Meet The Team

Amanda Binns
PhD, SLP-CCC, Reg. CASLPO
 
How can we optimize Speech-Language supports and services to fit child, family and system needs? Amanda is a clinician, researcher, and educator in the field of Speech-Language Pathology whose work aims to address this crucial question. Her program of research extends from over 15 years of experience working as a SLP. Using a combination of practice based research and implementation science Amanda is working to increase system wide adoption of compassionate, collaborative, and evidence-informed services.

 

Amanda's work has taken her across the globe, with over 45 invited presentations to professionals, parents, and policy makers in North America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and South America. She is Adjunct Research Professor at Western University, and Assistant Professor in the Department of Speech-Language Pathology, University of Toronto. In her role at Holland Bloorview, she is clinical manager of an innovative virtual Student-Led Environment that is supporting autistic children and families in Ontario.

Lauren Choi, SLP Graduate Student

(Fall 2023)

 

Lauren is a graduating undergraduate student in Health Sciences at Western University, with an Honours Specialization in Rehabilitation Sciences. As an aspiring speech-language pathologist, she began working on the SLPMAPs project through the Undergraduate Summer Research Internship program at the Autism Spectrum and Language Disorders Lab at Western University in the summer of 2021, under the supervision of Dr. Amanda Binns and Dr.Janis Oram Cardy.  She returned to the USRI program in the summer of 2022 and has continued to contribute to the project as a research assistant throughout the school year. Lauren is pursuing her MHSc in Speech-Language Pathology at the University of Toronto in the fall and hopes to become a clinician-scientist by pursuing her PhD in the speech-language pathology and autism fields in the future. This summer, Lauren will be working as a research  assistant at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital. 

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Tori Charron, SLP

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In addition to her work with Western University as a Research Assistant, Tori (Victoria P.) currently supports residential paediatric mental-health clients at the Child and Parent Resource Institute (CPRI). Additionally, she provides paediatric private-practice services through Rebirth Wellness Centre, with a focus on parent coaching for children who are late to talk or present with early signs of social-communication difficulties.  

 

Tori’s current clinical areas of interest include neuro-diversity affirming approaches to autism, the intersection of gender and autism, and gender-affirming voice care. Tori’s practice is one that is rooted in intersectionality, trauma-informed care, and cultural-sensitivity. She works to provide safe(r) spaces in which clients and families can be wholly and authentically themselves.

Diana Tran, MHSc., RSLP, S-LP(C)

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Diana is a pediatric SLP located in Vancouver, British Columbia. Fluent in both English and Vietnamese, she provides services in both languages through her private practice. As an SLP, her work primarily focuses on supporting parents and caregivers to be their child’s best language support. Diana enjoys working with children of all ages to develop their communication and literacy skills. Her clinical areas of interest include expressive language delays and disorders, speech sound disorders, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), and literacy development. In her practice, Diana strives to provide families with evidence-based support through a neurodiversity-affirming approach that respects and honours a family’s cultural background. 

 

Diana joined the SLPMAPS project team in February 2022. Having wished for access to evidence-based resources when she began working with autistic children, Diana is excited to be part of a team that provides accessible and equitable evidence-informed resources to SLPs and SLPAs.

Zoe Higgins, PhD Candidate,

SLP(C) Reg. CASLPO

 

Zoe is a bilingual (English/French) SLP certified with Speech Language and Audiology Canada and registered with CASLPO. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Toronto and a Masters of Health Sciences degree from the University of Ottawa. She is currently enrolled in the Interdisciplinary PhD in Rural and Northern Health program at Laurentian University. 
Zoe became a licensed SLP in 2013. Since then, I have worked with French and English speakers in a variety of settings across Northern Ontario, including First Nations communities. She supports and promotes the use non-standard dialects by her clients such as those commonly spoken in First Nations communities and regional dialects of French and English.
She has experience working with children identified with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, Autism, Learning Disabilities, Motor Speech Disorders and Developmental Language Disability.  She believes in family-centered care and collaboration to set reachable and practical communication goals. 
 

Stella Ng, PhD. Reg. CASLPO 

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When there is no clear-cut answer to be found, how can we act in ways that are collaborative, compassionate, and ethical? Stella is passionate about preparing health professionals to do just that, as acting in these ways creates the foundation for trustworthy and respectful relations within the health sciences and between health sciences and communities. Her tri-council, ministry and foundation-funded research program has shown that critical reflection is crucial to compassionately, collaboratively, and ethically navigating value-conflicted and uncertain aspects of everyday work. Her passion was sparked by challenges she experienced as a pediatric audiologist in the public-school system, which motivated her to launch her research program in reflective practice, critical reflection, and critical pedagogies. She mobilizes this theory and research within her extensive education and leadership work.

