SPECTRUM SPEECH PATHOLOGY - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Senior Speech Pathologist
• Senior Speech Pathologist B.Sp.Path ( Hons ), CPSP, MSPA

Andrea graduated with a Bachelor of Speech Pathology (First Class Honours) in 2000. Her professional career has found her working in both Melbourne and London, and across many different clinical settings - community health centres, special schools, home-based, kindergartens and childcare settings, child development teams, specialist educational speech and language units (including the renowned Nuffield Speech and Language Unit, UK). She has been a member of the Spectrum team since 2014. Andrea is committed to ongoing professional development. Her professional learning includes Hanen ‘It Takes Two to Talk' and ‘More Than Words', AAC, Paget Gorman Signed Speech, Attention Autism, social emotional learning programs, Zones of Regulation, Story Grammar Marker, and Ross Greene's Collaborative and Proactive Solutions. Andrea is passionate about early intervention and particularly loves to work with pre-school children. She has a particular interest and extensive experience in working with autistic children. Being a parent herself, and having spent years working in home-based therapy models, Andrea is dedicated to working in partnership with parents to deliver therapy that can be realistically translated from the clinic to home. She also strives to promote successful and functional communication, adopting a family-centred and strengths-based approach.

Job Titles:

• Senior Speech Pathologist

Anna graduated from Flinders University in 2000 and has worked in a variety of settings since, including community health, primary schools, high schools, SCOPE, and in private practice. Anna has been with Spectrum since January 2004. She is highly experienced in working with autistic children and brings a wealth of experience to the Team. Anna has a passion for working with children and adolescents and regularly undertakes professional development to keep abreast of the latest research and information. Anna ‘s professional learning includes PROMPT, AAC, Zones of Regulation, and training in a range of social-emotional learning courses. She loves to adapt these skills to working with children who have communication support needs. Anna is a skilled diagnostician and has a specific interest in the area of executive function skills. Anna has a passion for literacy development and has undertaken training in the Sounds Write Literacy program. As a mother of two, Anna assures us that her experiences of motherhood have increased her skills and understanding immeasurably. Anna is a dedicated and creative therapist whose skills are greatly appreciated by all at Spectrum Speech Pathology.

Job Titles:

• Speech Pathologist, M.Sp Path, B.App Sci

Carla is a Speech Pathologist who completed her Bachelor of Applied Science and Master of Speech Pathology at La Trobe University. Carla has developed an interest in working with children from infancy to adolescence, with a range of communication difficulties, through a range of opportunities. Carla has a passion for supporting autistic children and adolescents and their families. Carla's specific interest in literacy has seen her undertake extra training in the Sounds Write Literacy program. Carla enjoys getting to know each child and tailoring therapy to their individual interests, to encourage engagement. Carla works closely with her clients and their families, to deliver individualised therapy, which supports their communication goals.

Job Titles:

• Senior Speech Pathologist
• Senior Speech Pathologist B.Sp.Path, CPSP, MSPA

Cathy Conte has been at Spectrum for over 10 years. After spending time working in mainstream schools, Cathy began working in special education and continues to develop her passion and skills in this area alongside her work at Spectrum Speech Pathology. Cathy has worked with autistic children, and those with Down Syndrome and developmental disabilities aged between 5 - 18 years of age, many of whom have complex communication needs. Cathy's experience in the schools has developed her skills in working within a multidisciplinary team, which she continues at Spectrum Speech Pathology. Cathy's passion for working with autistic children has seen her undertake training in AAC, Intensive Interaction, Chat now, Floortime, PROMPT, Sensory Integration and a range of social-emotional learning courses. Cathy provides supports to a range of clients as well as conducting diagnostic assessments at Spectrum Speech Pathology. Cathy's passion, experience and energy adds to the skills of the Team at Spectrum Speech Pathology.

