About Me
Professionally, I earned my Master’s in Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) at Eastern Michigan University. I earned my Bachelors of Science in Economics and Pre-med from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. 
As a speech-language pathologist, I focused on treating children in the beginning of my career and currently work with adults as well. I specialize in Augmented and Alternative Communication (AAC) and Apraxia of Speech. I love my career since I see it as an art that allows me to actively offer my gifts and help my patients uncover and discover their own.
I value communication with caregivers as it helps me understand the whole picture. I aim to provide appropriate education and create a home program that can be realistically practiced outside of the treatment environment. Aside from my training and experience, I attribute my success to a holistic approach. I help my patients recognize their strengths and offer them ways to use those strengths to improve areas of weakness. I focus on creating functional goals and refer to other experts that can help enhance outcomes, such as occupational/physical therapy, and nutritionists. I also take other behavioral aspects, such as sleep and mindfulness, into account when creating a treatment plan. Understanding a patient's family's/caregiver's worldview, past experiences and expectations, helps me design a treatment plan that will best enable each patient to meet their speech and language goals. In November 2018, I published my first children's book Billy Gets Talking: A Preschooler's Journey Overcoming Childhood Apraxia of Speech. Given the first edition's great success, I published the 2nd edition in May 2022, including feedback I've received from SLPs, families, and children that appreciated the first edition. This book was inspired by my patients' healing journeys, and my desire to to create an encouraging book that would be relatable to the youngest children with this diagnosis (ages 2-5), who at times may have difficulty being heard and included due to their reduced clarity of speech.
In May 2019, I published Let's Get Talking: A Speech-Language Therapy Companion for a Child's First Functional Words. This book is written for SLPs to provide a solid home-program from day 1 of treatment. It helps parents, grandparents, and caregivers of children with delayed expressive language skills understand how their SLP is targeting goals. It provides easy to follow directions for reinforcing therapy at home, and producing the same results in the home environment as they may see in the therapeutic environment with the SLP for a child's first functional words. (Click book titles for book previews.) In addition to English, I speak Fluent Urdu, Hindi and Intermediate Spanish. 
I am ASHA (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association) certified and licensed in Michigan. 
My personal "WHY": My vision is of a world where the vast majority of people feel empowered and safe to express their true gifts, in agreement that diversity is a strength and honoring in action each individual for who they really are.
I seek opportunities to balance my life's work with this "Why." I am an artist, an imaginative and curious spirit with a continuous thirst for inspiration, experience, self-discovery, knowledge and connection. I am an advocate for diversity and equal rights, most especially for those who cannot advocate for themselves due to limited skills or resources. I have a great interest in positive psychology and how it intertwines with spirituality, as in the works written by Dr. Wayne Dyer, Eckhart Tolle; goal-achieving work inspired by Danielle LaPorte, and leadership skills inspired by Simon Sinek. I seek ways to invite Flow and Presence into my life, whether through meditation, art, literature, music, travel, exercise or dance. Outer discovery leads to greater inner discovery. I am a Bionic Woman, as I wear a prosthesis on my left arm since I was born without a hand. This physical difference has brought me personal insight into the journey of pursuing one's dreams while overcoming challenges. I've discovered my own ways to do certain things, and creatively help my patients find new ways to do what they desire. I am grateful to my supportive family, friends, and teachers that believed in me and made a difference in my life, and in turn, have enabled me to make a difference in the lives of others. The Mind Believes, The Body Achieves. • • • 
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