Speech Language Pathologist
Speech Language Pathology:
Speech Delays & Disorders:
SLPs can help children who have difficulty forming specific words or sounds correctly as well as making sentences flow smoothly learn to say their sounds and repair communication breakdowns when their speech is unclear.
Fluency Disorders:
A fluency disorder is an interruption in the flow of speaking such as stuttering. It can look whole and part word repetitions, long pauses while speaking and can even include groping or grimacing. SLPs play a central role in the screening, diagnosis, and treatment of fluency disorders.
Social Communication & Play skills:
SLPs love to play! They can help children develop their play skills and learn how to interact with peers within a social environment such as turn taking, sharing, and playing with others.
Language & Literacy:
Children sometimes have trouble with understanding what others say (receptive language) or communicating ideas through language (expressive language). Children can also have difficulty with pre-literacy skills such as rhyming, segmenting, blending and manipulation of sounds in words. SLPs can help with language disorders affecting their grammar, vocabulary, direction following or comprehension as well as pre-literacy and literacy skills including reading and written expression
Augmentative & Alternative Communication:
Some children may use sign language, speech generating devices or pictures to communicate their wants, needs, thoughts and ideas. SLPs can help support children and their families to communicate through alternative communication methods.
Our Speech Language Pathologists:
Dianne Lieffers
Dianne is a dynamic speech language pathologist with 32 years of experience. She was born in southern Alberta. She graduated from the University of Alberta and began her career working with adults in acute care and rehabilitation in Saskatchewan. After 13 years, she moved to working with children in the school setting. She has developed broad experience working with children presenting with many types of communication difficulties.
Dianne is certified to conduct Hanen parent programs (Takes Two to Talk® More the Words®, Learning Language and Loving it®) and is committed to a family centered therapy approach. Through her work in the schools, Dianne is enthusiastic about supporting families new to Canada.
She has developed an interest in working with Autistic children and has recently completed additional training to support language development through the Meaningful Speech organization. Dianne is thrilled to have the opportunity to work in conjunction with other therapists at the clinic in a holistic, child centered approach.
Dianne is the mother to four adult children, pursuing sports and professional careers across Canada. When not working, you will usually find her with little Ruby the dog. Dianne is active and enjoys the outdoors, whether it be biking, hiking, paddleboarding, or walking Ruby.
Zoe Parkinson-Fisher
Zoe is a registered speech-language pathologist who has spent most of her career working with the paediatric population. She received both her Bachelor of Science in Communication Disorders and her Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology at Minot State University. Zoe has special interests in working with late talkers, stuttering, articulation/phonology, and language delays/disorders, but is comfortable working with a variety of communication delays and disorders.
Zoe is passionate about speech-language pathology and strives to provide the best comprehensive services she can for each individual client. She believes collaboration between parents, the child, and other professionals to be essential in supporting the child as a whole. Zoe is certified to provide It Takes Two to Talk® - The Hanen Program® for Parents of Children with Language Delays, Target Word™ - The Hanen Program® for Parents of Children who are Late Talkers, and Learning Language and Loving It™ - The Hanen Program® for Early Childhood Educators/Teachers. Additionally, she is trained in both the Lidcombe Program for Stuttering in Young Children and Palin Parent-Child Interaction Therapy for Early Childhood Stammering.
When Zoe is not seeing clients, she spends most of her time with her children, husband, and dog. Zoe loves to travel, having spent many summers backpacking through Europe, Asia, and Australia but hasn’t found a view better than the Rocky Mountains. Though she grew up on the prairies in Unity, Saskatchewan, the Rockies stole her heart and brought her to Cochrane in 2016. The relationships she has built with clients, co-workers, and community members have truly made Cochrane her home!
Natalya Vallieres-Durham
Natalya is a registered Speech-Language Pathologist who completed her Master’s in Speech and Language Therapy at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics from the University of Calgary. Natalya has spent the majority of her time working with a pediatric population in homes, schools, preschools and in-clinic.
Natalya has developed a keen interest in working and supporting children with articulation, phonology or language delays as well as children with other communication needs, developmental disorders or bilingual children.
Prior to the completion of her master’s degree, Natalya worked as a behavioural aide and discovered the importance of play and play-based approaches to therapy, which she believes supports children's curiosity and independence both inside and outside the home. Now as a speech-language pathologist, she aims to help children meet their communication goals in fun and engaging ways.
Natalya incorporates a family centred approach to therapy, and aims to make families feel empowered and supported along the way. She strongly believes in creating functional and attainable communication goals while celebrating the small wins in-between.
Outside of working at Ascend Pediatrics, you can find Natalya trying out new restaurants and coffee shops, hiking, or planning out her next travel adventure.