Job Titles:

• Pathologist
• Speech Pathologist, M. Sp Path, B. App Sci, CPSP, MSPA

Chelsee is a speech pathologist who completed her Bachelor of Applied Science and Master of Speech Pathology at La Trobe University. Chelsee has experience supporting school age children with a range of communication difficulties, particularly those with difficulties in speech and literacy. She has a particular interest in early language development, as well as supporting children from infancy to adolescence to develop their pragmatic language and literacy skills. Chelsee's passion lies in supporting children with developmental differences to build their confidence and develop effective communication skills. She is committed to creating a compassionate and supportive environment for autistic children and their families, placing great importance on building strong relationships with families. Chelsee is dedicated to staying ahead of the latest research and actively seeks opportunities to grow as a speech pathologist to ensure she is providing the highest level of care.

Job Titles:

• Pathologist
• Speech Pathologist
• Speech Pathologist, M.Sp.Path, B.Com ( Mgt ), Grad Dip Ed, CPSP, MSPA

Christina is a speech pathologist who completed a Masters of Speech Pathology at Federation University. Through her previous experiences Christina has developed a passion for working with children and their families to support children in achieving their fullest potential. She believes it is important to incorporate a child's interests into sessions to provide fun and engaging therapy to support the child in achieving their communication goals. Christina has a particular interest in literacy and language and has undertaken the Sounds Write Literacy program. She is a lifelong learner who enjoys undertaking regular professional development to further build on her skills and knowledge to support the children she works with. Christina's previous experience as a secondary school teacher has allowed her to develop the skills and knowledge to build strong relationships with children and their families.

Job Titles:

• Director
• Director M.a. ( App Ling ) B. App. Sc ( Sp Path ) CPSP, MSPA
• Member of the SPA Autism Spectrum Disorder Advisory Group

Christine Kendall founded Spectrum Speech Pathology with Gloria Staios in 2000. Recognising that children with autism spectrum disorders, speech and language delays, dyspraxia, and complex communication needs required therapy services from highly experienced speech pathologists, they wanted to offer parents and their children the choice of a private service of excellence. Christine maintains an active diagnostic and therapy clinical practice while continually expanding and enhancing the services offered by all the team at Spectrum Speech Pathology. Christine and Gloria are pioneers in providing private speech pathology services for autistic children. With more than 30 years of experience as a speech-language pathologist, Christine has held senior positions in major disability organisations and highly experienced in working with children with cerebral palsy and developmental delays. Christine continued her own professional development with a Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics. Over the years, her passion expanded to supporting autistic children in private practice, and with Gloria, developed the speech pathology services at the Western Autistic School which is internationally recognised as a ‘school of excellence'. Christine has been an active member of the SPA Autism Spectrum Disorder Advisory Group and was a consultant on the Department of Health and Aging (DoHA) Autism Project. In 2009 and 2010, Christine was delighted to be invited by Royal Children's Hospital International (RCHI) and Professor Margot Prior to deliver training and mentoring at the National Hospital for Paediatrics in Hanoi, Vietnam. Following this wonderful experience she was interviewed by Sen Lam for the Asia Pacific program on Radio Australia, and Thu Dang on the international radio program Voice of America. The vision that Christine and Gloria developed for Spectrum Speech Pathology has remained the same: to open the world of communication to all. To that end, Spectrum Speech Pathology has become one of the most respected practices in the area of autism, and social-pragmatic language difficulties. In addition to providing therapy supports to autistic children and adolescents, Christine has extensive experience in training and education. For 14 years, together with Gloria, she was an ‘Expert Lecturer' at the Autism Teaching Institute which offers vocational graduate certificate and diploma courses for teachers. Together Christine and Gloria have been involved in presenting training workshops for teachers, psychologists, speech pathologists and integration aides for the Department of Education and Training Victoria. Christine continues to enhance her skills through participation in national and international conferences, seminars, webinars, and training programs. She has undertaken formal training in the following programs: PROMPT AAC SCERTS DIR®Floortime Social-emotional learning programs Tuning into Teens™ Talk-About ADOS-2 Attendance at major autism conferences Christine has a strong commitment and dedication to enhancing and developing her own therapy skills and those of the team at Spectrum Speech Pathology, and to sharing this knowledge and clinical experience through training programs and workshops with parents and professionals.

