Our Team
Jennifer Phillips
M.H.Sc. SLP (c), Reg. CASLPO
Owner of Beyond Words Waterloo Speech and Language Services
I am so lucky to work with amazing children and families every day! Over the past 15 years I have gained experience working with children who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), have articulation/phonological delays, motor speech disorders, literacy challenges, Autism Spectrum Disorder and Developmental delays. I have a passion for working with children who struggle with their motor planning for speech. I was one of a few clinicians to be selected to participate in the Apraxia Kids Bootcamp occurring August 2023.
My approach to therapy is always family-centered, functional and collaborative. I like nothing more than to make my therapy sessions motivating and fun. I am continuously seeking out new learning opportunities to expand my clinical skills and to ensure that my therapy remains current. In my free time I love to spend time with my husband and three wonderful children. We love to travel and spend time at the cottage.
Heather Kleihauer
M.H.Sc., Reg. CASLPO
Speech Language Pathologist
My passion is helping parents and caregivers use their daily interactions with their child to develop their social, language and speech skills. My primary goal is fostering meaningful interactions with children and their parents, in order to help children achieve their own optimal outcomes. I seek ongoing professional development to continuously improve my clinical skills, in order to actively apply current, evidence-based therapy.
I have substantial experience working with children with varying degrees and types of hearing loss and supporting these children in developing their audition (listening skills) through the use of hearing aids/cochlear implants. I have extensive experience in the areas of early language development, autism spectrum disorder, articulation/phonological delays, motor speech disorders, developmental language disorder, and social communication difficulties. I support children with complex communication needs, including those using Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC).
When not at work, I enjoy spending time with my husband and two kids. I love adding new plants to my garden, discovering my next favourite book at the library, and listening to music.
Paulina Elias
M.H.Sc., Reg. CASLPO
Speech Language Pathologist
I’m a multilingual Speech-language Pathologist (SLP) who was born in Guatemala but has been living in Canada for the last 13 years. I feel very fortunate to call Beyond Words Waterloo my place of work and am incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to work with our amazing clients!
I have experience with clients of all ages and with different communicative challenges in person and via teletherapy but feel the most passionate about working with autistic individuals and serving as an advocate for the essential role of echolalia in communication. Ever since I learned about Gestalt Language Processing in 2021, I have felt very passionate about supporting individuals who use echolalia to communicate and always strive to provide neurodiversity-affirming services. Over the last couple of years, I have worked alongside Marge Blanc, author of “Natural Language Acquisition (NLA) on the Autism Spectrum” (2012) and have collaborated with her in the creation of educational material on the topic of NLA in Spanish and English. In my work, I keep diversity and inclusion at the forefront of everything that I do and love to work alongside and learn from colleagues of varying disciplines to help clients and families achieve their communication goals. In my day-to-day life, I enjoy keeping up with friends and family, including those who reside in Guatemala, throughout Europe, and in the U.S.
Leah Swartzentruber
MSLP Reg. CASLPO
Speech Language Pathologist
I am so fortunate to have spent the past 10 years growing and learning alongside many wonderful children and their families! I have had the privilege of supporting preschool and school-aged children in working towards their communication goals in the areas of speech sound development, literacy skill acquisition, vocabulary development, understanding and use of oral language and functional communication skills. I love to learn, and always jump at the opportunity to learn something new about how to best serve the children and families I support. Outside of work, you’ll find me enjoying time camping, dancing and skiing with my husband and two daughters.
Heather Taylor
Communicative Disorders Assistant Reg. CDAAC
To some people it might look like I’m just playing games and reading books during therapy sessions. I love doing it day after day because it is so much more than that. It’s learning and growing; it’s encouraging and fostering; it’s building relationships and building confidence. In my time as a CDA, I have had the privilege of working with preschoolers through to young adults, supporting a variety of communication needs in public and private settings. I work hard to optimize every session, employing my flexibility and creativity to provide my clients with the best therapy for them on any given day.
The children and families I work with bring me so much joy. I am passionate about providing parents, caregivers and families with the tools to support their kids at home, and about providing my clients with every opportunity for growth and success.
Outside of work, you’ll find me taking photos, reading books, and dreaming of world wide travels. From ukulele and printmaking, to salsa dancing and boxing, you will always find me trying something new.