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M.Cl.Sc. SLP Reg. CASLPO
Paulina Elias is a multilingual Speech-language Pathologist (SLP) who was born in Guatemala but has been living in Canada for the last 12 years. She received her undergraduate degree in Linguistics and Psychology from McGill University in 2018 and her master’s degree in Speech-language Pathology from Western University in 2021. In 2021, Paulina began working alongside Marge Blanc, author of “Natural Language Acquisition on the Autism Spectrum” (2012), to adapt the material of Marge’s book into Spanish. While also working as a private-based SLP in Canada, Paulina has continued her work surrounding Natural Language Acquisition (NLA) and Gestalt Language Processing (GLP) through the creation of educational and practical clinic material (handouts, videos, presentations, workshops, etc.), including a virtual 16-hour course about NLA, which she teaches in Spanish, alongside colleague, Dr. Amanda Blackwell. Paulina has experience with clients of all ages and with different communicative challenges in person and via teletherapy. She feels the most passionate about working with autistic individuals and serving as an advocate for the essential role of echolalia in communication. In her work, Paulina strives for diversity and inclusion, especially in the context of multilingual healthcare service delivery. She loves to work alongside and learn from colleagues of varying disciplines to help clients and families achieve their communication goals and participate in everyday meaningful activities. In her day-to-day life, Paulina enjoys keeping up with friends and family, including those who reside in Guatemala, throughout Europe, and in the U.S.
M.A., CCC-SLP
Marge Blanc, M.A., CCC-SLP, was a public school Speech-language Pathologist (SLP) in the U.S. and Canada for 20 years, and an Associate Clinical Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW) for three years. She then founded the Communication Development Center (CDC) in Madison, WI, which she has directed for 25 years. Her clinical research on Gestalt Language Development took place at both the UW clinic and the CDC clinic between 1994 and 2009.
EdD, SLPD, CCC-SLP
Dr. Amanda Blackwell, EdD, SLPD, CCC-SLP has lived and worked full-time in Guatemala for more than 9 years. She graduated with a clinical doctorate in Speech-language Pathology in 2019 and went on to complete a Doctor of Education (EdD) degree from Murray State University in 2022. Her dissertation laid the groundwork for creating a postgraduate degree program in Speech-language Pathology at a Guatemalan university – the first of its kind in Central America. Along with a handful of local colleagues, she started the official professional association for Guatemalan speech therapists (SomosTLgt), which offers twice-monthly continuing education opportunities for its 60+ members. She currently directs the speech therapy department at the Guatemalan Association of Down Syndrome (now Tebow Down Guatemala) in their centers in four different Guatemalan cities and started an autism education social project for Spanish speakers called LUNAautismo (on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook @LunaAutismo). With a Canadian colleague, Amanda recently launched an online course in Spanish about Natural Language Acquisition and Gestalt Language Processing (@ComunicacionNatural). She serves as an adjunct research fellow working with doctoral students in the Doctor Speech-language Pathology program at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions in Provo, Utah, and as a thesis advisor for students in the Master's Program in Early Literacy offered by the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala and the Network for Early Literacy in Central America and the Caribbean. Amanda teaches Augmentative and Alternative Communication and Autism classes as an adjunct professor in the MS SLP programs at Minot State University in Minot, ND, and at Saint Mary's College in Notre Dame, IN. She is passionate about communication in all forms and loves to travel and collaborate with professionals around the world.
This presentation is based largely on the book Natural Language Acquisition on the Autism Spectrum: the Journey from Echolalia to Self-Generated Language which Marge Blanc and the CDC published in 2012 to share information about the research on Gestalt Language Development, and the use of Natural Language Acquisition (NLA) to support it. The CDC is a 501.C.3 non-profit corporation, and receives donations, and royalties from Northern Speech Services which distributes Marge Blanc’s NLA book and courses. CDC receives all related income, and is able to support part-time consultants who help further knowledge about NLA, and limited scholarships for families learning about NLA. Paulina Elias receives compensation for her translation and consultation work for the Communication Development Center (CDC). Paulina Elias receives compensation for her work in teaching the course "Comunicación Natural: Siguiendo el camino natural del lenguaje" in Spanish through Comunicación Natural, LLC. Amanda Blackwell receives compensation for her work in teaching the course "Comunicación Natural: Siguiendo el camino natural del lenguaje" in Spanish through Comunicación Natural, LLC.
Marge Blanc, Paulina Elias and Amanda Blackwell have no relevant non-financial information to disclose.
This presentation is based largely on the book Natural Language Acquisition on the Autism Spectrum: the Journey from Echolalia to Self-Generated Language which Marge Blanc and the CDC published in 2012 to share information about the research on Gestalt Language Development, and the use of Natural Language Acquisition (NLA) to support it.
This course is being sponsored by SLP Now and SLP Toolkit.
10 mins | General overview of the two types of language processing (with examples) |
15 mins | he fact that it's been documented in the research for years but largely ignored until recently because of the dominance of ABA and our misunderstanding of echolalia |
15 mins | A quick breakdown of the NLA stages |
5 mins | The importance of building trust |
15 mins | How to get started/move forward using NLA (with examples) |