ABOUT ME
Welcome to my blog! I am a wife, daughter, sister, Advanced Certified Autism Specialist, Speech Language Pathologist and a speech blogger. I am an Expat from Sydney, Australia, now living permanently in Bangkok.
I am incredibly thankful to have been nominated a Finalist for the 2018 Young Australian Alumni Award and the 2018 Australian Alumni Community Engagement Award. It is my greatest pleasure to continue serving communities in private clinic, international schools and a vocational training centre.
My Education and Additional Certifications:
After completing under-graduate and post-graduate studies in Psychology, I chose to study Speech and Language Pathology because of the great impact that improving a person's communication has on their overall quality of life. I completed my two year Master of Speech and Language Pathology at the University of Sydney and fell in love with the profession since!
I am always updating my training to keep up with the evidence, and to give my families a variety of therapy options which best suits their child. Additional Certifications and specialised training I've completed include:
Hanen It Takes Two To Talk Certification (Australia)
- Autism Specialist Certification (Singapore)
- Social Thinking training conducted by Michelle Garcia, the incredible Founder of this approach (that's her in the photo!)
- PROMPT (Australia) families living in Thailand previously needed to travel overseas for this therapy
- Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA Therapy) training through the Institute of Behaviour Training
- Advanced Autism Specialist Certification through the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education
- Treatment of Neuro-cognitive Disorders in Adolescents and Adults
- Creative Interventions For Autism
You can read more about me in the Bangkok Faces Interview http://www.bkkkids.com/blog/bangkok-faces-chiman-estephan-speech-pathologist/
My Clinical Background:
My role involves the assessment and management of clients in schools, hospitals, homes and of course, in the clinic. I am very fortunate to have experienced the dynamic role of a Speech Language Pathologist in the two cities that I have lived in, Sydney and Bangkok. This includes working with early intervention children (ages 0 -3 years), pre-school children, school-aged children, children with global delay, children and teenagers with Down Syndrome, children with Autism, teenagers and adults with post-traumatic brain injury and adults recovering from a stroke.
My role involves the assessment and management of clients in schools, hospitals, homes and of course, in the clinic. I am very fortunate to have experienced the dynamic role of a Speech Language Pathologist in the two cities that I have lived in, Sydney and Bangkok. This includes working with early intervention children (ages 0 -3 years), pre-school children, school-aged children, children with global delay, children and teenagers with Down Syndrome, children with Autism, teenagers and adults with post-traumatic brain injury and adults recovering from a stroke.
Where I Am Working:
I moved to Bangkok permanently in 2014, and a few months later, I began working at a private, child development centre, where I still am. Part of my employment role there includes travelling to an international school in Bangna to provide weekly therapy to many children. I have recently also started working part-time at a Vocational Training Centre for teenagers and adults who have Down Syndrome, Autism and ADHD. I am now working with incredible individuals from the age of 12 months into adulthood throughout the week.
How I Bridged The Cultural Gap:
It is ironic that the biggest challenge I faced during my transition was communication. When I arrived in Bangkok, I already spoke a second language fluently. I was faced with a communication barrier I had not experienced before- difficulty asking for such basic things; this often left me feeling helpless and frustrated. So, I enrolled in Thai language school where I completed three courses of verbal Thai language. Several children that I currently work with speak Thai as well as English, and sometimes even a third language. Living and working in Sydney, a multi-cultural city, has equipped me with the necessary skills for working with children with different backgrounds here in Bangkok.
I moved to Bangkok permanently in 2014, and a few months later, I began working at a private, child development centre, where I still am. Part of my employment role there includes travelling to an international school in Bangna to provide weekly therapy to many children. I have recently also started working part-time at a Vocational Training Centre for teenagers and adults who have Down Syndrome, Autism and ADHD. I am now working with incredible individuals from the age of 12 months into adulthood throughout the week.
How I Bridged The Cultural Gap:
It is ironic that the biggest challenge I faced during my transition was communication. When I arrived in Bangkok, I already spoke a second language fluently. I was faced with a communication barrier I had not experienced before- difficulty asking for such basic things; this often left me feeling helpless and frustrated. So, I enrolled in Thai language school where I completed three courses of verbal Thai language. Several children that I currently work with speak Thai as well as English, and sometimes even a third language. Living and working in Sydney, a multi-cultural city, has equipped me with the necessary skills for working with children with different backgrounds here in Bangkok.
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