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Public Seminar Guest Speaker Biographys

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Dr Sandra McMahon – Speech Pathologist, PhD, Director SpeechNet Speech Pathology

Sandra McMahon headshoulders 2013

Dr Sandra McMahon has over 15 years clinical and research experience in the areas of early communication and feeding development in infants and children.

Her interest and passion in regard to feeding issues in children

has developed from her experience in a range of settings including consultant speech pathologist in Child Care Centres throughout South Australia; the Cerebral Palsy League (SA); Director of Speech Pathology at the Royal Children’s Hospital, Brisbane specialising in neonatal and medical related feeding issues; and as a lecturer and researcher at the University of Queensland in the areas of early communication and feeding development.

Dr McMahon is currently the Director of her Private Practice SpeechNet Speech Pathology & Learning Centre where a key aim is to ensure the expertise she has accumulated is accessible to families in order to support infants and children with feeding and eating difficulties. This is achieved through working closely with Katy from Kids Play OT, Dietitians & a Child Psychologist to create a multi-disciplinary feeding clinic at the centre assisting with all feeding difficulties (e.g., breastfeeding, autism related issues, fussy eaters, medical related issues).

Katy Berezovsky – Occupational Therapist-

Katy has over 12 years experience working as an Occupational Therapist with children in Australia and the United Kingdom. She is passionate about empowering children and families to achieve the results and changes that are most important to them and make a difference to their everyday lives.

Katy has developed a specialist interest in children who are picky eaters and problem feeders.  She works with families and children across Queensland to develop children’s participation in mealtimes, independence in eating and broadening the range of foods and textures they will incorporate in their diet.  Katy bases her approach on the Sequential Oral Sensory (SOS) Approach to eating, Sensory Processing and Child Development Theory.  She has had the pleasure of working alongside experienced and passionate clinicians including Emma Blank, Dietitians, Psychologist and Speech Pathologists.

Katy is founder of Kids Play Occupational Therapy where she currently works closely with Dr Sandra McMahon to support children with the full range of feeding difficulties from picky eaters to complex feeding disorders.

Emma Blank – Accredited Practising Dietitian

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Emma has enjoyed providing practical and relevant nutrition advice to individuals and families for the past 8 years.

Emma has maintained a particular interest in infant and childhood since her undergraduate studies.  So much so that her final year community placement project was the impetus for the introduction of breastfeeding education to 3rd year community nutrition students at Qld University of Technology.

For the past 5 years Emma has further specialised her knowledge and practice of infant and childhood nutrition to include feeding difficulties.  Emma has visited several feeding clinics in the USA to obtain an international perspective on the management of children with severe feeding problems.

Emma is passionate about working with other disciplines to ensure holistic care for families, and has had the pleasure of working along side Katy in feeding therapy, to achieve positive, and realistic mealtime changes for many families.

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