, Masyn K & Thomson J (2016) The Effects of Visual Attention Span and Phonological Decoding in Reading Comprehension in Dyslexia: A Path Analysis. Dyslexia, 22(4), 322-344. View this article in WRRO
O'Neil-Pirozzi TM, Doruk D, Thomson JM & Fregni F (2016) Immediate Memory and Electrophysiologic Effects of Prefrontal Cortex Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Neurotypical Individuals and Individuals with Chronic Traumatic Brain Injury: A Pilot Study.. International Journal of Neuroscience, 1-28. View this article in WRRO
Grajo L, Candler C, Bowyer P, Schultz S, Thomson JM & Fong K (2016) Determining the Internal Validity of the Inventory of Reading Occupations: An Assessment Tool of Children’s Reading Participation. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 70, 7003220010p1-7003220010p9. View this article in WRRO
Thomson J, Doruk D, Mascio B, Fregni F & Cerruti C (2015) Transcranial direct current stimulation modulates efficiency of reading processes. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 9. View this article in WRRO
Bishop-Liebler P, Welch G, Huss M, Thomson JM & Goswami U (2014) Auditory Temporal Processing Skills in Musicians with Dyslexia. Dyslexia, 20(3), 261-279.
Schneps MH, Thomson JM, Chen C, Sonnert G & Pomplun M (2013) E-readers are more effective than paper for some with dyslexia.. PLoS One, 8(9), e75634. View this article in WRRO
Schneps MH, Thomson JM, Sonnert G, Pomplun M, Chen C & Heffner-Wong A (2013) Shorter lines facilitate reading in those who struggle.. PLoS One, 8(8), e71161. View this article in WRRO
Plakas A, van Zuijen T, van Leeuwen T, Thomson JM & van der Leij A (2013) Impaired non-speech auditory processing at a pre-reading age is a risk-factor for dyslexia but not a predictor: An ERP study. Cortex, 49(4), 1034-1045.
Horvath JC, Schilberg L & Thomson J (2013) Does Sight Predominate Sound? Electrophysiological Evidence for Multisensory Mismatch Negativity Correlation. Neurophysiology, 45(5-6), 459-467.
Moritz C, Yampolsky S, Papadelis G, Thomson J & Wolf M (2013) Links between early rhythm skills, musical training, and phonological awareness. Reading and Writing, 26(5), 739-769.
Thomson JM, Leong V & Goswami U (2013) Auditory processing interventions and developmental dyslexia: A comparison of phonemic and rhythmic approaches. Reading and Writing, 26(2), 139-161.
Thomson JM & Hogan TP (2010) Introduction: Advances in early detection of reading risk.. J Learn Disabil, 43(4), 291-293.
Corriveau KH, Goswami U & Thomson JM (2010) Auditory processing and early literacy skills in a preschool and kindergarten population.. J Learn Disabil, 43(4), 369-382.
Hogan TP & Thomson JM (2010) Epilogue to journal of learning disabilities special edition "advances in the early detection of reading risk": Future advances in the early detection of reading risk: Subgroups, dynamic relations, and advanced methods. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 43(4), 383-386.
Thomson JM & Goswami U (2010) Learning novel phonological representations in developmental dyslexia: Associations with basic auditory processing of rise time and phonological awareness. Reading and Writing, 23(5), 453-473.
Jones CRG, Happé F, Baird G, Simonoff E, Marsden AJS, Tregay J, Phillips RJ, Goswami U, Thomson JM & Charman T (2009) Auditory discrimination and auditory sensory behaviours in autism spectrum disorders.. Neuropsychologia, 47(13), 2850-2858.
Thomson JM, Goswami U & Baldeweg T (2009) The ERP signature of sound rise time changes.. Brain Res, 1254, 74-83.
Suranyi Z, Csepe V, Richardson U, Thomson JM, Honbolygo F & Goswami U (2009) Sensitivity to rhythmic parameters in dyslexic children: a comparison of Hungarian and English. READING AND WRITING, 22(1), 41-56.
HÄMÄLÄINEN JA, LEPPÄNEN PHT, EKLUND K, THOMSON J, RICHARDSON U, GUTTORM TK, WITTON C, POIKKEUS A-M, GOSWAMI U & LYYTINEN H (2009) Common variance in amplitude envelope perception tasks and their impact on phoneme duration perception and reading and spelling in Finnish children with reading disabilities. Applied Psycholinguistics, 30(3), 511-530.
Wang M, Anderson A, Cheng C, Park Y & Thomson J (2008) General auditory processing, Chinese tone processing, English phonemic processing and English reading skill: A comparison between Chinese-English and Korean-English bilingual children. Reading and Writing, 21(6), 627-644.
Thomson JM & Goswami U (2008) Rhythmic processing in children with developmental dyslexia: auditory and motor rhythms link to reading and spelling.. J Physiol Paris, 102(1-3), 120-129.
Thomson JM & Fischer KW (2007) Dynamic development and dynamic education.. Monogr Soc Res Child Dev, 72(3), 150-156.
Thomson JM, Fryer B, Maltby J & Goswami U (2006) Auditory and motor rhythm awareness in adults with dyslexia. JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN READING, 29(3), 334-348.
Thomson JM, Richardson U & Goswami U (2005) Phonological similarity neighborhoods and children's short-term memory: typical development and dyslexia.. Mem Cognit, 33(7), 1210-1219.
Richardson U, Thomson JM, Scott SK & Goswami U (2004) Auditory processing skills and phonological representation in dyslexic children.. Dyslexia, 10(3), 215-233.
Muneaux M, Ziegler JC, Truc C, Thomson J & Goswami U (2004) Deficits in beat perception and dyslexia: Evidence from French. NeuroReport, 15(8), 1255-1259.
Goswami U, Thomson J, Richardson U, Stainthorp R, Hughes D, Rosen S & Scott SK (2002) Amplitude envelope onsets and developmental dyslexia: A new hypothesis. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 99(16), 10911-10916.
Foldnes N, Uppstad PH, Grønneberg S & Thomson JM () School entry detection of struggling readers using gameplay data and machine learning. Frontiers in Education, 9, 1487694.
Üstün‐Yavuz MS, Brooks R, Fricke S & Thomson J () Evidence‐based support provided to struggling readers in later primary years in the UK: A scoping review. Journal of Research in Reading.
Hudson Kam CL, Sadlier-Brown E, Clark S, Jang C, Demmans Epp C & Thomson J () Evaluating English-language morphological awareness assessments. First Language.
Nastasiuk A, Courteau É, Thomson J & Deacon SH () Drawing attention to print or meaning: How parents read with their preschool‐aged children on paper and on screens. Journal of Research in Reading.
Jiang Y, Gai X, Wang Z & Thomson J () The influence of segmental and suprasegmental phonological awareness on word and pseudoword reading—A comparison between native English speakers and native Chinese speakers of English. Frontiers in Psychology, 15.
Jiang Y, Gai X, Üstün‐Yavuz MS, Zhang M & Thomson JM () A meta‐analysis of training effects on English phonological awareness and reading in native Chinese speakers. PsyCh Journal.
Newbury J, Schroeter K, Sutherland D & Thomson J () Evidence for use of the Quick Interactive Language Screener (QUILS™) to measure the relationship between socioeconomic status and language development¹. Evidence-Based Communication Assessment and Intervention, 1-7.
Peryer H, Slator R, Thomson J & Richard B () The Method of Surgical Lip Repair Affects Speech Outcomes in Children With Bilateral Cleft Lip and Palate. The Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal, 105566562095687-105566562095687.

