Lanni Zinberg-Swartz
M.Sc.(A), S-LP (C), Reg. CASLPO
Director
Lanni is a speech-language pathologist who is passionate about working with children and teens with social communication needs and has done so for over 20 years in the public system. Her extensive clinical experience supporting social learning through parent coaching has highlighted the need for a focused, strengths-based, parent and child service, and she created Connections SLP to fill this gap.
Lanni is a certified PEERS® and PEERS® Telehealth Provider. She was a consultant for The Hanen Centre® and one of three instructors internationally for TalkAbility™ certification workshops for SLPs for many years. Lanni developed Hanen’s Connecting the Dots and Creating Conversations workshops and webinars for supportive personnel. She is certified to provide TalkAbility™ and TalkAbility™ Offered via Telepractice.
Lanni has worked with Child Development Programs at Oak Valley Health since 2000. She is the Clinical Leader for Autism Services for the York Region Preschool Speech and Language Program (YRPSLP) and is responsible for developing and supporting innovative services for children with social communication needs and their families, including supporting York Region speech-language pathology staff working within the York-Simcoe Autism Network’s Entry to School and Caregiver-Mediated Early Years programs. As a speech-language pathologist at YRPSLP, Lanni has facilitated More Than Words® and TalkAbility™ programs for hundreds of families. In addition to her roles developing and offering therapeutic services, Lanni is also a long-time member of the Developmental Assessment and Consultation Services team for Children’s Treatment Network, one of Ontario’s five Autism Diagnostic Hubs. At DACS, she partners with a developmental pediatrician to provide developmental assessments for school-aged children and teens.
Lanni has represented her SLP colleagues in provincial advocacy and most recently served as the speech-language pathologist member of the Ontario Autism Program Implementation Working Group. She has a special interest in supporting children and teens with strong language and thinking skills who are struggling with social learning and friendship.
Lanni was recognized by the Ontario Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists for outstanding contributions to the association and the profession and was the 2020 recipient of OSLA’s Honours of the Association award.
At home, Lanni is a mom to two theatrical teenagers. She and her family enjoy singing along to musicals, reading, doing karate, travelling and finding great places to eat ice cream.
Lisa Drake
M.Cl.Sc., CCC-SLP, Reg. CASLPO
Speech-Language Pathologist
Lisa has been a speech-language pathologist since 2003. She has extensive experience in the assessment and treatment of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and has worked with these children in clinical partnership with their families towards improving functional social communication outcomes.
As former Director of Autism Services at The Hanen Centre®, Lisa has delivered presentations and trainings about autism development to professionals from around the world. She uses her knowledge of adult learning to help parents and educators understand and effectively use strategies to support social learning with children and adolescents.
Lisa is currently the Chief of Speech Language and Hearing Services with the Durham District School Board, where she leads teams of language and hearing professionals to support students across the system. When she is not at the school board, she loves spending time with her creative school-aged son and training for triathlons.
Daphne Goold
M.A., CCC-SLP, Reg. CASLPO, Reg. NSCASLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
Daphne is a speech-language pathologist registered to practice in both Ontario and Nova Scotia. After working for a couple of years as a communicative disorders assistant (CDA), she went on to complete her SLP Master’s degree at Western Michigan University. Daphne recently left her position at the York Region Preschool Speech and Language Program and the Children’s Treatment Network’s Developmental Assessment and Consultation Services to move out east to be with her family where she continues to work mostly with autistic children and families as well as those with ADHD.
Daphne is certified by The Hanen Centre® to lead the It Takes Two to Talk®, More Than Words®, TalkAbility™ and Target Word™ programs. Daphne brings both professional and personal experience to her work as her family is neurodivergent. She frequently checks in with the adult neurodiverse community and looks to her Autistic sister who received a late adult ASD diagnosis to help guide her and her practice and to help advocate for the autistic community.
In her spare time, Daphne can be found training her dog Wildcard or hiking the local trails with her. She also loves to garden and grow her own food and is happy to have a big yard in Nova Scotia in which to do so.
Marika K. Holmes
M.Sc., S-LP (C) Reg. CASLPO, R.SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
Marika recently celebrated 18 years as a clinical speech-language pathologist and manager of clinical services. Married to an air force pilot with two children, Marika has moved back and forth between Halifax (Nova Scotia Hearing and Speech Centres) and Ottawa (First Words), managing speech-language pathologists and working in private practice. For the past four years, Marika has been manager of the Infant Hearing and Blind Low Vision programs of Eastern Ontario and of the Preschool Speech and Language Program for Ottawa and Renfrew County. This year, Marika worked with The Hanen Centre® to deliver More Than Words® and TalkAbility™ Offered via Telepractice for the Ontario Autism Program. Marika is thrilled to join Connections SLP to continue providing TalkAbility™ Offered via Telepractice to families in Ontario and Alberta.
When Marika isn’t working, you can find her outside with her family, taking on new adventures and trying to keep up with her kids…and not break a leg!
