Leaders & Communication Coaches

PEERS® and EFFECT Communication Coaches

For PEERS® our communication coaches plan and lead all lessons with the guidance and supervision of a certified and licensed speech-language pathologist and clinical faculty member of the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences. Skits and role-plays are demonstrated by coaches illustrating good and bad examples of the lessons they are teaching. After seeing a model, the teens are divided into groups with the coaches so they are able to practice the skills taught. This creates an interactive session and it helps the teens understand the targeted strategies. The session concludes with a homework assignment and a review of the lesson.
For teens who participate in EFFECT, they are assigned a personal Communication Coach. The coach or EFFECT administrator will give executive functioning assessments. The coach will plan & implement group and individual lessons. The lessons will be based on formal and informal measures, parent report, student work and, clinician observations. Teens will also participate in group activities that will simulate real-life college academic and social scenarios that require executive functioning skills.

The clinical instructors, faculty support and coaches featured below

Speech-Language Pathologist
HESP Clinical Associate Professor
Kathy Dow-Burger, M.A., CCC-SLP
Kathy is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Hearing and Speech Sciences. She is a PEERS Young Adult, Adolescent, and School-Based Professionals certifed provider. She is also the Founder and Developer of the EFFECT teen and the Social Interaction Group Network for All (SIGNA) programs for neurodivergent UMD college students. Her expertise is in autism, childhood speech and language disorders, literacy and written language, and stuttering. Kathy's current research focuses clinical outcomes and autism employment with emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion. For more information go to https://hesp.umd.edu/facultyprofile/dow-burger/kathy

Speech-Language Pathologist
HESP Faculty Assistant
Norah AlJunaidi, M.A., CCC-SLP
Norah received her master's degree in Speech-Language Pathology from George Washington in May 2021. She has worked with adults with disabilities in the areas of social, academic, and cognitive skills in public schools, a summer camp, her graduate clinical work, in UMD's SIGNA program and now PEERS & EFFECT. Norah is inspired by working with neurodivergent individuals and is passionate about social justice, intersectionality and inclusive language.

Speech-Language Pathologist
HESP Faculty Assistant
Aruna Hari Prasad, M.A., CCC-SLP
Aruna is a Faculty Assistant at the University of Maryland's Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences. She received her Master’s of Arts in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Maryland-College Park. She holds the Certificate of Clinical Competence issued by the American Speech-Language Hearing Association. Aruna is a PEERS School-Based Professional certified provider and has worked in Montgomery County, MD for over fourteen years. During this time, she has worked with preschool, elementary, middle and high school students with language learning disabilities, autism, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Reading Disabilities, Writing Disabilities, and Other Health Impairments.

Speech-Language Pathologist
HESP Faculty Assistant
Devon Brunson, M.S., CCC-SLP, CBIS (she, her)
Devon is a clinical speech-language pathologist licensed to practice in the states of Georgia, Maryland, and North Carolina. She is certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the Academy of Certified Brain Injury Specialists. As a faculty assistant within the Department of Hearing & Speech Sciences at the University of Maryland, Devon co-leads remote treatment through the UMD Teen Executive Function for Effective Cognitive Transformation (EFFECT) program. Concurrently, Devon also provides therapeutic intervention in inpatient, outpatient, and private practice settings. Through a non-profit provider, she leads weekly virtual support groups for survivors of traumatic brain injury.

Summer '22 PEERS Coaches

For the Summer 2022 semester our PEERS coaches were from L - R top row: Naomi, Zykkiah, Carmel and L-R bottom row: Olivia, Norah (leader + coach), and Mike. They ran a hybrid model with weekly teen and parent sessions being virtual one day and in-person the next for both groups. Each coach was assigned as a primary clinician to support any additional learning needs the teen may have needed, but all coaches were involved with both the teens' and parents' programming.

Spring '21 PEERS Coaches

ALLY

JULIA

KATE

ANDREA

JB

Spring '20 EFFECT Coaches

Michael
Michael is an undergraduate senior at the University of Maryland. He has found his interest in developmental speech and swallowing disorders as a Behavioral Analyst at the Kennedy Krieger Institute’s Pediatric Feeding Disorders Program. He plans to become a speech-language pathologist and work with children in a hospital or school.

Joelle
Joelle is a Senior Hearing and Speech Sciences major with a double Minor in Spanish Literature, Linguistics, and Cultures and Black Women's Studies. She is the oldest of four children and loves spending her time with children. In addition to that, in her free time she likes to play soccer, hang out with her friends, and go to the movies!

Alyssa
Alyssa is a senior Hearing and Speech Sciences major. She grew up in Connecticut and has always been passionate about volunteering and meeting new people. In her free time she loves traveling, spending time with friends, and dog-sitting! She is an active member of Greek Life and also work at the Stamp Student Union.

Fall '19 PEERS

Communication Coaches

Caroline-
Caroline is a Hearing and Speech Sciences major. She grew up in Northern New Jersey. In her free time, she loves volunteering, spending time with friends, and being active! Caroline is also involved in America Reads, Greek Life, Club enABLE, and is an employee at the Stamp Student Union. She is excited to be a PEERS Coach!

Leila-
Leila is from Northern New Jersey and is a Hearing and Speech Sciences major. Aside from PEERS, she is a research assistant and involved in Greek Life at UMD. She is looking forward to a great semester as a PEERS coach!

Ololade-
Ololade was born in Nigeria, but I grew up in District Heights Maryland. He is a neurobiology and physiology major on the pre-med track. Ololade is involved in many organizations on campus, such as College Success Scholars, Army ROTC, African Student Association and the Anime club. As much as he likes to keep himself busy, he also likes to unwind with delicious food, Netflix, and long naps during his free time. Ololade is looking forward to being a PEERS coach.

Nicolette-
Nicolette is a Hearing and Speech Science (HESP) major at UMD from a small town in Northern New Jersey. She works as a research assistant in HESP labs, serves as a teacher's assistant for an introduction HESP class and, is a BSOS Ambassador. Nicolette is also involved with Greek Life. When not in school, she loves spending summers at a small Jersey Shore town, Belmar, hanging out with friends, and cooking. She's excited to be a PEERS Coach this semester!

Alexandra-
Alexandra is a Hearing and Speech Sciences major. She is a self-described "food lovin’ girl" who always wants to meet new people and make new friends. She is excited to be a PEERS coach!