Diane Pesco, PhD.

Diane Pesco joined the Department of Education (Child Studies Programs) in July 2008.  Her research focuses on the conversational and narrative skills of children of diverse ability and from varied linguistic and cultural backgrounds.  She is also interested in the role of socialization and instruction in the strengthening of such skills and in novel tools for their assessment.

Pesco has taught courses on language development, interventions designed for children with delays or difficulties acquiring language, and child development.  She has also worked as a speech-language consultant in Montreal and nearby communities, working directly with children and collaborating with teachers and caregivers in supporting children’s oral language and early literacy.

Education

Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Waterloo, Psychology
PhD McGill University, School of Communication Sciences & Disorders (Speech-Language Pathology)
MSc McGill University, School of Communication Sciences & Disorders (Speech-Language Pathology)
BA University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Women’s Studies

Professional experience

Associate Professor, Concordia University, 2014-present
Assistant Professor, Concordia University, 2008-2013
Lecturer, Université de Montreal, Ecole d’orthophonie; McGill University, First Nations and Inuit Education
Speech-Language Pathologist in schools and other agencies serving children

Research interests

conversational and narrative skills of children of diverse ability and from varied linguistic and cultural backgrounds; the role of socialization and instruction in fostering these skills; and the relationship of oral language and literacy in childhood.

Courses taught

EDUC 211 Child Development
EDUC 303 Children, Families, and Social Policy
EDUC 464 Research Methods in Child Studies
EDUC 490 Exceptional Child I
EDUC 491 Exceptional Child II
EDUC 402 Diversity Issues in Childhood
CHST 603 Seminar: Issues in Child Studies
CHST 612 Language Acquisition and Development
CHST 640 Language Matters
EDUC 808 Reporting Research

Selected Journal Articles 

Zhu, X., & Pesco, D. (2024). “Why is the bear sad?”: Preparing preservice educators to support children’s inferencing during storybook reading. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/10901027.2024.2406210

Pesco, D., & MacLeod, A. N. (2024). Dictating and acting out stories: A pathway to writing for preschoolers. Early Childhood Education Journal. https://rdcu.be/dRQtJ

Laurie, A., & Pesco, D. (2024). Dynamic assessment of narratives: Case studies of bilingual Filipino kindergarteners with language difficulties. Child Language Teaching and Therapy, 40(1), 24-38.https://doi.org/10.1177/02656590241228420

Pesco, D., & O’Neill, D. (2023). Assessing pragmatics in early childhood with the Language Use Inventory across seven languages. Frontiers in Psychology, 14:1169775. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1169775

Laurie, A., & Pesco, D. (2023). Curriculum-based dynamic assessment of narratives for bilingual Filipino children. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in the Schools, 54(2), 489-503.https://doi.org/10.1044 /2022_LSHSS-22-00117 

MacLeod, A. A. N., & Pesco, D. (2022). Narratives by bilingual children: A tale of strengths and growth during kindergarten. The International Journal of Bilingualism and Bilingual Education, 26(7), 891-903. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2022.2132107

MacLeod, A. A. N., Meziane, S., & Pesco, D. (2020). Supporting dual language learning: A program for preschoolers from refugee backgrounds. In comparing the German and Canadian experiences of resettling refugees: A 21st century response, Canadian Diversity, 17(2), 32-36.

MacLeod, A. A. N., Meziane, S., & Pesco, D. (2020). Language abilities of children with refugee backgrounds: Insights from case studies. Applied Psycholinguistics, 41(6), 1329-1349.

Pesco, D., & Gagné, A. (2017). Scaffolding narrative skills: A meta-analysis of instruction in early childhood settings. Early Education and Development, 28, 773-793. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2015.1060800

Pesco, D., & O'Neill, D. (2016). Assessing early language use by French-speaking children: Introducing the LUI-French. Canadian Journal of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, 40, 198-217.

Pesco, D., MacLeod, A. A. N., Kay-Raining Bird, E., Cleave, P., Trudeau, N., de Valenzuela, J., Cain, K., Marinova-Todd, S.,Colozzo, P., Stahl, H., Segers, E., & Verhoeven, L. (2016). A multi-site review of policies affecting opportunities for children with developmental disabilities to become bilingual. Journal of Communication Disorders, 63, 15-31.https://doi.org /10.1016/j.jcomdis.2016.05.008

Segal, A. & Pesco, D. (2015). Narrative skills of youth with Down syndrome: A comprehensive literature review. Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities, 27, 721-743.https://doi.org/10.1007/s10882-015-9441-5

Pesco, D., & Devlin, C. (2015). The effects of explicit instruction on French-speaking kindergarteners’ understanding of stories. Child Language Teaching and Therapy, 31(2) 195–206. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265659014548518

McClintock, B., Pesco, D., & Martin-Chang, S.(2014). Thinking aloud: Effects on text comprehension by children with Specific Language Impairment and their peers. International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders, 49, 637–648.https://doi.org/10.1111/1460-6984.12081

Pesco, D. (2014). Working with Aboriginal children and families: Cultural responsiveness and beyond. Canadian Journal of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, 38, 144-151. http://cjslpa.ca/files/2014_ CJSLPA_Vol_38/No_02/CJSLPA_Summer_2014_Vol_38_No_2_Paper_1_Pesco.pdf

Pesco, D., & O’Neill, D. (2012). Predicting language outcomes from early pragmatics assessed by the Language Use Inventory. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 55, 421-434. https://doi.org/10.1044/1092-4388(2011/10-0273)