03/03/2026
The LoneStar LEND (Leadership Education in Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders) program has opened doors to incredible learning, collaboration, and advocacy opportunities — and those experiences directly benefit the young people and families we serve at LifeSpeak.
Through this program, we’ve has been able to expand access to meaningful resources related to healthcare navigation, employment readiness, continuing education, mental health supports, and authentic community participation for both current and past LifeSpeak clients.
And now, applications are open for the 2026–2027 cohort!
Parents of autistic and neurodivergent individuals, self-advocates, current students, and professionals across disciplines are all encouraged to apply.
If you’re passionate about building stronger systems of support and expanding access to opportunity, this program is worth exploring.
Nathalie Lebrun is a Speech Language Pathologist, clinical educator, and founder of LifeSpeak LLC, a practice focused on expanding communication access and meaningful participation for neurodivergent adolescents, young adults, and families across school, work, and community settings. She serves as an adjunct professor in the Communication Sciences and Disorders program at the University of Houston and is a professional development facilitator, delivering training and invited presentations at the local, state, and national levels.
Nathalie applied to the Lone Star LEND program to help expand understanding and practice of speech-language therapy and to build greater awareness of the need for communication access and supports across environments. She is especially interested in interdisciplinary collaboration, leadership, and advocacy as tools for systems-level change.
She has received multiple professional recognitions, including the 2024 Innovator Award from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and the 2026 Executive Council Member of the Year award from the Texas Speech-Language-Hearing Association (TSHA). Nathalie was the keynote co-speaker at the 2026 annual TSHA Convention in Fort Worth.