 

Stella is currently Director & Education Scientist at the Centre for Advancing Collaborative Healthcare & Education (CACHE). She is also an Associate Professor at University of Toronto in the Dept. of Speech-Language Pathology and Institute of Health Policy, Management & Evaluation, and a Wilson Centre Scientist. 

Janis Oram Cardy

PhD, SLP(C) Reg. CASLPO

 

Professor Oram Cardy has been researching and supporting children who struggle to learn language for over 25 years. Following completion of clinical training, she practiced for nine years as a speech-language pathologist on an interdisciplinary team at Sickkids in Toronto. After completing her PhD in Speech-Language Pathology and CIHR Postdoctoral Fellowship in Imaging Research, she joined Western in 2005. In her research, she examines the neural, auditory, and cognitive underpinnings of language development and disorders in children and conducts practice-based research in collaboration with clinicians and policymakers to improve speech-language supports for preschoolers, with a special focus on hearing loss, autism, and other neurodevelopmental disorders.

Cindy Harrison, SLP(C) Reg. CASLPO

 

Cindy Harrison is a speech language pathologist and the parent of a young adult with autism. Cindy is senior faculty at Profectum, an international multidisciplinary facility that teaches and trains professionals to assess and intervene with children, youth and adults on the autism spectrum. She is also the co-founder and CEO of CommuniCare Therapy and ACT Learning Centre, both in Ottawa. Cindy holds a Master of Science in Speech Language Pathology and she has been working in the field of autism for more than 26 years. Cindy is thrilled to have received the Honours of the Association for the Ontario Association of Speech Language Pathologists and Audiologists for her work in autism. She is very honoured to work with the team at Western University to collaborate on Meeting the Needs of Autistic People (MAPS).

Mary (Ke Meng) Wang,

MHSc, SLP Reg. CASLPO

 

Mary is a speech-language pathologist currently working at Ron Joyce Children’s Health Centre - McMaster Children's Hospital in Hamilton, Ontario. Mary first became involved in research at the Autism Spectrum and Language Disorders Lab at Western University in 2015. She then obtained her clinical master’s degree from the University of Toronto in 2019 and has gained experience working in both Alberta and Ontario with children from ages 3-18. She has interests in the areas of autism, speech sound disorders, and stuttering. Mary joined the SLPMAPS project team in February 2022. She enjoys connecting with other families, clinicians, and policy makers and has presented in multiple conferences, including the Empowered Kids Ontario Symposium in Toronto, Ontario, and the Undergraduate Awards Summit in Dublin, Ireland. Mary believes in co-creating services and use of innovative service delivery models to provide client and family-centred care. 

Michau van Speyk

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Michau is a passionate autistic self advocate. He advocates with therapists and parents of autistic children and youth for all types of services and supports. He is a proponent for timely access to needs based autism services and therapies. He was excited work with the SLP MAPs team to learn about what matters most to families when they are accessing Speech and Language therapies. Michau supported the SLP MAPs survey development, the initial draft and edits of the guiding principles, and participant recruitment.  He wants all children waiting for services to get the supports they need.  

Lauren Denusik, PhD Candidate

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​Lauren is a graduate student in Western University’s combined degree program. She completed her undergraduate honours degree in Speech Sciences at the University of British Columbia in 2020. Currently, she is simultaneously pursuing her MClSc in Speech-Language Pathology and a PhD in Speech and Language Sciences at Western University under the supervision of Dr. Janis Oram Cardy. Her doctoral research is focused on virtual caregiver-mediated programs to support young autistic children and their families. After completing her doctoral degree, she intends to pursue a post-doctoral fellowship to extend her program of research related to caregiver-mediated programs for autistic children.

Gunjan Seth, Family Partner 

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Gunjan is a parent of an individual with autism and ADHD. She is a proud immigrant to Canada.Gunjan is proud to have been associated with Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital from over the last 8 years. She is a Family leader, Family as Faculty, Family Mentor and Family Advisory committee's Co-Chair at  Holland Bloorview Kids rehabilitation Hospital.
 

She is also a Parent advisor with ECHO Ontario Autism and Parent partner with Autism Speaks,Autism Care Network. At Autism Speaks, Autism Care network, she is a part of Family Partner’s committee, Behavioral Sciences Committee and research study called Path to Discovery. She gave an Ignite talk at  Autism Speaks, Autism Learning Health Network session a few years back. Gunjan is also a Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC) member with Ontario health.