Starting a blog as a resource for parents has been a dream of mine for a few years. Although I help parents locally learn to help their young children talk and communicate, I have always wanted to extend my reach to parents everywhere. Thank goodness for the internet!
A little about myself:
I am a licensed and certified speech-language pathologist (SLP). I have been working with children since 2001. I began my career as an SLP in the public school system for children from pre-k to fifth grade. Shortly after in 2005 I started contracting with Georgia's early intervention program, Babies Can't Wait, which serves children ages birth to 3. I found my calling and started treating private clients in addition to children enrolled in the BCW program.
How did I become an SLP?
When I was five years old my mother often took my sister, our friends (a set of twins), and me to preschool and kindergarten each morning. Our friends who were twins had a hard time correctly pronouncing their /r/ sound. My mom, sister, and I worked with them each day on the way to school, and they were eventually able to say the /r/ sound perfectly by the end of the school year! As a child and teenager I always knew that I wanted to become a professional who could help other people. I often thought I would become a physical or occupational therapist. While in high school and some of college I worked at a mental health clinic in the business office. Once I entered college I wanted to become a psychologist. After talking with a friend my sophomore year about her major in communicative disorders, I felt that would be an interesting field to look into. I was currently taking the prerequisites for communicative disorders since they were the same for psychology, so I didn’t have to start from scratch. I enrolled in some communicative disorders classes that next semester and fell in love with the major. The rest is history!
I look forward to connecting with you. I hope you enjoy this information and know you and your toddler will benefit for years to come!