Smiling woman on a beach with text: 'Hey! I'm Rachel, a tech-loving speech-language pathologist helping kids find their voice.


I’m an SLP who has an immense passion for helping individuals who need communication support. I’m proud to have created a digital media platform that helps to educate and empower thousands of parents and professionals to support a learner’s communication through the use of technology.

One of the things I’m often asked is "How on earth did you get started in all this?"

Speech therapist’s journey using tech to help a child find her voice, paired with a smiling portrait on pink stairs.

My journey began fresh out of grad school when, admittedly, I had no clue what I was doing. I met a 4-year-old autistic child who LOVED running away when he saw me walk into his classroom.

For weeks, I exhausted every strategy I had been taught, yet nothing seemed to work. He didn’t have any words or signs, and I felt like I was failing as his speech therapist. 

One day, I pulled out a brightly-colored shape sorter and put it on the ground in front of him. As I started pushing the shapes in, I realized he loved the sound of the shapes dropping into the box. After a few minutes, he came over and sat right next to me smiling and watching me plop the shapes into the box. I left the session feeling hopeful and excited at this tiny breakthrough.


Over the course of a few months, his engagement in my sessions grew and I taught him how to sign the word “more” to request the shapes. He became SO excited for our sessions that, when he saw me, he would run to grab my bag and pull me to the corner of the classroom where we frequently did therapy. 

Eventually, I realized there was an overwhelming need for augmentative alternative communication (AAC) to help him communicate through the use of technology (e.g. think Stephen Hawking). I referred him for an AAC assessment and I watched carefully as an AAC specialist trialed different technologies with him. I witnessed the power of technology in transforming this child’s life and allowing him to finally find his voice and connect with the world around him. I was hooked!  

 


My curiosity around AAC became insatiable and my passion led me down a path where I was determined to make an impact even greater than the scope of one person (aka ME) in my private practice. How could I clone myself and all of the information I’ve learned throughout the years? In 2016, I launched my digital media company and started sharing all of my ideas on my YouTube Channel, Instagram, Facebook, and on my podcast Talking with Tech. 

Since then, I have presented to over 30,000 clinicians both nationally and abroad on using technology to support children’s communication. My internationally-recognized podcast Talking with Tech has over one million downloads and listeners in over 103 countries. My flagship course AAC Ally has taught over 4,000 speech-language pathologists the tools they need to better help learners who need additional communication supports.

 
Logos of organizations and platforms where the featured work has been highlighted, including Speech Science, Autism Parenting Magazine, ChildNEXUS, The Sensory Project, and USSAAC: The Voice of AAC.

I believe that every communicator, regardless of their disabilities, has the potential to learn how to communicate with the right tool and the right support around them.


A smiling woman reading a colorful book with a young child, emphasizing the belief that every individual can learn to communicate with the right tools and support.

And that doesn’t mean it will always be easy or that the path forward will always be clear. In fact, some of my toughest cases have relied on my ability to admit I don’t know it all and search diligently for support and guidance from other professionals.


Giving the gift of communication is the most valuable gift you could ever give someone.


I have made it my life’s mission to help support educators and families in not giving up the belief that all individuals can learn how to communicate… it’s a basic human right everyone deserves. 

Smiling woman in a colorful dress on a pink background, sharing her mission to help children with communication challenges through free resources and support.
 
 

And in case you need a boring list of my credentials,

here are the cliff notes…

 

  • Private practice owner since 2014 

  • Specialized in the assessment and treatment of augmentative alternative communication (AAC) 

  •  “Outstanding Leadership” award from California Speech and Hearing Association (CSHA) in 2019. 

  • Trained in child-centered approaches from The Hanen Centre as well as DIR Floortime 

  • Certified in PROMPT (Prompts for Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic Targets) 

  • Trained in  LAMP (Language Acquisition through Motor Planning) 

  • Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) 

  • Graduated with honors from Temple University with a bachelor's degree in journalism and a master's degree in speech-language and hearing 

  • Currently licensed to practice speech-language pathology in California, Pennsylvania and Hawaii.