Wider Reach
Scholarly Impact: Hélène Deacon
h-index: 47; i10-index: 102; citation count: 9804
Obtained from Google Scholar on April 1st, 2024
Dr. Deacon's research has had incredible impact on the scientific community. She is in the top 2% of scientists internationally in terms of impact, across all fields and career stages. Within psychology, she is in the 100th percentile for impact of published research, accounting for career stage and field. (i.e., an mq index of 2.33; please see Ruscio et al., 2012, http://tinyurl.com/ozflhj8).
Obtained from Google Scholar on April 1st, 2024
Dr. Deacon's research has had incredible impact on the scientific community. She is in the top 2% of scientists internationally in terms of impact, across all fields and career stages. Within psychology, she is in the 100th percentile for impact of published research, accounting for career stage and field. (i.e., an mq index of 2.33; please see Ruscio et al., 2012, http://tinyurl.com/ozflhj8).
Public Policy Impact
Dr. Deacon’s research is influencing public policy through reports and briefings communicated through partners.
Reports for the Royal Society of Canada
Dr. Deacon was recruited by the Royal Society of Canada’s COVID-19 Task Force to co-author a policy brief with evidence-based recommendations to improve the well-being of Canadians through the COVID-19 pandemic. This brief was shared with leaders at Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada, as well as with Chief Medical Officers across the country, including at the national level. This report was featured in the National Post and Radio-Canada and has been downloaded over 3000 times. It has led to widespread decisions for schools to be the “last to close and the first to open,” supporting children’s learning and family well-being through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Partnership with the Canadian Children's Literacy Foundation
Deacon’s lab produces research reviews for Canada’s premiere literacy advocacy group, the Canadian Children’s Literacy Foundation, which then creates and mobilises briefings such as Screens and the Early Years through their influential networks of 5000+ health care, non-profit and education leaders (examples below). These collaborative briefings have real world impact for families and practice. For example, Screens and the Early Years informed the Canadian Paediatric Association’s new guidelines on screen time.
Dr. Deacon was recruited by the Royal Society of Canada’s COVID-19 Task Force to co-author a policy brief with evidence-based recommendations to improve the well-being of Canadians through the COVID-19 pandemic. This brief was shared with leaders at Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada, as well as with Chief Medical Officers across the country, including at the national level. This report was featured in the National Post and Radio-Canada and has been downloaded over 3000 times. It has led to widespread decisions for schools to be the “last to close and the first to open,” supporting children’s learning and family well-being through the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Thompson, J., & Deacon, S. H. (2021). Technology and a child’s journey to literacy. In Werker, J. F. et al. (Eds.) Impact of COVID-19 on Language and Literacy in Canada (pp. 75-77). Royal Society of Canada. https://rsc-src.ca/sites/default/files/Literacy%20PB_EN_3.pdf
- McGrath, P. J., Asmundson, G. J. G., Blackstock, C., Bourque, M. C., Brimacombe, G., Crawford, A., Deacon, S. H., McMullen, K., Mushquash, C., Stewart, S. H., Stinson, J., Taylor, S., Campbell-Yeo, M. (2020, October 9). Easing the disruption of COVID-19: Supporting the mental health of the people of Canada. Royal Society of Canada. https://rsc-src.ca/en/research-and-reports/easing disruption-covid-19-supporting-mental-health-people [https://rsc-src.ca/fr/covid-19-policy-briefing/att%C3%A9nuer-les-perturbations-engendr%C3%A9es-par-la-pand%C3%A9mie-de-la-covid-19]
Partnership with the Canadian Children's Literacy Foundation
Deacon’s lab produces research reviews for Canada’s premiere literacy advocacy group, the Canadian Children’s Literacy Foundation, which then creates and mobilises briefings such as Screens and the Early Years through their influential networks of 5000+ health care, non-profit and education leaders (examples below). These collaborative briefings have real world impact for families and practice. For example, Screens and the Early Years informed the Canadian Paediatric Association’s new guidelines on screen time.
CCLF Partnership: Tips for Families
Please click the poster previews below for access to the full poster.
Please click the poster previews below for access to the full poster.
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Screens and The Early years
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Building Language and Reading Skills at Home
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Raising Children to Speak More Than One Language
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Educational and Clinical Impact
Talks and partnerships with educators
Beyond traditional scientific impact, Dr. Deacon actively collaborates with educators and practitioners to ensure that research findings directly benefit learners in classrooms and clinics. By engaging with school boards and education departments, Dr. Deacon's work informs curriculum development and empowers educators to implement research-backed strategies effectively. She has also given multiple presentations to educators through the Inter-University Research Network (IURN), which is a Nova Scotia Education and Early Childhood Development network that funds research projects identifying positive learning environments and opportunities. To this group and beyond, Dr. Deacon is regularly invited to give talks. These include speaking to 'full house' workshops with over 200 attendees at major gatherings of speech-language pathologists and teachers. This ongoing engagement with practitioners integrates real-world insights into research design and facilitates the translation of research into action.
