CHASING UNICORNS
Because every child deserves a great start
ABOUT ME
Unlocking Your Child's Potential
I am a medically trained SLP experienced in the evaluation and treatment of multiply impaired children in a hospital based multidisciplinary rehab clinic. While I enjoy all areas of pediatric treatment, I am especially dedicated to supporting children and their families dealing with complex communication challenges and feeding disorders from NICU discharge to early elementary age. As a result, I have become certified and trained in a variety of feeding methodologies for the neonate through teens, and including those focusing on neonates and infants with cardiac, pulmonary, and GI issues (please see additional certifications/trainings). I am experienced in working with children with laryngeal clefts, laryngomalacia, tracheomalacia, TEF/EA, PRS, Down's, cardiac anomalies, trachs, g-tubes, craniofacial challenges, gj-tubes, and more. I also have extensive experience and training treating ASD, speech sound disorders, CAS, phonology, executive function disorders, and am certified in Hanen Method and PECS. Sign up for a free consultation and let’s see if I’m the right clinician to help your child.
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EDUCATION:
Masters in Speech-Language Pathology from Eastern Michigan University.
Recipient of 12 ASHA Ace Awards for dedication and excellence in continuing education.
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CERTIFICATIONS:
NOMAS
SOFFI Method
DIRFloortime
Hanen “It Takes Two to Talk”
PECS Level I & II
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AUTHOR:
Tyler Takes a Taste - A boy and his family’s journey with “picky eating” and feeding disorders.
In addition to being an SLP, I am also an author. I wrote Tyler Takes a Taste, in response to the many families who came into my office and told me stories about their child’s struggles eating, and how these struggles impacted all areas of the child’s and family’s lives. I was told that family meals were battle grounds and that going out to eat as a family was impossible. I heard about well-meaning relatives who gave advice that contradicted their parental intuition, and how medical professionals brushed them off and made the parents and children both feel inadequate and unheard. Children talked about not being able to eat with their friends in the cafeteria without being teased, and others who had just given up eating anywhere other than home! My heart ached for families who turned to social media for support and instead, found themselves being compared to an impossibly “perfect” model that quite frankly, no one can achieve. I searched online for something that I could share with these families, something that would help them explain their journey to others. When I couldn’t find anything that I felt could support what my families were going through, I turned to a friend, Mehreen Kakwan, who had written and illustrated her own books about her area of specialty, motor speech disorders. With Mehreen on board to create the illustrations, I was able to write and self-publish, Tyler Takes a Taste which is available on Amazon.
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Barbara Coven-Ellis
Hi! I’m Barbara Coven-Ellis and I’m an ASHA (American Speech-Language and Hearing Association) certified speech-language pathologist (SLP) who is dedicated to helping kids and their families find their way through medically complex and socially isolating feeding and communication challenges. My passion for helping children and families reach their goals of improved communication and feeding abilities drives me to stay up to date on the latest evidence-based practices. I absolutely adore what I do and the children that I work with; I only wish that there were more hours in a day!
Having seen the development of our child over the years has brought real light to the importance of preventative medicine. Our initial visit years ago started in the form of PT, but the eye of a Swallow Therapist Expert, Barbara, recommended we schedule a visit with her. Naturally, we were unsure as to why but can say, with 100 percent conviction, it was the best intervention a parent could have. Our child was initially having abdominal muscle development delays as well as neck muscle delays. As one can expect, this made feeding difficult, but to what degree we were unsure as new parents. This became clear as days and weeks went by with Barbara as she worked with us and our little one. She not only provided the education to parent and child but also provided tools, literature, opinion, research, and instructions that would help on our little one’s journey to be able to have a functioning swallow, texture awareness, and muscle strength.
