Ryan Nadler began his Titan journey as a first-year student in August 2017, before even turning 18 years old. He chose to double major in communication sciences and disorders and psychology. He consistently demonstrated academic excellence and earned a spot on the Dean’s List in spring 2020, fall 2021 and spring 2021. During his undergraduate years from 2017-21, Nadler was a full-time student, worked part time and actively participated in a fraternity.
Aspiring to a career as a speech-language pathologist, Nadler earned his bachelor’s degree before joining CSUF’s communicative disorders master’s degree program in fall 2021.
While enrolled in the Autism Spectrum Disorder in Speech-Language Pathology course, Nadler decided to pursue research, marking a turning point in his academic career. HyeKyeung Seung, chair and professor of communication sciences and disorders, asked her students if they would be interested in conducting a follow-up to a 2008 study that examined the training and knowledge of autism among speech-language pathologists.
“I had a small amount of interest and decided to speak with Dr. Seung regarding this project. Within a few minutes, she struck my curiosity,” said Nadler.
The research project began in April 2022 and was supported by a grant from the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs. Nadler submitted an Institutional Review Board proposal and updated the original 2008 survey used by researchers Heatherann Scwartz and Kathryn Drager, which examined autism training at the graduate level. In the follow-up study, Nadler and Seung focused on identifying improvements in autism training in graduate programs and changes in practicing SLPs’ knowledge and competence following the release of the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-5 in 2013. Nadler collected survey data from speech-language pathologists working in public schools across California.
Nadler presented the preliminary results of the study at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association annual convention in New Orleans in 2022. He successfully completed his master’s degree and graduated in May 2023. Later that year, Nadler began working as an SLP in the Santa Ana Unified School District, but his academic journey was far from over. He continued working on the manuscript with Seung, and their research was published in peer-reviewed publication, Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups.
“Experiencing the peer review process was extremely difficult, but I am proud to say I was able to push through with the help of Dr. Seung. I want to express my deep gratitude to her for always being there for me and supporting me throughout the entire process,” said Nadler.
“When I faced challenges balancing my job and personal challenges, she was incredibly empathetic, validated my struggles and feelings, and ensured I did not give up. She guided me through every step of the publication process, providing me with the tools I needed to publish the study in a peer-reviewed journal. She was especially helpful in navigating the back-and-forth communication with the journal and interpreting the data. It’s a surreal experience, transitioning from reading peer-reviewed journals as a student to becoming the author of one.”
A proud Titan, Nadler continues to serve the Orange County community, applying his skills and knowledge as a SLP.