6 About

AriellaShira Lewis M.A. SLP

 

I had an adventurous childhood being the daughter of a geologist.   I lived in Zambia, Zimbabwe, USA (Berkeley,CA), Canada (Kingston, Ontario), back to Zambia and boarding school in South Africa. I decided to become a speech therapist toward the end of High School, and choose to work for a year before attending University, to gain some life experience before continuing school. I worked at a local library in 1969 where the librarian had a young son who had been diagnosed with autism. That was my first encounter with autism and it became a lifelong interest of mine. I eventually became part of their extended family when I married a cousin of theirs. Within my own family (sibling and children) I was introduced to the diagnoses of dyslexia, learning disability, ADHD.

I worked in hospital, University, and school settings and each one included work with preschoolers. I ended up choosing to focus on preschoolers in a school district Preschool Speech/Language Program. After 11 years there, I observed my case load double in 2003, and began this adventure with the Crystal Cradle/Crystal Connection. Now, over ten years later there are many more people acknowledging this expanding new wave of children and seeing them all on a continuum.

                                                                                                            Since 2004 I have provided speech & language therapy through my private practice called The Crystal Cradle, through Regional Center in home early intervention services and one year in a school district ASRD program. The adventure continues.

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Presentations

2011 “Complementary and Integrative Approaches as an Adjunct for Pediatric Speech/LanguagePathologists”at the California Speech and Hearing Association Annual Convention.

Click here to download Power Point of Presentation

Trainings

Autism Movement Therapy                                                               Joanne Lara MA            2014

Innerlight Energy Balancing Therapy – Introduction                        Niki Elliot, Ph.D.             2014

Awesomism Certification Process  Level One                                     Suzy Miller                      2013

Spiritual Healing for Indigo Children & Adults                              Wayne & Ellen Dosick   2010

Interactive Metronome 2014


Education

1973    BA Speech Pathology and Audiology, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa

1983    MA Speech Pathology, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa *conferred with distinction

Professional Experience

1974                 Hospital, Capetown, South Africa.   Speech Pathologist and Audiologist Assessment and Therapy with children and adults on both an In Patient and Out Patient basis, including a half day preschool program.

1974 – 1980      University , Johannesburg, South Africa.  Speech Pathologist and Audiologist  Tutor and Therapist in the Preschool Unit for Language Impaired Children; Clinical Tutor responsible for supervision of student’s therapy and assessment; lecturing. Fulltime until 1978, and then part time.

1988 – 1990      School District, CA, USA.           Speech and Language Pathologist Middle and Elementary School, including preschoolers.

1992 – 2004     School District, CA, USA            Speech and Language Pathologist Preschool Speech and Language Program

2004 – present   The Crystal Cradle, private practice vendoring through the Regional Center,Pediatric Speech and Language Pathologist providing in home early intervention services, and private clients, and intermittently employed by School Districts for individual therapy or onsite during therapist’s maternity leave.

2012-2013        School District, Speech and Language Pathologist for elementary, middle and high school ASRD Program.