Department of Rehabilitation Sciences

Education:

B.S., McNeese State University.  Speech and Communication; 1989.

Ph.D., Louisiana State University.  Communication Sciences and Disorders, 1995.

Certification/Licensure:

ASHA Certificate of Clinical Competence – Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP)
North Carolina License – Speech-Language Pathology

Specialties:
Preschool and School-age Speech and Language Disorders
Autism 

Digital Media: CSD Applications

Advocacy, Equity, and Access in CSD

Teaching:
CSD 2366 – Communication Development

CSD 3201 – Language Disorders in Children

CSD 3202 – Speech Disorders across the Lifespan
CSD 5676 – School Age Language Disorders

Biography:

Dr. Monica L. Bellon-Harn is a Professor of Speech-Language Pathology in the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences. She earned her doctorate from LSU in 1995 and began her academic career with a clinical scholar’s focus on child speech and language disorders. Her career trajectory includes leadership roles such as department chair and founder of a graduate CSD program and SLP clinic. She is pleased to be in a faculty role with a renewed focus on teaching and scholarly activity.

Her current scholarly work centers on the role of digital media in CSD practice, health equity and access, and communication support for autistic individuals. She has developed clinical programs and community partnerships to support children and families, including literacy-based interventions and college success programs for autistic students. Through her work, she bridges research, teaching, and service to enhance communication access across diverse populations.

Representative Publications (past 3 years)

Bellon-Harn, M., Morris, L. & Trahan, M. (in press). Action Steps toward Equity in Communication Sciences and Disorders: A Program Evaluation of Student Self-Efficacy. Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences and Disorders.

Wolford, G., Varela, G., Freeland, R., & Bellon-Harn, M. (2026). Social Isolation or Autistic Homophily: An Exploration of the Social Networks of Autistic College Students. Autism.

Bellon-Harn, M., Wolford, G., Saar, K. W., priya Santhanam, S., & Hunt, M. Navigating “Imaginary Conversations” with Neurotypicals: Insights from Instagram. (2026). Research in Neurodiversity.

Mathew, S., John, S., Vani, L., & Bellon-Harn, M. Beliefs and practices of Anganwadi and Private preschool teachers towards Emergent Literacy. (2026). International Journal of Early Years Education.

Salins, S., John, S., Bellon-Harn, M. (2025) Parental selection of shared reading materials: A Scoping Review. Early Child Development and Care, 1-27.

Johnson, R., Bellon-Harn, M., Bhandary, R., Shwetha, T., John, S. (2025) “Sometimes my mind just goes out. I cannot do anything for my child.” Reflections from mothers with bipolar disorder on shared book reading. Reading Research Quarterly, 61, e70076.  

Bellon-Harn, M., Morris, L., Gilmore, C., & Smith, C. (2025). Quality and parent perspectives of articulation and phonological intervention for child speech sound disorders in YouTube videos. Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, 1-12. 

Mohanan, R., Aithal, V., Veena, D., & Bellon-Harn, M. (2025). Mixed video modeling intervention for improving social communication skills in children with autism spectrum disorder: Development and expert validation of the materials. Language, Speech, and Hearing Disorders in Schools, 1-11.

Santhanam, S. P., Bellon-Harn, M. L., Kashinath, S., Wilson, K., VanUitert, V., & Barnett, A. (2025). The Speech-Language Pathologist's Role in Supporting Autistic Students in Postsecondary Education Settings. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 34(5), 2533-2546.

Bellon-Harn, M., Whisenhunt Saar, K., Santhanam, S., & Heydari, S. (2025). The diagnostic journey of autistic women on Tik Tok. Research in Autism.

Mohanan, R., Aithal, V., Veena, D., & Bellon-Harn, M. (2025). Effectiveness of Video-Based Instruction with Additional Components to Improve Conversational Skills in Autistic Children: A Systematic Review. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 35, 1567-1585.

Bellon-Harn, M. L., & Morris, L. R. (2025). An Examination of an Online, Asynchronous Social Justice Program With Undergraduate Communication Sciences and Disorders Students. Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, 10(2), 533-547.

Williams, E., Bellon-Harn, M., & Morris, L. (2024). You’re going to serve people from all different backgrounds”: CSD Students’ Perceptions of an Introductory Online Social Justice Program. Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences and Disorders, 8(3). 

Bellon-Harn, M. L., & John, S. (2024). Clinical utility of shared book reading on YouTube: An analysis of metadata, evidence-based content, understandability, and actionability. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 26(4), 556-565.

Jacob, R. S., John, S., Bellon-Harn, M. L., & Manchaiah, V. (2024). Exploring maternal interactions during shared book readings in Indian home contexts. Early Childhood Education Journal, 52(6), 1011-1022.