M.Cl.Sc. SLP Reg. CASLPO
Paulina Elias is a multilingual Speech-language Pathologist (SLP) who was born in Guatemala but has been living in Canada for the last 12 years. She received her undergraduate degree in Linguistics and Psychology from McGill University in 2018 and her master’s degree in Speech-language Pathology from Western University in 2021. In 2021, Paulina began working alongside Marge Blanc, author of “Natural Language Acquisition on the Autism Spectrum” (2012), to adapt the material of Marge’s book into Spanish. While also working as a private-based SLP in Canada, Paulina has continued her work surrounding Natural Language Acquisition (NLA) and Gestalt Language Processing (GLP) through the creation of educational and practical clinic material (handouts, videos, presentations, workshops, etc.), including a virtual 16-hour course about NLA, which she teaches in Spanish, alongside colleague, Dr. Amanda Blackwell. Paulina has experience with clients of all ages and with different communicative challenges in person and via teletherapy. She feels the most passionate about working with autistic individuals and serving as an advocate for the essential role of echolalia in communication. In her work, Paulina strives for diversity and inclusion, especially in the context of multilingual healthcare service delivery. She loves to work alongside and learn from colleagues of varying disciplines to help clients and families achieve their communication goals and participate in everyday meaningful activities. In her day-to-day life, Paulina enjoys keeping up with friends and family, including those who reside in Guatemala, throughout Europe, and in the U.S.