Job Titles:

• Speech Pathologist
• Speech Pathologist, M.Sp Path, B.App Sci

Daniel is a Speech Pathologist who completed his Bachelor of Applied Science and Master of Speech Pathology at La Trobe University. Through Daniel's experiences working as an Allied Health Assistant, he has developed an interest in working with children with a range of communication difficulties. Daniel has a particular passion in literacy and language, and collaborating with autistic children and their families. Daniel is highly creative and enjoys making sessions fun and engaging for all clients by individualising therapy and including a child's interests in order for them to reach their fullest potential. Daniel is passionate about speech pathology and making a difference in the lives of the children he supports.

Job Titles:

• Pathologist
• Speech Pathologist
• Speech Pathologist, M.Sp Path, B.Health Sciences, CPSP, MSPA

Ellen is a speech pathologist who completed her Bachelor of Applied Science and Masters of Speech Pathology at La Trobe University. Through her various experiences, Ellen has developed a passion for working with children with a range of communication difficulties such as those who present with speech sound difficulties and language delays. She has a particular interest in supporting autistic children and their families. Ellen loves to get creative and make her sessions fun and engaging for her clients by individualising therapy and including the child's interests in each session. Ellen is committed to ongoing learning and expanding her skills. She has undertaken extra training in the Sounds Write Literacy program, as well as the Hanen ‘More Than Words' program. She is particularly talented at delivering online therapy programs. Ellen's previous experience as a disability support worker has allowed her to develop the skills and knowledge to work closely with clients of all ages and their families to assist them in reaching their highest potential.

Job Titles:

• Speech Pathologist, B.Sp Path, CPSP, MSPA

Emily is a certified practising speech pathologist who completed her Bachelor of Speech Pathology at Australian Catholic University. Through Emily's previous experience working as an Integration Aide and Support Worker, she developed a passion for early language development, wanting to assist children with their communication, social, and literacy skills. Emily is dedicated to adopting a strengths-based approach to therapy to support children to feel confident in their communication.

Job Titles:

• Speech Pathologist B.Speech Pathology

Emily is a speech pathologist who completed a Bachelor of Applied Science and Master of Speech Pathology at La Trobe University and is a Certified Member Speech Pathology Australia Emily has experience supporting children from infancy to early high school with a range of communication difficulties including speech, language, literacy and social communication. Emily has a particular interest in supporting autistic children and their families, as well as and children with language and literacy delays. Emily is passionate about staying up to date with research and developing her clinical knowledge in order to provide evidence-based interventions to support her clients. Emily has undertaken extra training in the Hanen More than Words program, as well as in the Sounds Write Literacy program. Emily enjoys getting creative and individualising sessions to match the interests of each child. Emily's previous experience as a nanny and dance instructor has allowed her to develop skills to work closely with children and families to tailor goals and therapy to suit the needs of each family. She loves to help children reach their full potential.

Job Titles:

• Speech Pathologist
• Speech Pathologist M.Speech Pathology, B.Health Sciences, MSPA

Georgia brings to her work at Spectrum Speech Pathology a wealth of practical experience in working with autistic children and teenagers. Georgia has worked at Spectrum Speech Pathology since 2018. She has experience working with children from infancy through to upper secondary school. Her experience includes working with and supporting children and young people with a range of communication difficulties, in particular, autistic children and children with developmental disabilities. Georgia has a particular interest in supporting children to develop their pragmatic language, literacy and narrative language skills, and uses her experience as a speech pathologist at a secondary school to work with children of all ages. Georgia's interest in working with children has seen her undertake a range of professional development and learning, including the literacy program, Sounds Write.

