OUR TEAM | My Speech Matters

About Us

Meet the Speech Matters Team

Linda Bejoian

MS, CCC-SLP

Linda Bejoian has over thirty years of professional experience as a certified speech pathologist.

Through her private practice on the Upper East Side in Manhattan, she has gained expertise in treating a variety of speech and language disorders.

Education:

Master of Science at Rutgers, The State University
Bachelor of Arts at The State University at New York Buffalo
Central School of Speech and Drama London, England

Credentials:

Externship supervisor for a number of graduate speech pathology programs.
Member of The Voice Study Group for over 25 years
Bejoian, L., Gordon, B., Juska, J., O'Grady, J., Pullara, O., & Thorne, J. (2005). Achieving Speech Production in a Nonverbal Adolescent with Autism. Department of Neurology, Cognitive Neurology, Neuropsychology, John Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD.
Founder and Developer: The Language Garden School
Programs use a thematic approach specialized for 3-5 year-olds
Former Adjunct Clinical Instructor: Tufts University School of Pediatric Dentistry
Workshop Presenter for Dentists and Speech Pathologists: Columbia, Harvard, and Boston University
Awarded Scholarship at the Rusk Insititute of Rehabilitation Medicine
Creator of "Mr. Wizard's Thumbs Out", Educational video designed to help 3-8 year olds stop thumb sucking.
- "The video was very well done and the message was very clear. There is no doubt that it would be useful in assisting children with this particular problem." - Anthi Tsamtsouris, D.M.D.M.S. Assistant Chairwoman, Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Tufts University
Prompt Certified
Expertise in treating children with oral motor problems, as well as PDD

Emily Ackerman

MS, CCC-SLP

Emily has experience working with adults/geriatrics in subacute inpatient settings in which she evaluates, diagnoses, and treats a variety of diagnoses such as dysphagia, aphasia, apraxia, cognitive-communication-based impairments, dysarthria, and voice disorders.

Emily also has experience working with long-term acute care pediatrics (1-22 years old).

She has also worked with school-age children with TBI or other brain-based disorders in a school setting targeting expressive, receptive, pragmatic language skills, multimodal means of communication (AAC devices, verbal communication, simple sign language), and pediatric feeding.

Shahnaz Terzi

Shahnaz is a speech-language pathology Clinical Fellow. Shahnaz holds a Certificate in Teacher of Students with Speech and Language Disabilities with a Bilingual Extension in Arabic.

Education:

Master of Science from Teachers College, Columbia University
Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pittsburgh

Shahnaz has worked in an acute care setting with adult patients who have speech, language and swallowing impairments related to stroke, Parkinson’s Disease, traumatic brain injury, and other neurological disorders. Shahnaz has experience treating a variety of communication disorders in adult populations, such as aphasia, dysarthria, voice disorders, cognitive disorders and stuttering. Shahnaz is LSVT certified (Lee Silverman Voice Therapy); a program designed for patients with Parkinson’s Disease.

Shahnaz also has experience working with the pediatric and early intervention population in schools and an outpatient hospital setting. Shahnaz has treated communication disorders related to speech and language delays, literacy development, Autism Spectrum Disorder, articulation and phonological disorders, stuttering and social language. Shahnaz also has experience using a variety of alternative and augmentative communication systems (communication boards, keyboards, iPads, Lingraphica, etc.).

MS, CCC-SLP

Amanda Catone

Amanda is a graduate of SUNY Buffalo State’s Speech Language Pathology program. She began her career in early intervention and preschool speech and language therapy, treating children from birth to five years old.

Amanda then transitioned to a school setting, working with middle school students, and is currently working with elementary and middle school students with brain injuries and brain-based disorders. She has experience in the areas of pediatric feeding and swallowing, articulation and phonology, receptive and expressive language, and augmentative and alternative communication.

Rachel Golub

M.S., CCC, SLP

Rachel is a medical speech-language pathologist with experience aligning goals with clients and caregivers, and implementing evidence-based practice. She is especially interested in providing gender affirmation voice therapy. She has attended relevant presentations and continues to stay involved with coursework and independent research to best service the LGBTQIA+ community. Rachel’s interests also include treating adults who have had a traumatic brain injury. She has had years of experience working to foster independence and functionality for those with dysphagia, aphasia, dysarthria, voice disorders and cognitive-linguistic impairment.

Special training includes:
● Acoustic Assumptions to target vocal resonance for voice feminization/masculinization
● SPEAK OUT!® for people with Parkinson’s disease
● Modified Barium Swallow Study Profile to analyze disordered swallowing
● Passy Muir Valve Assessment/ Management for people with tracheostomies
● Augmentative & Alternative Communication to increase communicative outlets for
people with aphasia

Gaida Hinnawi

MS, CCC, SLP

Gaida Hinnawi earned her BA in biological science and music from Wayne State University. She went on to earn her MS in speech-language pathology from Columbia University. Gaida holds a license of speech language-pathology and a Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) in speech-language pathology from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). She has experience working as a voice rehabilitation specialist and voice coach with a wide variety of clients. Gaida is also an accomplished vocalist and songwriter specializing in classical Arabic, microtonal and contemporary folk & jazz fusion.

Related Training Certificates:

Vocology Certification, The National Center for Voice and Speech, the University of Iowa & the University of Utah
Certified provider of Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT), NY, NY
Laryngeal Imaging and Voice Therapy Workshop - Emory Voice Center, Atlanta, GA
Lessac-Madsen Resonant Voice Therapy (LMRVT) - Baltimore Medical Center, MD
Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES/sEMG Guardian Way)
PROMPT 1&2- Prompt Institute
Active participant in the ELR meetings curated by NYC Voice Center

Heather Moss

Speech Language Pathologist

Heather Moss is ASHA (American Speech-Language Hearing Association) certified and New York State licensed, holds a permanent certification as a Teacher of Students with Speech and Language Disabilities (TSSLD) and is Prompts for Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic Targets (PROMPT) Trained.

Heather has a wealth of experience and has practiced in the United States and Australia for over 15 years. Heather has also studied and participated in education programs in France, Prague, Poland, Israel and China - working with children of all ages and across diverse backgrounds. She has an infectious enthusiasm for client improvement and has an energetic and creative personality conducive to working with children and their caregivers.

Heather has a Masters Degree in Speech and Language Pathology from Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia and a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Speech and Hearing from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana.