About Us > Staff & Faculty > Mary Thelander

Mary J. Thelander

Mary J. Thelander, Ph.D. is an assistant professor (adjunct) in the Department of Speech-Language Pathology, University of Toronto. Her research and program development concentrated on the relationship among social development, language, narrative and literacy in minority-language children between three and nine years of age. Specifically, to determine if direct instruction in narrative language and social reasoning through concentrated exposure to children’s stories coded for social reasoning complexity improves literacy achievement. Further, she is investigating if social reasoning and second-language learning independently predict literacy.

Link to website for program FROM 3 TO 3© developing literacy through story>

Professor Thelander's areas of interest include development of social reasoning; narrative development; theory and teaching practice change; primary grade curriculum development; communication and behavioral and emotional disorder; program evaluation; community research.

Research presentations

Thelander, M. & Comay, J. (April 2009) Using stories to develop narrative and social understanding in children. Symposium: Engaging children’s social cognition for literacy instruction. Society for Research in Child Development, chair: M. Thelander, Denver, U.S.A.

Thelander, M. & Falenchuk, O. (July 2008) Developing language and social understanding in the early years. Symposium: Language and Thought. International Congress of Psychology, Berlin, Germany.

Thelander, M. & Filoppova, E. (March 2007) Relationship between social reasoning and school success in second-language learners. Symposium: Learning to Read Minds: Perspectives on the Acquisition and Development of Theory of Mind, Language and Literacy. Society for Research in Child Development, Boston, U.S.A.

Thelander, M., Comay, J., Filoppova, E. (March 2007) Assessing social reasoning in oral and written stories for children: a theoretical model. Society for Research in Child Development, Boston, U.S.A.

Thelander, M. (June 2005) Symposium: Advances in social reasoning beyond the preschool years. Jean Piaget Society, Vancouver.

Thelander, M. (2004) What underlies later-developing theory of mind: linguistic or cognitive ability? International Society for the Study of Behavioural Development, Ghent, Belgium.

Filoppova, Eva & Thelander, M. (2004) Theory of Mind in School-Aged Children. International Society for the Study of Behavioural Development, Ghent, Belgium.

Publications

Hoen, B., Thelander, M. &Worsley, J. (1997). Improvement in psychological well being of people with aphasia and their families: evaluation of a community-based programme. Aphasiology, 11.

Aphasia - A New Life, A handbook for helping communities. (1992). Toronto: Coopershill Publishing Inc.

Hung, D. & Thelander, M. (1978). A three week camp programme for 18 autistic children. Exceptional Children, Spring.