About Stacie Donison, M.S., RS-LP, CCC-SLP
I’m passionate about helping kids – and their parents – work on functional, appropriate speech skills, from the basics (like asking for food) to the complex (like social interactions with peers). I have a special place in my heart for children with autism and, having worked with this population for over two decades, am confident that my expertise and advanced skill set will be a great addition to your child’s development. I’ve enjoyed working with children in Arizona, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan. I am excited to bring my experience and skills back to the Vancouver area as of August, 2017.
Most recently, I operated my own private pediatric speech therapy practice in Regina, along with other gifted specialists. More about Regina Speech Center here. In returning to the greater Vancouver, BC area, I am thrilled to be working with Aman Dhaliwal at Simply Speech in Surrey. I was privileged to work with one of BC’s top speech pathologists, Dianne Milsom, at her clinic in Richmond, prior to her retirement, which is where I met and worked with Aman. As a speech pathologist registered with the province for providing services to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), I am looking forward to reconnecting with some of my former clients and meeting new ones!
Here’s a little bit more about my background:
My career aspirations began in high school (Campbell Collegiate), when I volunteered to work with fellow students with special needs. I was fortunate to know immediately what my life path would be and I’ve been working with special needs populations ever since! After high school, I moved to Arizona with my family and worked as a special education teacher’s assistant, mentored by internationally-recognized feeding specialist Marsha Dunn Klein, M.Ed., OTR/L, and others in the community of therapists in Tucson, Arizona.
While pursuing a B.S. in Speech and Hearing Sciences at Arizona State University (ASU), I worked with children with speech and language disorders as a Speech Therapy Assistant in Phoenix, Arizona. In 2004 I graduated Magna Cum Laude with my bachelor’s degree from ASU, and continued to work with children while engaging in master’s studies at Northern Arizona University (NAU). I graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2007 with a master of science in Clinical Speech and Language Pathology, specializing in language disorders associated with autism.
After working in private therapy clinics and the school system, I launched my own private practice in Phoenix, providing home-based speech therapy and contract-based speech therapy for private and charter schools. I also helped to design and implement the High Functioning Autism classrooms for the Paradise Valley School District. In 2010, my husband and I returned to Canada and I began working with Dianne Milsom at Speech and Language Services. When Ms. Milsom retired, I began working as an independent home-based therapist for the remainder of my time in BC. Upon relocation to Regina, Saskatchewan, I operated Sunshine Speech Center for five years before joining forces with Regina Speech Centre, which now manages my former case load.
I am a member of the Canadian Association for Speech Language Pathologists and Audiologists (SAC), College of Speech and Hearing Health Professionals of BC (CSHHPBC), and also the American Speech – Language – Hearing Association (ASHA).