New Orleans Speech and Hearing Center

03/13/2026

Greatest feeling as a pediatric SLP? Mom and Grandma saying they recognized the first words. Photo: Lori T. with client

03/03/2026

Big smiles from this client! Her SLPA, Callie, is proud of her progress but even more proud of her willingness to work hard and keep at it! 🤩

02/27/2026

Consistent attendance + supportive parents = awesome progress! This client has made great strides in his expressive language goals. Join NOSHC and his SLPA, Lyn G., in celebrating him and the wonderful support behind him!

02/25/2026

Did you see this story from our Nov/Dec newsletter?
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Full Circle: A Lifelong Journey in Speech-Language Pathology
In 1973, at just 14 years old, Cindy Peterson took the bus from the Westbank, crossed the
river, and then rode the streetcar to the New Orleans Speech and Hearing Center’s (NOSHC)
Toledano location to volunteer, not knowing that opportunity would shape the rest of her
life.
“I had to do a civics project about an occupation and I chose to interview a speech-language
therapist,” she recalls. That conversation led to a volunteer position at the Center under its
director at the time, Jack Rosen. “I was just 14, and they welcomed me even though I was so
young,” she said. “I remember getting to observe sessions through the glass and I helped by
cutting pictures out of magazines for therapy activities. Back then, you didn’t buy therapy
games, you made them yourself!”
That volunteer experience sealed her decision to become a speech-language pathologist, a
career she has now pursued for more than 40 years. After earning her master’s degree from
Louisiana State University (LSU) in Baton Rouge, she gained experience in nearly every setting, including hospitals, home health, private practice, and schools. “I’ve worked with both
adults and children,” she said. She found working with children and adults to be very different, noting that their motivation is often not the same. “Adults are often motivated because
they’ve lost something and want to get it back. Some children can be motivated by a Skittle
or a pencil,” she said.
She also spent time supervising graduate students at LSU. “I always told my students: you
spend a lot of your life at work, make sure you’re happy with what you do.”
Now, at 67, she mostly substitutes in local schools but still carries the lessons she learned
during those early days at New Orleans Speech and Hearing Center. Recently, she decided it
was time to give back again, this time by donating toys for the Center’s clients.
“I’d been collecting toys, and one day I told my husband, ‘We have got to go down there and
donate them.”’ This summer, Cindy and her husband met with NOSHC CEO Lesley Jernigan
to deliver the toys and take a tour of the Center where they shared NOSHC stories, then and
now.
In addition to donating to NOSHC, Cindy and her husband run a breed-specific beagle rescue. Cindy said, “You should give back when you’re able.”
For her, the visit to 1636 Toledano was a full circle moment, a return to the place where her
lifelong career in speech-language pathology first began.
Photos: NOSHC CEO Lesley Jernigan and Cindy Peterson at June 2025 visit.

02/23/2026

Update: NOSHC Headquarters will open at noon. 2/23/26

Due to a water outage in the Uptown area, our headquarters (1636 Toledano) is currently closed until noon. Check back for updates. Other locations not affected. 2/23/26

02/17/2026

Happy Mardi Gras from the staff at New Orleans Speech and Hearing Center 💜💚💛

02/15/2026

For the second year in a row, Bittersweet Confections’ Chocolate King Cake takes the crown in our in-house staff king cake contest! 👑
Happy Carnival!
Photo from
Reminder: NOSHC will be closed Lundi Gras and Mardi Gras at all locations.

02/03/2026

NOSHC Headquarters (Uptown) will open today (Tues. Feb 3) at NOON. Metairie and Westbank offices regular hours.

Send a message to learn more

02/02/2026

NOSHC Headquarters (Uptown) will close today (Mon. Feb 2) at 2:30 PM due to a heating issue. Reopening Tuesday, Feb 3 at noon.
Metairie and Westbank locations remain open.

01/28/2026

Rock N Bowl holiday party fun with Team NOSHC 🎳

01/26/2026

Weather update: NOSHC will open with regular hours at all locations on Tuesday, Jan. 27.