A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ME…
I am a nationally certified speech-language pathologist (S-LP) with over 20 years of experience working with children and their families. I completed my three-year Master of Science degree in Human Communication Disorders from Dalhousie University in 2000, and was thrilled to receive the Award for Outstanding Academic and Clinical Achievement for placing first in my graduating class. After graduation, I jumped at the chance to work for Early Abilities, the publicly funded service in Toronto for preschool children, located at The Hanen Centre. (Early Abilities is the Ontario equivalent of the Nova Scotia Hearing & Speech Centres.) The Hanen Centre is world-renowned in the field of early language intervention. Its approach involves teaching parents and caregivers how to encourage their child to communicate within everyday real-life activities. I have received specialized training and maintain certification to teach all six Hanen® Programs (three entry-level and three advanced). I have provided direct therapy (individual and in groups), consultation to daycares and parent workshops for children with a wide range of communication difficulties. I pride myself in using an empowering family-centered approach, where parents actively participate in assessment, contribute to goal selection, and are provided with opportunities to practice their skills during the treatment process. I also bring expertise in the area of speech delays and motor speech disorders (verbal apraxia). This is supported by certification in PROMPT Levels I and II, a touch-based cueing system to help children pronounce sounds more accurately. I was honoured to be chosen to sit on the Motor Speech “Best Practice” Table for the City of Toronto. The team consisted of 10 speech therapists who were identified as experts in the identification and treatment of speech delays and disorders. Its members were responsible for mentoring their S-LP colleagues to ensure that best-practice standards were being met across the city. In addition to my full-time job, I also ran a private practice for school-aged children with speech difficulties. These children had previously received therapy at school, but continued to present with articulation errors. I am happy to report that all of my private clients completed therapy and now have excellent pronunciation. In September 2016, I moved back to my hometown of Halifax to introduce my husband and two boys to a different kind of life – one closer to family, friends, and the rugged beauty of the East coast. It has been a fabulous decision and we’ve been enjoying it ever since!
