Emily Goudreault, M.A., CCC-SLP
Owner, Speech-Language Pathologist, Instructor of Infant/Toddler Enrichment Classes

I absolutely LOVE my job and I truly believe I have the best job in the world! I have always loved working with kids, and have also found that I truly love supporting families to be the best caregivers they can be, and the best advocates for their children as possible.

My career has consisted of providing speech, language, cognitive and feeding therapy services to children and adults since 2012 through private practice, school-based services, early intervention (birth to 3 years) and hospital-based services. I received my Masters of Arts degree in Speech-Language Pathology Summa Cum Laude from the University of Northern Colorado and maintain my Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), as well as state licensure to work as a speech-language pathologist.

Specialties:  I see kids of all ages and am very comfortable working with kids of all ages and all abilities, at the child's level, from babies to teenagers (and beyond!). Usually my caseload is about 1/3 toddlers, 1/3 preschoolers, and 1/3 school-aged kids. Here are my specialties:

• "late talkers" and any child with delayed speech/language skills
• apraxia
• autism, ADHD, anxiety and other types of neurodivergence
• articulation* (speech sound production - saying sounds correctly) 
• lisps
• phonological processes (patterns of sound errors/challenges with sound system)
• selective mutism
• cleft lip/palate
• feeding, particularly behavioral feeding challenges and "picky eaters"
• expressive/receptive language
• deaf/hard of hearing​
• auditory processing
• a variety of other challenges

I've been so lucky to have worked in some amazing, fun and intense settings where I have learned so much and refined my therapy skills, including:

• raising my own children who have their own set of diverse speech, language, behavior and feeding needs, including childhood apraxia of speech, ADHD and autism
• case managing and providing speech-language therapy + SLP-A supervision to a very large caseload of diverse learners in a rural preschool + K-12 setting in Colorado, as well as contracting with various charter schools
• getting to work with hundreds of children and families in their homes, providing both early intervention and private therapy services
• the opportunity to develop and teach a language-rich curriculum to hundreds of young children and their families through baby sign language classes and other various child enrichment classes
• being a part of many IEP teams, and accompanying many clients' families to their childrens' IEP/504 meetings
• experience working in a children's hospital, a Level 1 Trauma center, and a rural local hospital
• additionally, I am a PROMPT trained therapist, allowing me to help your child achieve their speech goals much faster. 

While I don't work with adults as frequently anymore, my adult specialties have included cognitive/memory impairments, traumatic brain injury, aphasia and speech impairments (including dysarthria and apraxia), among others.

I also thoroughly enjoy supporting adult individuals who have exited out of OAISD supports and are looking for additional or new strategies. 

I am a communicator. I love that communication helps me make connections with people, and helps me understand a person's perspective. Communication is what helps us connect with the people, cultures and world around us, and without that ability to connect, life would be altogether different. The challenges that accompany communication difficulties are sure to touch every part of a person's life - which is why I am passionate about supporting people with communication!

About Starting The Village & Teaching Child Enrichment Classes: Throughout my career, I have frequently used sign language in speech therapy sessions with little ones, when appropriate. When I had my first son in 2016, I searched for a baby sign language class in the Holland/Grand Rapids area to which I could take my little guy so we could practice our sign language, play with friends and meet other moms. I was shocked and bummed when I couldn't find one! I resolved to offer this service to my community as I whole-heartedly believe that teaching sign language can provide an excellent foundation for future communication skills. After many families in my baby sign language classes requested additional classes for their infants and toddlers, I founded The Village, a child enrichment hub with locations in Grand Rapids and Holland, and I continued to teach multiple classes offered there until I closed in 2020 due to the Covid pandemic.

Other Professional Passions: While providing therapy and child enrichment classes are my primary passions, I am also drawn to other areas in my field. I have been involved in several research projects, and I've been commissioned by Gannett Publishing for contribution to continuing-ed modules and Pearson Publishing to write an Instructor's Manual to accompany an entry-level textbook: Born to Talk: An Introduction to Speech and Language Development, 6th Edition. 

I am also passionate about education other professionals about speech and language development, teaching strategies, baby sign language....and any other topics I am knowledgeable about! I love leading professional development workshops for preschools, school districts, daycares, libraries, parent groups, and church groups. 

A Little More About Me: I am a Colorado native, originally from the front range area of Colorado. In January 2016, we moved to west Michigan from the Aspen area. We love it here! In my spare time, I enjoy hanging out with my kids, my husband, our dog and our 2 cats. We love hiking, camping, snowboarding, riding our bikes, exploring, sitting at the beach, reading, seeing live music, and above all, traveling. Our last adventures were to Colombia, and a southeast Asia trip to Japan, the Philippines and Indonesia - we can't wait to get back out in the world and do some more exploring!