Thomas Shull, MS, CCC-SLP, is a Term Lecturer in the Center for Interprofessional Studies and Innovation at MGH Institute of Health Professions. He teaches the Phonetic Transcription and Introduction to Acoustic Phonetics courses for Prerequisites for the Health Professions.
Tom works as a speech-language pathologist for the Boston Public Schools where he treats children who present on the autism spectrum and those with various language learning disabilities, cognitive challenges, and speech sound disorders.
Prior to becoming a speech-language therapist, Tom worked as a cued language transliterator, facilitating communication between deaf and hearing people in a variety of settings. He received the highest level of certification awarded to transliterators and has developed coursework to train parents and service providers in expressive and receptive cueing skills. He presents around the country and internationally on Cued Speech, transliteration, and issues of equal access in deaf education.
In 2014, Tom adapted Cued Speech to create a visual modality for deaf people to communicate in Amharic – one of the languages spoken in Ethiopia. Each summer, he travels to schools serving deaf children in Addis Ababa where he provides training to students, their family members, and educators.
His additional areas of interest include phonology, signed languages, foreign language instruction, interpretation, accents and dialects, curriculum development, and online instruction. He is an alumnus of the Institute.
- BS, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Emerson College, Boston, MA
- MS, Communication Sciences and Disorders, MGH Institute of Health Professions, Charlestown, MA
Presentations
Shull T., Hailu M., Nega A., Gebrehiwot T., & Redleaf M. (2016) Introduction of Visual Amharic to Educate Deaf Students in Ethiopia - A Pilot Study. Journal of Communication Disorders, Deaf Studies &Hearing Aids, 4, 153.
Shull, T., & Crain, K. (2010). "Fundamental Principles of Cued Speech and Cued Language". In C. LaSasso, K. Crain, & J. Leybaert (Eds.), Cued Speech and Cued Language for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children (pp. 27-52). San Diego, CA: Plural.
Shull T., Hailu M., Nega A., Gebrehiwot T., & Redleaf M. (2016) Introduction of Visual Amharic to Educate Deaf Students in Ethiopia - A Pilot Study. Journal of Communication Disorders, Deaf Studies &Hearing Aids, 4, 153.
Shull, T., & Crain, K. (2010). "Fundamental Principles of Cued Speech and Cued Language". In C. LaSasso, K. Crain, & J. Leybaert (Eds.), Cued Speech and Cued Language for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children (pp. 27-52). San Diego, CA: Plural.