Examples of invited talks
Influence on Educational Curriculums Around the World
Dr. Deacon's work identifying core skills that children need to read has been implemented in educational curriculums across Canada and around the world to optimize children's reading outcomes. For instance, in Alberta, the development of the new elementary school curriculum relied directly on Deacon’s research on morphology. Internationally, Deacon’s findings have influenced curriculum recommendations in the USA (Allen et al., 2015), France (Colé, 2011), New Zealand (Chapman et al., 2018), Singapore (Silver & Bokhorst, 2016), and the United Kingdom (Breadmore et al., 2019).
Examples of curricula and policy featuring Dr. Deacon's research
Influence on Professional Training
Dr. Deacon's research findings are now integrated into post-secondary textbooks and professional development initiatives. This broader dissemination ensures that educators, psychologists, and speech-language pathologists are incorporating Deacon's insights into their practices, thus magnifying their effects.
Examples of textbooks featuring Dr. Deacon's research:
Beyond traditional scientific impact, Dr. Deacon actively collaborates with educators and practitioners to ensure that research findings directly benefit learners in classrooms and clinics. By engaging with school boards and education departments, Dr. Deacon's work informs curriculum development and empowers educators to implement research-backed strategies effectively. She has also given multiple presentations to educators through the Inter-University Research Network (IURN), which is a Nova Scotia Education and Early Childhood Development network that funds research projects identifying positive learning environments and opportunities. To this group and beyond, Dr. Deacon is regularly invited to give talks. These include speaking to 'full house' workshops with over 200 attendees at major gatherings of speech-language pathologists and teachers. This ongoing engagement with practitioners integrates real-world insights into research design and facilitates the translation of research into action.
Examples of invited talks
- Deacon, S. H. (2024, August 18-21). Morphology: a key bridging process in successful reading. Summer Literacy Symposium 2024, Saint-Sauveur, Quebec, Canada.
- Deacon, S. H. (2022, March 14). Breaking into reading: Skills that drive children’s reading development. 2022 Donald G. Doehring Memorial Lecture, McGill University School of Communication Sciences & Disorders, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
- Deacon, S. H., Ryken, A., Kadam, R., & Frempong, G. (2022, January 26). Identifying the language skills that children need to succeed in learning to read: Success and opportunities. Inter-University Research Network Spring Symposium, Nova Scotia.
- Deacon, S. H. (2019, May). Addressing the achievement gap in Nova Scotia: Identifying the language skills that children need to succeed in learning to read. Inter-University Research Network Spring Symposium, Truro, Canada.
- Deacon, S. H. (2016, April 27-30). Tools for supporting children’s reading development: An in-depth look at morphological awareness. Speech-Language and Audiology Canada Conference, Halifax, Canada.
- Deacon, S. H. (2012, April). Skills that children bring to reading and what they learn from reading. Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
Influence on Educational Curriculums Around the World
Dr. Deacon's work identifying core skills that children need to read has been implemented in educational curriculums across Canada and around the world to optimize children's reading outcomes. For instance, in Alberta, the development of the new elementary school curriculum relied directly on Deacon’s research on morphology. Internationally, Deacon’s findings have influenced curriculum recommendations in the USA (Allen et al., 2015), France (Colé, 2011), New Zealand (Chapman et al., 2018), Singapore (Silver & Bokhorst, 2016), and the United Kingdom (Breadmore et al., 2019).
Examples of curricula and policy featuring Dr. Deacon's research
- Allen, L., Kelly, B. B., & National Research Council. (2015). Educational practices. In Transforming the workforce for children birth through age 8: a unifying foundation. National Academies Press (US).
- Breadmore, H. L., Vardy, E. J., Cunningham, A., Kwok, R. K., & Carroll, J. M. (2019). Literacy development: Evidence review. Education Endowment Foundation.
- Chapman JW, Arrow AW, Braid C, Tunmer WE, Greaney KT (2018). The Early Literacy Project: Final milestone report. Palmerston North, New Zealand: Massey University.
- Colé, P. (2011). Le développement du vocabulaire à l'école primaire: Les apports de la dimension morphologique de la langue [Vocabulary development in primary school: The contributions of the morphological dimension of the (French) language]. Ministère de l'éducation nationale, de la jeunesse et de la vie associative.
- Silver, R. E., & Bokhorst-Heng, W. D. (2016). Quadrilingual education in Singapore: pedagogical innovation in language education. Springer.
Influence on Professional Training
Dr. Deacon's research findings are now integrated into post-secondary textbooks and professional development initiatives. This broader dissemination ensures that educators, psychologists, and speech-language pathologists are incorporating Deacon's insights into their practices, thus magnifying their effects.
Examples of textbooks featuring Dr. Deacon's research:
- Bergin, C. C., & Bergin, D. A. (2014). Child and adolescent development in your classroom. Cengage Learning.
- Cain, K. (2010). Reading Development and Difficulties. BPS Blackwell
- Feist, G. J., Rosenberg, E., Stamp, J. & Poole, J. (2015): Psychology: Evaluating Connections. McGraw-Hill Ryerson.
- McBride, C. (2015). Children's literacy development: A cross-cultural perspective on learning to read and write. Routledge.