Regional Product Specialist

• Nov 2021 - Present

Pediatric AAC Specialist/SLP

• 2017 - Nov 2021

Assistant Care Coordinator

• Jun 2008 - Nov 2021

• Supervise and implement a complex care plan for the medical, communication, and educational needs of a child with cerebral palsy • Manage and train personal care assistant staff in client’s medical care, educational needs, and communication needs • Advise and manage staff on implementation of care plan • Resolve and assist with employee conflict to foster a cooperative working environment • Available on-call to respond to and advise support staff on care interventions in emergency situations • Interview and screen potential employees • Devised and implemented policies and procedures manual to ensure continuity and consistency of care • Provide ongoing training to client’s educators and related service providers in AAC use, strategies, tools, and language acquisition • Collaborate with child’s parent and school team to create ongoing programming and facilitate implementation of IEP • Provide ongoing support and maintenance for client’s SGD • Trained in generative language/core vocabulary for auditory scanners and assisted in the development of a customized SGD system for an auditory scanner with CVI using a head array • Manage client’s AAC and assistive technology in client’s home • Learned to use and program a Vantage Lite with Unity, MinSpeak, and MinTalk software and a Mercury with Boardmaker software • Assisted client in learning to use his head array to access switch-scanning software on a PC & iPad, an adapted Playstation2, and to drive a powered wheelchair • Problem-solved to adapt schoolwork using Classroom Suites, Boardmaker, Microsoft Word, Excel & PowerPoint, maintaining content and rigor • Advocated for child’s needs at school while maintaining professionalism, collaborated with school team during planning meetings, and communicated between home & school staff regarding client status and needs • Problem-solved at home and school to create environments where client could actively participate in age-appropriate activities Show less

Speech Language Pathologist

• Aug 2016 - Jul 2017

• Evaluate and provide augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), dysphagia, articulation/phonology, language, cognitive rehabilitation treatment for a wide variety of children with varying medical complexities including: cerebral palsy, epilepsy, spina bifida, hydrocephalus, a multitude of genetic disorders, cleft lip and palate, autism spectrum disorders, dysphagia • Evaluate, provide treatment recommendations, and referrals in multidisciplinary clinics including: AAC, motor delay clinic (serves birth to 3 and early childhood populations receiving first-time neuromotor diagnoses), and complex motor disorders clinic (serves populations with varying movement disorders, typically undergoing candidacy for deep brain stimulation) • Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to evaluate and create treatment plans • Conduct videofluoroscopy swallow studies with radiologists • Provide neuromuscular electrical stimulation as a modality for dysphagia treatment for infants and children • Conduct bedside dysphagia evaluations for inpatient populations staying in the PICU, neurosciences unit, orthosurgical unit, and rehabilitation unit • Coordinate the outpatient rehabilitation clinic’s AAC library • Consult with medical providers regarding patient therapy and recommendations • Write AAC funding requests for private pay insurance and medical assistance • Create materials to support patients’ ongoing communication and therapy needs, as well as home program materials to support generalization and carryover of therapy in all environments • Provide speech/language treatment in a pool setting in addition to traditional clinic room settings • Write evaluation reports, treatment notes, certification letters, reauthorization letters, and letters of medical necessity in an electronic medical record system • Collaborate with school professionals and other professionals involved in patients’ treatment to coordinate care Show less

Speech Language Pathologist

• Aug 2015 - Jun 2016

• Pioneered an augmentative and alternative communication program in a Federal Setting IV school for students with complex communication needs (CCN) • Evaluated and provided speech and language therapy services for students with a wide array of abilities (ranging from students with complex physical and communication needs, autism spectrum disorders, Down Syndrome to students with emotional and behavioral needs, language disorders, and articulation disorders) and ages (kindergarten to 21 years) • Collaborated with multi-disciplinary teams to create and support individualized education programming for students • Provided training for educators, administrators, educational assistants, other support staff, and parents in language acquisition and learning, bilingualism and language disorders, complex communication needs, and AAC • Facilitated students’ CCN in the classroom, providing services over a varied environments for successful communication in all aspects of students’ days • Familiar with and used a wide variety of speech generating devices (SGD) and low-tech communication methods with students • Collaborated with peers and innovative coaches to define a best practice model of speech and language pathology services and expand current speech and language programming in a Federal Setting IV school • Advocated for students’ communication needs in interdisciplinary team meetings, individual education plan (IEP) meetings, and to administrators • Collaborated with administration and itinerant related therapy services providers in monthly meetings to discuss the expansion of related services in a Federal Setting IV program • Wrote AAC funding requests for private pay insurance and medical assistance successfully secured funding for all requests written • Created materials to support students’ ongoing communication needs in the classroom and during direct therapy sessions Show less

Student SLP Intern

• Mar 2015 - Jun 2015

• Implemented assessment and intervention for a variety of speech and language disorders • Collaborated with school professionals, teachers, educational assistants, and families in evaluation and IEP meetings • Contributed to writing of evaluation summary reports, IEPs, and progress notes in ORSPED (an electronic record system) • Transcribed and coded language samples using SALT (Systematic Analysis of Language Transcripts) software • Implemented assessment and intervention for a variety of speech and language disorders • Collaborated with school professionals, teachers, educational assistants, and families in evaluation and IEP meetings • Contributed to writing of evaluation summary reports, IEPs, and progress notes in ORSPED (an electronic record system) • Transcribed and coded language samples using SALT (Systematic Analysis of Language Transcripts) software

SLP Intern

• Jan 2015 - Mar 2015

• Implemented intervention for articulation & language disorders and assisted in implementation of feeding/swallowing intervention • Collaborated with interdisciplinary teams in implementing intervention, writing treatment goals, and writing IFSPs • Completed Medicare notes in a computer based charting system • Coordinated treatment plans with families, SLPs, PTs, and OTs • Created no/low-tech AAC intervention materials for children with complex communication needs (CCN) • Provided individualized child and family centered services in the home to children with Autism, sensory impairments, orthopedic impairments, significant developmental delays, and/or other medical conditions. Show less

SLP Intern

• Sep 2014 - Dec 2014

Interned at an outpatient clinic providing specialty services in developmental pediatrics, pediatric psychology, speech-language therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, audiology, social work, and nutrition; and a pediatric skilled nursing facility providing 24-hour long-term, short-term, respite, and end-of-life care to medically fragile children and young people. • Evaluated for and treated using various no/low-tech, mid-tech & high-tech AAC systems and total communication strategies • Explored and implemented evidence-based AAC treatment practices for patients with an array of disabilities including expressive/receptive language disorders secondary to ASD, cerebral palsy, Down Syndrome & other genetic disorders, and childhood apraxia of speech • Wrote AAC funding requests to send to device companies and insurance companies • Programmed communication devices, including: DynaVox, Tobii, PRC, NovaChat, and GoTalk • Created no-tech/low-tech communication books modified using PODD system • Educated families and caregivers on incorporating AAC use and multi-modal communication • Provided evidence-based intervention to children with CCN, medically fragile complications, and feeding/swallowing needs • Created and facilitated implementation of home therapy programs with families and caregivers • Administered language assessments (PPVT, Rossetti Infant-Toddler Language Scale, McArthur-Bates CDI, GFTA, SSI, and both Spanish & English versions of PLS & CELF) • Collaborated with families, caregivers, and interdisciplinary team members to create treatment goals • Collaborated with school teams to create parallel treatment programs Show less