About Rebecca Thompson, B.A., M.Sc., Reg. CASLPO

 

Rebecca Photo

I feel incredibly fortunate to have such a rewarding career. I am passionate about helping children build communication skills, and take great joy in seeing them progress.  I began my career working in a children's treatment centre as a speech-language pathologist.  For thirteen years I provided therapy for children with a variety of communication difficulties, including late talkers, motor speech disorders, childhood apraxia of speech, stuttering, developmental delays, articulation delays, receptive and expressive language delays, and autism. In 2007, I also began accepting private clients. The freedom to work with children and families without the constraints of waiting lists was a catalyst for me to begin providing private speech and language therapy full time in 2012.

As a mom, I understand parents' frustration with chronically under-funded public speech and language services. Parents who have chosen private speech and language therapy with me have enjoyed the individual focus on their child, the chance to be an active participant in their child's therapy, as well as the ability to schedule therapy sessions to suit their schedules and their child's needs.

I am very lucky to be the mother of three beautiful children.  Amidst the joys of parenthood, my children have made me sensitive to the challenges that parents face.  Sometimes it is difficult to motivate your own child, or to fit extra work into a very busy life. Knowing this first hand helps me set realistic goals for the children I work with, and keeps me focused on helping you help your child in a way that fits into your life.

Education

In 1996, I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Psychology), Honours degree from McMaster University, then went on to complete my Masters of Science in Communicative Disorders at the University of Western Ontario (1999). I build upon my skills through continuing education activities and have gained additional qualifications and certifications. However, I feel that the greatest contribution to my clinical education continues every day, as I learn from children, parents, and fellow clinicians.

Additional Qualifications

I comply with the College of Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists of Ontario (CASLPO) Quality Assurance Program. I regularly update my knowledge and skills by attending workshops and reading current literature. I train university students and mentor new speech-language pathologists through CASLPO's initial practice program. I am:

  • Seeds of Learning Executive Function Practicum 2022
  • Therapist Neurodiversity Collective self directed study on Neurodiversity centred practice - Ongoing
  • Gestalt Language Processing training through Meaningful Speech 2023
  • The Informed SLP membership
  • PROMPT trained for treatment of motor speech disorders (Level 1: Introduction to Technique, and Level 2: Bridging Technique to Intervention)  http://www.promptinstitute.com/
  • Advanced Training in Childhood Apraxia of Speech from Apraxia Kids
  • Trained in DTTC: Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing for Childhood Apraxia of Speech
  • Trained in ReST treatment for Childhood Apraxia of Speech
  • Certified as an instructor for Hanen's "It Takes Two to Talk" and "More Than Words" Programs http://www.hanen.org/
  • Proficient in the Lidcombe Program of Early Stuttering Intervention

In my therapy, I draw upon a variety of evidence-based treatment approaches to provide an individualized plan for each child.