MEET ALEXANDRIA
Alexandria Laris Zachos, MS, CCC-SLP/L
Founder & Clinical Director
Speech-Language Pathologist
Alexandria is a licensed speech-language pathologist in the state of Illinois and has been practicing since 2003. Over the past eighteen years, she has provided therapy for all ages in a variety of clinical settings, including public schools, home therapy, acute care and rehabilitation hospitals, and outpatient clinics. She received her Master's Degree in Speech-Language Pathology from MGH Institute of Health Professions in Boston, MA in 2003 and her Bachelor's Degree in Speech and Hearing Science from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in 2001.
In both November 2017 and 2018 Alexandria presented at the American Speech-Language-Hearing (ASHA) Convention in Los Angeles, CA, and Boston, MA on Natural Language Acquisition and delayed echolalia. She has an on-demand webinar available for CEUs through ASHA on this topic. She is passionate about educating others on gestalt language processors and how to treat delayed echolalia.
Alexandria created Meaningfulspeech.com in 2021 to educate SLPs, professionals, and parents on gestalt language processing, echolalia, and the step-by-step approach to helping support a child from delayed echolalia to original language using the Natural Language Acquisition framework/protocol developed by Marge Blanc (2012). Meaningful Speech provides self-paced learning through educational modules, handouts, and monthly webinars featuring experts in the field for both parents and professionals.
Alexandria is an international speaker and often presents on gestalt language processing, echolalia and NLA both virtually and in person. She has provided trainings, webinars and has spoken to clinics, school districts, speech-language associations, and parent groups.
Alexandria is also a fluent Greek speaker and is available to provide therapy and evaluations in Greek. She has completed several bilingual Greek-English evaluations for many Chicagoland school districts.
In her free time she enjoys reading, walking in the woods in all kinds of weather and going on adventures with her husband and two daughters.
Alexandria's specialized training includes:
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NLA Trained Clinician
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Natural Language Acquisition In Autism: Echolalia To Self-Generated Language
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Michelle Garcia Winner's Social Thinking Program
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Visualizing and Verbalizing Program by Nancy Bell
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Greenspan Floortime approach
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Using SCERTS to Identify Evidence-Based Practices for Children with Autism
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Person-Centered Assessment and Treatment for Adults Who Stutter
National ASHA Presentations:
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Echolalia and Gestalt Language Processing in Children: It’s Not Just About Autism, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Convention, Los Angeles 2017
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Language Sample Analysis: Guiding Treatment For Gestalt Language Processors With and Without Autism, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Convention, Boston 2018
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Avoiding the Pitfalls in Teaching Language: How to Support Language Development, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Convention, Seattle 2024