Department of Education and Special EducationAbout Liselotte Kjellmer
Lisen Kjellmer is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Education and Special Education, where she has been teaching and conducting research since the fall of 2021. Lisen's focus is on special education, with particular attention to the development of language and communication in children. Her work is directed toward all children, with a special focus on those with speech, language, and communication needs (SLCN) due to neurodevelopmental disorders (such as language disorder, autism, or ADHD), reading and writing difficulties, intellectual disabilities, or Swedish as a second language. Furthermore, Lisen focuses on accessible learning environments and language-promoting teaching strategies to support children with SLCN. The goal is to increase participation, learning, and development for all. By deepening the understanding of these children's linguistic and communicative abilities, which Lisen's previous research has contributed to, and relating these abilities to the linguistic and communicative demands of preschools and schools, needs can be met through tailored learning environments and teaching.
Lisen is also a licensed speech-language pathologist since 1996. She earned her Ph.D. in 2006 at the University of Washington in Seattle, USA. She has previously conducted research at the Unit of Speech-Language Pathology at Karolinska Institutet, the Gillberg Neuropsychiatry Centre at the University of Gothenburg, and the Department of Special Education at Stockholm University. Lisen has worked clinically with children and youth with language difficulties for over 25 years. Examples include positions as a speech-language pathologist at the Karolinska University Hospital, where she participated in neurodevelopmental assessments as part of interdisciplinary teams, and at a central resource team in Alingsås municipality.
At IPS, Lisen is actively involved in the research environment PRIS (Platform for Research in Inclusive Education and School Development). Her current research focuses on creating accessible learning environments and language-promoting teaching in schools through the use of visual support, specifically with the web-based program Widgit Online. The project is conducted in collaboration with colleagues Maria Sundqvist and Shruti Taneja Johansson, both from IPS.
Lisen's extensive teaching experience spans from 2003 to the present and includes lectures, seminars, workshops, examinations, supervision, course administration, and course development. She has taught at both undergraduate and advanced levels, as well as at the doctoral level, at various institutions and in different programs, primarily in the special education teacher programs, various teacher education programs, and the speech-language pathology program. Lisen is currently the co-supervisor of two doctoral students in special education.
Examples of teaching areas include:
Language disorders in children and youth, including the connection to reading and writing difficulties and dyslexia as well as to other neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism and ADHD
Language and communication development
Accessible learning environments and language-promoting teaching
Special education perspectives and inclusion
Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)
Critical appraisal and evidence-based/evidence-informed practice
Critical thinking and source criticism
Research methodology and academic writing
Lisen's intention is to further develop the field of special education with the goal of ensuring individuals' rights to communication, learning, development, participation, and inclusion in education and society on equal terms, regardless of individual pre-requisites. This vision has been a driving force throughout Lisen's professional career.