Lauren Lowry
M.Sc. (A), S-LP (C), Reg. CASLPO
Speech-Language Pathologist
Lauren has been a speech language pathologist for 25 years. Early on, she realized that she had a passion for collaborating with families and began a position with the Hanen Centre® to deliver programs for parents. Since then, she has become certified to deliver seven different Hanen programs. Lauren continues to work with the Hanen Centre®, and has developed webinars, instructed professional workshops, contributed to program development, and written over 150 articles for parents and professionals. Her articles translate the latest research into practical tips to use during everyday interactions with children.
Over the years, Lauren developed a special interest in working with children on the autism spectrum. She has offered numerous More Than Words® programs for parents and has instructed the More Than Words® certification workshop for speech-language pathologists. She helped update the program a few years ago and is one of the co-authors of the professional Leader’s Guide. Lauren has worked with young children on the autism spectrum in several other capacities, including as a consultant for childcare centres and behaviour teams, and as a member of an ASD diagnostic team at the Hospital for Sick Children.
In her spare time, Lauren enjoys hanging out with her husband and two teenaged boys, going for long walks while listening to her favourite audiobooks, and eating chocolate!
Jamie Lee, M.H.Sc.
M.H.Sc., S-LP (C), Reg. CASLPO
Speech-Language Pathologist
Jamie is a registered speech-language pathologist who completed her Masters of Health Sciences program at the University of Toronto. Through her experience with the York Region Preschool Speech and Language Program as well as Children’s Treatment Network’s Developmental Assessment and Consultation Services, she has had the opportunity to work with preschool and early school aged children in the areas of assessment, treatment, consultation, and ASD diagnostic assessment.
Jamie is certified by The Hanen Centre® to lead the It Takes Two to Talk®, More Than Words®, TalkAbility™ and TalkAbility™ Offered via Telepractice programs. She enjoys working with children to develop their social communication and peer interaction skills. She feels strongly that parents and caregivers play a key role in helping their children reach their full potential. She is passionate about working closely with families to provide them with the tools to support their child’s communication skills.
When she isn’t working, you might find Jamie rock climbing, trying out new recipes, or hanging out with her spouse and her two cats.
Loan Nguyen
M.H.Sc., Reg. CASLPO
Speech-Language Pathologist
Loan has had a special interest in working with children and youth with social communication needs since very early in her career. She has been practicing since 2006, and spent 12 years as an SLP with the York Region Preschool Speech and Language Program, providing assessment and support for children and their families in a variety of settings. She has served as a consultant for families, childcare centres and behaviour teams.
Loan is currently on staff with the Peel District School Board, where she is one of the ASD-Special Needs Resource Consultants, supporting her SLP colleagues and school teams with programming for children with ASD and special needs. She also provides professional development to her colleagues and school professionals. Loan joined the Children’s Treatment Network Developmental Assessment and Consultation Services in 2017, where she continues her role as a member of the preschool diagnostic multi-disciplinary assessment team.
Loan holds certifications in Hanen’s TalkAbility™, More Than Words® and It Takes Two to Talk® programs and has led many programs for families. She also has training in Auditory-Verbal Therapy for children with hearing impairment.
Her two young children keep her busy at home with their extracurricular activities. In her free time, she enjoys reading romance novels and cooking up a storm with her family.
Paula Riczker
BSc.OT, OT Reg (Ont)
Occupational Therapist
Paula is a registered occupational therapist and has been practicing for 24 years with a special interest supporting sensory processing and mental health. Paula is passionate about using her skills to support families to develop a deeper understanding of how sensory processing impacts daily function, mental health and well-being,
Paula received a Bachelor of Arts in Kinesiology from Western University and a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy from University of Toronto. She has worked in many settings including Private and Public schools, Children’s Treatment Centres, a child and youth mental health treatment centre, and private practice. Paula has continued her education throughout her career and has a passion for learning. Training and certifications include Sensory Integration, Neurodevelopmental Treatment, DIR, CBT, Integrated Listening Systems and Mindful Self-Compassion.
Paula supports clients by addressing areas that may be impacting achieving success in their daily living tasks, such as school, play and social connections. Paula uses a client-centred and strength-based approach to treatment and works with children, adolescents, parents and other caregivers to provide meaningful solutions to functional challenges.
When not working, Paula is busy with her 3 teenagers. She enjoys time with family and friends, cooking, walking her dog with her husband, running, bingeing a good series, and trying hard to do a daily mindfulness practice!
Lisa Goodman
Intake and Client Services Co-ordinator
Lisa is the friendly voice on the phone who speaks with all of our new families and supports booking and billing for our current clients. Lisa brings to her important role on our team not only professional experience as an administrative assistant in both speech-language pathology and ABA, but also extensive lived experience as the parent of a young adult on the autism spectrum.
When Lisa is not busy supporting our clients and staff, she and her son enjoy going for long walks and spending time at the beach.
