Lavinia Pereira

A truly gifted therapist (across all disciplines) possesses a rare combination of intelligence, compassion, empathy and clinical competence. She will often emerge from a session sweating and out of breath—yet somehow re-energized because the child she is working with has just made his first gains towards a goal! Further, she truly cares about her clients' overall success and progress and will always take the time to talk with her clients' parents and put their anxieties at bay. Lavinia Pereira is a Speech Language Pathologist who embodies all of these characteristics and we are proud to feature her on our web site!

Currently, Lavinia is in private practice on Manhattan's Upper East Side and holds a position as a clinical supervisor in the graduate program at New York University—where she supervises graduate students in their clinical practicum and coordinates weekly workshops on goal planning & treatment strategies. Lavinia specializes in the assessment and treatment of motor speech disorders. Her caseload consists of children diagnosed with a range of disabilities. Her most recent endeavor is as co-author of the “First Sound Series” www.firstsoundseries.com , a series of interactive children's books that foster the development and growth of speech and language skills through the use of repetition, functional vocabulary, and familiar phrases.

Lavinia earned her degree in Speech-Language Pathology from New York University . She holds a permanent certificate as a Teacher of Speech and Hearing Handicapped, a Certificate of Clinical Competence from ASHA, and is licensed in New York State .

We sat down and chatted with Lavinia.

1. How did you choose the profession of Speech Language Pathology?
   
   The desire to become an SLP came to me while pursuing my bachelor's degree at NYU. At the time, I majored in special education and thought I wanted to become a classroom teacher. However, once I started my student teaching requirement, I decided I would prefer specializing in one area of education and that I would better serve students in a one-to-one, therapeutic environment.
   
   
2. You have a unique background for an SLP—please explain.
   
   I worked as an Applied Behavioral Analysis instructor for six years before becoming a Speech Language Pathologist. I first started working with children on the autistic spectrum in the home, as a tutor, and then I became trained as an instructor. Eventually, I became trained in the verbal behavior technique (Vincent Carbone) and supervised several home teams. I developed home plans and trained other therapists in this method.
   
   
3. How did this preparation help you with the clients you have today?
   
   It has been extremely beneficial. I use the skills I learned as an ABA instructor everyday. Most importantly, it has taught me the importance of taking data to quantify therapy. It is important to formulate goals in measurable terms and then take data to monitor and measure progress. It also taught me the importance of breaking skills down into small manageable steps so that your clients experience success.
   
   
4. There are a lot of perks that come with having your own practice—autonomy—probably being the biggest—Are there any downfalls?
   
   Being in private practice has been a very fulfilling experience. However, at times, it can be isolating and quite difficult to find opportunities to collaborate with not only other SLP's but professionals in other disciplines. Also, when you are in private practice you have to work hard at keeping up with all the new advances in our field.
   
   
5. What's your advice to newer—less experienced SLP's who want to follow in your footsteps and open their own practice one day

Wait and don't rush into it. There is so much to learn from working with others. I also recommend observing other clinicians as much as you can -it will make you a better clinician. Taking some business courses before a you get started will also be very helpful .

Thank you Lavinia and best of luck! Keep up the great work!