Biography

Communication Nation

Theresa A. Gabler, M.S. CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathology

& Accent Modification Services

Education

MS Communication Sciences & Disorders/Speech-Language Pathology - William Paterson University, New Jersey
1. Excelled in the completion of required 350 hours of providing clinical services in speech, language, and audiology while concurrently working in the field under a Temporary License.
2. Obtained passing scores for both Comprehensive Examination and National Praxis II (SLP) examinations.
BA Psychology - College of Saint Elizabeth, New Jersey
1. Accepted into the major of Psychology and the PSI-CHI national honors society.
2. Achieved Departmental Honors for passing Comprehensive examinations with Honors.
3. Dean's list each semester of study.
4. Received the Alumni Award for Academic Excellence.
5. Elected to Kappa Gamma Pi.

Certifications

American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA)
1. Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology, CCC-SLP
New Jersey State License
1. Issued by the New Jersey Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Advisory Committee
New York State License
1. Issued by the New York State Education Department - Office of the Professions
Pennsylvania State License
1. Issued by the State of Pennsylvania permitting the practice of Speech-Language Pathology in Private Settings.
PROMPT Trained
1. Successfully completed the requirements set forth by the Prompt Institute to utilize this technique in therapy sessions.
Certified Compton P-ESL Accent Modification Specialist
1. Successfully completed the requirements set forth by the Institute of Language & Phonology to conduct the highly specialized Compton P-ESL (Pronouncing English as a Second Language) program for individuals and groups interested in Accent Modification (also referred to as Accent Reduction or Accent Training).
Certified Interactive Metronome Provider
1. Successfully completed the requirements set forth to utilize this technique in therapy sessions.
Speech-Language Specialist
1. Issued by the New Jersey Department of Education

Personal Statement

Perhaps Helen Keller said it best,
"I long to accomplish a great and noble task,

but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble."
Merely listing the certifications by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association or the New Jersey Licensure as major professional goals for pursuing a Masters of Science in Speech Language Pathology hardly does justice when describing the desire to pursue this field. Completion of a comprehensive program in speech language pathology has provided me with the necessary skills for identifying, assessing, and enhancing the communication skills of individuals classified as having a communication disorder. Yet it is the seemingly small tasks along the way to achieving the great and noble task of helping others that truly represent my major professional goal.
Let me recount for you a personal experience that exemplifies my professional aspirations: A boy, five years of age, looked directly into my eyes one day, an accomplishment all in itself, yet the events to follow transcend even this triumph. We had been working together for three months in a discrete trials program and that October morning for the first time he spoke to me, clear as day he spoke to me. This was only the beginning; I held him in my arms and praised him for something most people take for granted, a simple vocalization. A steady flow of sounds and eventually words followed this major breakthrough. Six months into the program during free play I cried, the boy wanted my attention so he called out my name for the first time. Granted my name is not easy to say "Theresa", so perfection it was not, but to my ears it was the sweetest sound I ever heard.
Although I have gained a great deal of insight from the numerous texts I have read along the way, I believe that one can never really learn the true essence of something until they work directly with it. Above I recounted for you an experience with a young boy I worked with. Prior to working with him I had done much reading on the topic of Lovaas theory and applied behavioral analysis principles in general. Yet I truly feel the experience of working directly with the boy helped me to learn the complexities of such a program as well as the potential benefits of utilizing such a technique with children diagnosed under the autistic classification.
The future is a mystery. One cannot predict with any degree of certainty what obstacles life may bring, that is the challenge and triumph of living. An explanation of a past incident and how I overcame the obstacle may best describe my schema for life in general including the endless possibilities of the future. At age fifteen I was injured in a car accident, given the prognosis that I would never walk again after an unsuccessful surgery. I never accepted that prognosis. After the surgery in my junior year of high school I received home schooling until the following school year. During that time I continued to focus on my studies in between physical therapy sessions. Persistence and perseverance helped me beat the odds and walk again. I continued to work hard and never let my disability interfere with my happiness. Up until that point I had taken the ability to walk for granted, much like people take the ability to communicate with others for granted. I know what it means to have difficulty doing something that is so easy for others. This gives me patience and compassion, two key qualities involved in helping others overcome the odds, as I have in my own life.