Job Titles:

• Director
• Director B. App. Sc ( Speech Pathology ), CPSP, MSPA

Gloria Staios, founded Spectrum Speech Pathology with Christine Kendall in 2000. Recognising that the needs of autistic children, speech and language delays, dyspraxia and complex communication needs required therapy services from highly experienced speech pathologists, they wanted to offer parents and their children a choice of a private service of excellence. Gloria maintains an active clinical practice while continually expanding and enhancing the services offered by all the team at Spectrum Speech Pathology. Gloria and Christine are pioneers in providing private speech pathology supports for autistic children. With more than 28 years of experience as a speech-language pathologist, Gloria held the position of Chief Speech Pathologist with the Yooralla Society of Victoria and has developed expertise working with children with cerebral palsy and is a trained neurodevelopmental therapist . Over the years, her passion expanded to working with autistic children beginning with her work at the Western Autistic School. Together Gloria and Christine have grown and expanded the speech pathology services at the Western Autistic School, which is internationally recognised as a school of excellence. The vision that Gloria and Christine developed for Spectrum has remained the same: To open the world of communication to all. To that end, Spectrum has become one of the most respected practices in the area of autism and social-learning. In addition to providing therapy supports to autistic children and teenagers and their families, Christine and Gloria have extensive experience in training and education. For 14 years, together with Christine, Gloria was an ‘Expert Lecturer' at the Autism Teaching Institute which offers vocational graduate certificate and diploma courses for teachers. Gloria and Christine have also been involved in presenting training workshops for teachers, psychologists, speech pathologists and integration aides for the Department of Education and Training Victoria. Over the years Gloria has maintained a strong commitment and ongoing involvement with Speech Pathology Australia (SPA) including the presentation of numerous training workshops for speech pathologists related to the diagnosis and support of autistic children and adolescents. She is also an active members of the SPA Autism Spectrum Disorder Advisory Group and consultant on the Department of Health and Aging (DoHA) Autism Project. In 2009 and 2010, Gloria was delighted to be invited by Royal Children's Hospital International (RCHI) and Professor Margot Prior to deliver training and mentoring at the National Hospital for Paediatrics in Hanoi, Vietnam. Following this wonderful experience she was interviewed by Sen Lam for the Asia Pacific program on Radio Australia, and Thu Dang on the international radio program Voice of America. Gloria continues to enhance her skills through participation in national and international conferences, seminars and training programs which include: PROMPT AAC SCERTS ADOS-2 DIR®Floortime Social-emotional programs Tuning into Teens™ Talk-About Attendance at major autism conferences Gloria has a strong commitment and dedication to enhancing and developing her own therapy skills and those of the team at Spectrum Speech Pathology as well as sharing this knowledge and clinical experience through training programs and workshops offered to professionals and parents.

Job Titles:

• Senior Speech Pathologist
• Senior Speech Pathologist B.App.Sc ( Speech Pathology ) CPSP, MSPA

Heather brings years of experience and wisdom to the team at Spectrum. She has extensive experience in the area of complex communication needs, having worked in a variety of settings and across the age range from young children in early intervention to adolescents and adults with physical and intellectual disabilities and autism. Heather is committed to the continuing development of her professional knowledge and therapy skills. She regularly attends workshops, seminars and special interest groups. Her training includes AAC, Hanen programs, PROMPT therapy, Sounds-Write Program and the Lidcombe program for stuttering. Heather is both a Presenter and State Trainer for Key Word Sign Australia (formerly known as Makaton) and she contributes to working groups within this organisation. Heather has been working with Spectrum Speech Pathology for over 15 years. For some of this time she also worked at Western Autistic School. As an experienced therapist Heather enjoys sharing her knowledge and providing mentoring support to some of our early career therapists. During Melbourne's lockdowns, Heather was surprised to find she has an affinity for online therapy and so continues to offer this as an ongoing option to her clients, many of whom appreciate the reduced travel time whilst still achieving focused therapy goals. Heather particularly enjoys making and personalising therapy materials to meet the needs and special interests of her clients. Heather loves working with children and families, and as a mother of two, she understands the joys and challenges of family life. We are lucky indeed to have someone like Heather on our team.

