Constance Merwin, M.Sc. SLP (C)

Constance Merwin is the founder of Speech Pathways. She received her Masters of Science in Speech-Language Pathology from McGill University and certification with the Canadian Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists (CASLPA). Conni has extensive experience with preschool and school-age children in the areas of stuttering, language development, articulation/phonology, apraxia/oral motor, and voice. She loves the rewards of helping children discover their communication potential. Conni is certified in Phoneme Touch and Say™, which she uses when working with special needs children or children with apraxia. She has a special interest in stuttering and is certified in Lidcombe fluency program (an innovative stuttering therapy program for children).

Conni has also worked for over 10 years with the adult population (private practice and hospital setting), providing communication and swallowing therapy to adults suffering from stroke, brain injury or neurological impairments. She provided voice therapy to adults in the outpatient department, particularly to professional voice users (teachers, singers, public speakers). Conni finds immense satisfaction in helping adults rediscover communication, and reconnect with loved ones.

Kamala Gurung, M.A. SLP

Kamala has a Master's degree in Communication Disorders from California State University, Long Beach. She has experience working with children with a wide range of communication disabilities, such as: articulation disorders, stuttering, early language delays, apraxia, voice and early literacy. She is certified in Phoneme Touch and Say™. Kamala is multilingual and is able to provide services in English, Hindi, Urdu and Nepali. She is passionate about providing access to speech therapy services to families in the developing countries and has provided volunteer services during her visits abroad.

Erin Avramidis, M.CI. Sc. SLP

Erin received her Master’s of Clinicial Science from the University of Western Ontario. Erin has experience working with children of all ages both individually and in small groups. She is Hanen certified for “It Takes Two to Talk”, a family-focused early language intervention, and holds PROMPT level 1 Certification. Erin has a special interest in providing service for preschool and school-age children and has experience in many areas of Speech-Language Pathology including: fluency, oral motor speech difficulties, voice, literacy, articulation, and preschool speech and language delays.

Meera Ruparelia, M.Sc. SLP (C)

Meera received her Master’s degree in Communication Disorders from Boston University, Massachusetts. She has experience working with children with special needs for speech and language disorders, including Articulation/Phonology, Fluency, Receptive/Expressive Language, Cognition (brain injury) and Pragmatics (social skills), in both home and school environments. She is certified in PROMPT – Level 1 and Phoneme Touch and Say ™, which she uses when working with children with Apraxia/Oral-Motor difficulties, Autism, and developmental delays. Meera is also certified in the Lidcombe Program, a preschool fluency intervention system aimed to highlight the role of parents in stuttering therapy. Meera also specializes in working with adults for Accent Reduction. Her compassion and understanding for the challenge of adjusting speech patterns, paired with visual demonstrations and a detailed explanation of the mechanics and rationale for each movement, helps adults feel confident and proud of their new speech patterns. Meera takes immense pleasure in finding creative ways to make therapy interesting and fun as she helps clients and their families maintain success towards communication goals.

Naomi Jonas, M.Sc. SLP (C)

Naomi received her master's degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from McGill University. She is fluent in French and can provide therapy in either French or English. Naomi is also a certified elementary school teacher and is devoted to helping children of all ages and abilities reach their maximum potential in a positive and fun environment. Naomi has a special interest in the deaf and hard of hearing, and has experience using Auditory Verbal Therapy to assist those with hearing aids and cochlear implants in learning language through listening.  Naomi is also certified for Lidcombe Fluency therapy, which is a highly effective therapy technique for children who stutter. She has experience in the following areas of speech and language intervention: articulation, language, apraxia, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Down Syndrome, developmental delay, & reading development.

Jennifer McKeeman, M.A., SLP

Jennifer received her master's degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from State University of New York at Buffalo. Jennifer has experience working with both children and adults with a variety of speech, language, cognitive and swallowing disorders. She is Hanen certified for “It Takes Two to Talk”, a family-focused early language intervention, and “Learning Language and Loving It”, a program that utilizes practical strategies to help build language and social skills for all children in early school settings in order to have the best possible opportunities for learning. Jennifer is also certified in the Lidcombe Program, a behavioural treatment approach for young children who stutter and holds Lessac-Madsen Voice Therapy certification, a technique to improve vocal quality and prevent further vocal injury. She is trained in the Kaufman Speech to Language Protocol for children who have difficulty putting sounds together in order to make words. Jennifer specializes in providing services to preschool children aged 18 – 36 months who are slow to talk. She enjoys the rewards of helping these young clients develop their speech and language skills and unlock their personalities. Jennifer has experience in the following areas of speech-language pathology: early intervention, language delay, augmentative and alternative communication, brain injury, apraxia (oral motor disorders), articulation, fluency and voice.

Erin Hall, M.Sc., SLP

Erin has a Master of Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of British Columbia. She has worked for several years with children assessing and treating a variety of communication difficulties in both the public school system and private practice setting. Erin's graduate research focused on language and literacy difficulties in children from different language backgrounds. She has found this research to be invaluable in helping her service her numerous multilingual clients within the GTA region. She has experience in the following areas of speech-language pathology: articulation/phonology, language, literacy, developmental delay, social language, fluency and voice. She is also experienced in working with children with autism, having developed and implemented a number of social group programs for this population. Erin strives to keep all sessions fun, while at the same time progressing closer to her clients’ goals.

Shana Elman, M.Sc. SLP (C)

Shana received a Masters of Science in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of British Columbia. She has a particular interest in working with preschoolers and school-aged children. Shana is certified in PROMPT – Level 1 and has worked extensively with children with special needs and developmental delays in home, hospital and school settings. She has 18 years of experience working as a speech pathologist in the following areas: articulation/ phonology, oral motor control, expressive and receptive language, fluency, voice and resonance, and augmentative and alternative communication.

Rachael Perks, M. SLP

Rachael received her Master's degree in Speech and Language Pathology from Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech and Hearing Sciences from Brock University.  Rachael started her career working with children with Autism and has developed a keen interest in this area of speech-language pathology.   Her focus when working with children on the Autism Spectrum is on improving their social and functional communication skills, which are unique to each individual client. Rachael is certified for Lidcombe Fluency therapy, an extremely effective therapy approach for children who stutter.

Rachael has experience in a variety of communication difficulties including: articulation, stuttering, language delay and voice.  In addition to Autism Spectrum Disorders, Rachael's other main area of interest is early language.  She enjoys helping our youngest of clients develop their speech and language skills through using fun and creative therapy techniques.

Alishia Mannix, M. HSc. SLP (C)

Alishia received her Masters of Health Science in Speech Language Pathology from the University of Toronto. She has certification with the Canadian Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists (CASLPA). Alishia has experience assessing and treating children in the areas of language, pre-literacy skills, speech sound disorders (articulation and phonology), stuttering (fluency), social language and augmentative/alternative communication. She also has experience working with children with developmental disabilities, Autism Spectrum disorders, and Cerebral Palsy. Alishia is Hanen certified for “It Takes Two to Talk”, a family-focused early language intervention program. She has also been trained in the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS). Alishia has a special interest in Autism Spectrum Disorders and loves the unique challenges and rewards of working with this population. She strives to make therapy family-focused, fun, and engaging in order to help her clients reach their communication goals.