Chapters

(2009) Auditory processing and developmental dyslexia: throwing the baby out with the bathwater?, Contemporary Perspectives on Reading and Spelling (pp. 36-53). Routledge
Støle H, Mangen A, Frønes TS & Thomson J () Chapter 9. Digitisation of reading assessment, Studies in Written Language and Literacy (pp. 205-224). John Benjamins Publishing Company
Wylie J, Thomson J, Leppänen PHT, Ackerman R, Kanniainen L & Prieler T () Chapter 3. Cognitive processes and digital reading, Studies in Written Language and Literacy (pp. 57-90). John Benjamins Publishing Company
Thomson J, Barzillai M, van den Broek P & Schroeder S () Chapter 10. Learning to read in a digital world, Studies in Written Language and Literacy (pp. 225-238). John Benjamins Publishing Company
Kieron S & Andrew H () Education and New Technologies Routledge
Thomson J () Chapter 5. The Neural Basis of Speech Rhythm Perception, Linguistic Rhythm and Literacy (pp. 99-110). John Benjamins Publishing Company
Wood C () Contemporary Perspectives on Reading and Spelling Routledge

Conference proceedings papers

Xu L, Thomson J, Dhonnchadha EU & Ward M (2024) Learner-Oriented Game Design: The Evolution of Cipher. 2024 IEEE Gaming, Entertainment, and Media Conference (GEM), Vol. 00 (pp 1-6), 5 June 2024 - 5 June 2024.
Hauwaert H, Ghesquière P, Tordoir J & Thomson J (2020) Karaton: An Example of AI Integration Within a Literacy App (pp 91-96)

Preprints

Oliveira CM, vale AP & Thomson JM (2021) The relationship between Developmental Language Disorder and Dyslexia in European Portuguese school-aged children, Center for Open Science.