Job Titles:

• Pathologist
• Senior Speech Pathologist
• Senior Speech Pathologist M.Sp.Path, B.a. CPSP, MSPA

Leonie Wilson is an experienced speech pathologist, specialising in working with autistic children as well as children with dyspraxia. She pairs her role at Spectrum Speech Pathology with her work in Autism and Mental Health at the Royal Children's Hospital. She has also spent ten years working in Early Childhood Intervention Services. This has seen her acquire extensive experience working with autistic children and their families. It has also enabled her to develop a broad understanding of the services and options available for children with additional needs and their families. Leonie has been trained in PROMPT, AAC, Hanen, and a range of social-emotional learning courses regularly attends professional development programs. She is trained to present the ‘Signposts For Building Better Behaviour' program and has run workshops addressing ‘Autism Spectrum Disorders in the Preschool Years' and ‘Planning a Successful School Transition' for early childhood professionals, parents and primary teachers. She has also delivered information sessions on the role of a speech pathologist when working with autistic children. Leonie has been working with children for over 15 years and is passionate about her work. We are fortunate to have such a dedicated, creative and highly skilled therapist on our Team.

Job Titles:

• Speech Pathologist
• Speech Pathologist, M.Sp Path, B.App Sci, CPSP, MSPA

Lydia is a Speech Pathologist who has completed her Bachelor of Applied Science and Masters of Speech Pathology at La Trobe University. Lydia has a passion for working with children of all ages. Lydia has 8 years of experience teaching classical piano and in addition has 2 years of experience in Early Intervention Support work. She developed an interest in Speech Pathology to support children with a variety of communication difficulties. Lydia has a particular interest in early language development and continuing to support all aspects of communication throughout childhood and adolescence. Lydia is dedicated to a holistic approach to therapy, and aims to make her sessions fun, engaging and carefully tailored for each child. She strives to actively collaborate with her client's families and to make a difference to their lives.

Job Titles:

• Senior Speech Pathologist
• Senior Speech Pathologist B. Sp. Path. ( Audiology Honours ), CPSP, MSPA

Melissa graduated Speech Pathology (Audiology Honours) from the University of Queensland in 1997. She initially split her time between Speech Pathology and Audiology, before choosing to work full-time in Speech in 1999. She has worked in a variety of clinical settings, including Community Health and Special Schools and the private clinic setting. Her professional career has also seen her working in Brisbane, Sydney and Tokyo, and now Melbourne. Melissa regularly attends professional development and inservices as a part of her commitment to providing excellence in therapy. She loves working with children and their families, particularly the little ones under six, and has a particular interest in children with ASD and developmental delay. Melissa now spends her time between work and her growing family of 3 young children.

Job Titles:

• Speech Pathologist, M.Speech Pathology, B.App Sci

Through a range of experiences, Paige has worked with children of all ages to support a range of skills in areas of speech, language, play and social communication. Paige has a particular interest in early language development and supporting autistic children and teenagers and their families. Though her work, Paige has developed a specific interest in literacy development and she has undertaken extra training in the Sounds Write Literacy program. Paige is passionate about working collaboratively with families and carers to build strong relationships with those in the child's community. She applies a family oriented, strengths-based approach to assessment and intervention, and works with the child's strengths and interests, to empower and support them."

Job Titles:

• Senior Speech Pathologist
• Senior Speech Pathologist M.Sp.Path., B.a., CPSP, MSPA

Peta completed her degree in psychology, followed by her Master of Speech Pathology in Melbourne and has practised as a Speech Pathologist in Australia and the UK since 2002. Peta has gained experience working in a variety of settings, including community clinics, hospitals, home-based, kindergartens, mainstream and specialist schools and education units. Committed to continuing professional development, Peta participates in regular professional development and her training includes AAC, Hanen ‘It Takes Two to Talk' and ‘More than Words' programmes, Zones of Regulation, and a range of social-emotional learning courses. Peta is also trained in the Sounds Write Literacy Program. Peta is passionate about working with children and adolescents and supporting them to reach their potential whilst empowering their parents to do the same.

Job Titles:

• Practice Manager