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.
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
- I am currently completing training in Creative Interventions For Children With 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.
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.
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.
