About Eileen
Meet Eileen McLaughlin, Special Education Advocate and Speech Language Pathologist in New York State
Originally, I graduated as a business major, garnered an MBA, and worked in corporate banking as a relationship manager. Then everything changed when my oldest son had a speech delay and was helped by a speech therapist – and that motivated me to pursue a career as a speech language pathologist.
I worked for 15 years as a speech pathologist through the New York State Early Intervention Program, which helps children up to 3 years old, visiting students at their house or at preschools.
As I got more involved in the fields of special education and speech therapy, I developed expertise in the Orton-Gillingham reading instruction and provided individualized reading instruction to students with dyslexia and other language-based reading difficulties.
I also learned first-hand that evaluations are at the crux of the special education navigation process – but years ago when my son needed help, we got a complex evaluation with very technical language. Initially we weren’t sure what to do, but we were assigned a special education advocate, and that’s when I first saw the importance of advocates.
Ultimately, I decided to become an advocate myself, so I could help other children and families understand and navigate the special education process to make it more manageable. I completed Special Education Advocacy Training (SEAT I and SEAT II) with Council of Parents, Attorneys, and Advocates (COPAA), and I enjoy working with children and families to strategize and achieve the highest quality educational services possible.
Education:
- Master of Arts, Speech Language Pathology, Lehman College
- Master of Business Administration in Finance, Fordham University
- Master of Science in Finance, Fordham University
Training:
- Special Education Advocacy Training (SEAT I and SEAT II) with Council of Parents, Attorneys, and Advocates (COPAA)
- Trained at the Associate Level by the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators (AOGPE)
License:
- New York State Speech-Language Pathology, NY License #020518
Certification:
- Certificate of Clinical Competence-Speech Language Pathology (CCC-SLP)
Past Experience:
- Speech-Language Pathologist providing reading/speech pathology services to children, New York Early Intervention Program
- Institutional Custodial Administrator, Chase Manhattan
- Institutional Custodial Administrator/Assistant Secretary, Chemical Bank
Professional Memberships:
- Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA)
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)