My Story | 我的故事

Hello, thanks for stopping by! 

朋友，你好！
picture of Joanna
Joanna Gao, MA, CCC-SLP

I’d love to get to know you! Are you a parent? a SLP? Are you searching for therapy resources for Mandarin-speaking children? Trying to figure out how to raise your kids bilingual? You’ll feel right at home here!

Born and raised in China, I came to America to chase my dream

My name is Joanna, I am an ASHA certified speech pathologist. Like most people back home, I had no idea what speech pathology was. Until the story began in 2009…I started to volunteer at a local orphanage after I became a Christian.

At that time, individuals with disabilities, or, in other words, people who are different, were often shunned away from the public. I have never met any children with special needs until then. In the orphanage, I met some adorable children with cleft palate, some who were deaf or blind, and others with autism and various developmental disabilities.

Lots of these kids had a speech impairment. People could not understand them, so they labeled them as “intellectually disabled”. I did not know what to do except to guess what they were saying. In my heart, I was praying. 

After a long story and lots of prayers, I decided to pursue a career as a speech pathologist to become these children’s voice. God affirmed my vision by accepting me into one of the top SLP programs in the U.S.

很高兴遇见你，感谢你慢下脚步来听听我的故事。

不论你是家长还是治疗师，不论你是在寻找言语治疗的技巧还是双语育儿的方法，在这里希望我们能成为朋友。

我是言语治疗师Joanna， 一位在美国工作的认证语言病理学家(CCC-SLP)。我自2009年开始接触有特殊需求(special needs)的儿童，2013年起正式为他们和其家人(若有)工作。

起初，和许多人一样，我没有听说过言语治疗，更不了解语言病理学家这个工作。故事的扭转在2009年，作为一位”新“基督徒，我开始在当地的孤儿院当志愿者。

不知你的感触是否和我一样，我从未见过有特殊需求的儿童。十几年前，残疾人，或，任何与他人不一样的人，躲藏在社会的各个角落。直到在孤儿院，我看到了好多可爱但不同的孩子：有的孩子看不见，有的孩子听不见，有的孩子有自闭症、脑瘫等疾病，有的孩子有兔唇。

大多数的孩子说话不清晰，或者不会说话。大家不理解孩子的意图，也因为不了解，这些孩子被标上了”智力缺陷“的标签。当时的我除了猜，也不知道该做什么。在我心里，我在祈祷。

后来，又过了几年，通过祷告和汗水，我决定成为这些孩子的声音。我的祷告也被应允——美国前15的语言病理学研究生院录取了我。

Joanna's courses
Some Past Webinars｜部分课程
Joanna's courses
Some Past Webinars｜部分课程
Joanna's courses
Some Past Webinars｜部分课程
Joanna's courses
Some Past Webinars｜部分课程
Joanna's courses
Some Past Webinars｜部分课程
Joanna's courses
Some Past Webinars｜部分课程

My Vision

Years of orphan care led me to special education, and eventually speech pathology. My dream was to establish a foundation to help children with special needs in China, but I realized that it would take a long time to achieve. 

After graduation, I became the only certified Mandarin-speaking pediatric speech pathologist in the region. I had the privilege of treating all the Chinese-speaking families referred to our hospital. Through my work, I discovered my passion for empowering parents and helping them bond with their children. Working with children and their families has been a fulfilling experience for me.

Then, I became a mother. We encountered some challenges at the beginning of my child’s care. God used this special experience to grow me into a better mother and therapist. I started sharing my knowledge online, and I was inundated with questions. So many parents were trying to know what to do with their children’s “differences”. Our hearts were connected through the Internet. 

Due to high demand, I have had the chance to share my expertise with various audiences. I have spoken at conferences held by hospitals and universities, co-authored two books, and developed a parent-training course. My initial vision of “bringing SLP to China” has evolved into a more focused plan to empower parents and provide the best methods for Mandarin-speaking children. To achieve this, I need a platform where people can connect and access all the information they need. So, this website was born!

我的梦想

读书时我曾有个梦想——有一天能够设立一个非盈利机构，把儿童言语治疗、吞咽喂养的知识分享给有需要的爸妈们。经过近十年的摸索，我知道，这个梦要慢慢来。

毕业后，我是当地唯一一位持证中英双语语言病理学家，医院把所有讲中文的孩子都推荐给我。在工作中，我的心在每个孩子开口时开怀，当家长通过我的方法能够和孩子互动时，我更是无尽满足。

后来，我也成为了母亲。孩子一出生因为一些问题需要住院，养娃的艰辛让我更理解身为人母的欣喜和责任，也更能和我的病人家长们产生共鸣。最初开始在网上分享知识的想法，是我在“众人皆睡唯我独醒”给孩子喂奶的时候的启发——我的梦想从宽泛的“将言语治疗带回中国”，具体化为：“用我的微薄之力助力各位家长、让孩子接受最佳康复方法”。

科普分享也让我获得了许多机会：我受邀在医院进行学术会议、去大学讲课、合作出版2本专业书籍、制作了属于我的知识产权的家长培训课程。我能够不论身在何方，直接同家长沟通、解惑、甚至提供在线的1对1言语治疗……

无数来自五湖四海的家长向我提问，需求越来越大，我想到如果能够有一个平台将我所学所知全都综合在一起，不仅能够帮助到其他家长，还能够结交朋友，岂不是一举两得？于是，这个网站诞生了！

Books published by Joanna
Books | 参编作品
Books published by Joanna
Books | 参编作品

Specialized training

I have over 10 years of experience with children with special needs. These are some of the special trainings I have achieved: 

My learning never stopped. I am S.O.S. feeding therapy trained, certified to provide LSVT LOUD voice therapy and many other evidence-based treatment strategies in the field. I received the Award for Continuing Education (ACE) by ASHA for my devotion to life-long learning.

我为什么专业

我在工作中接触过各种各样病因的儿童，在高强度的工作环境下，我的专业知识经验扎实。我接触特殊需求儿童超过十年，更是在工作中首先融合”家长培训“的概念，将家长请到治疗中——因为我相信父母是语迟孩子最好的老师，当家长在专业人士的指导下掌握了正确方法，就能够在每日每时同儿童的互动中帮助孩子沟通，更能够建立良好的亲子关系。

我的专业和努力，为我赢得了以下荣誉：

  • 美国儿童神经发育障碍领袖项目成员(LEND)。我的海报演讲在AUCD会议上激发积极讨论，我在同年也成为“领导潜力奖学金(Emerging Leader Scholarship)“获得者。
  • 美国言语语言与听力协会“少数裔杰出学生领袖荣誉 (MSLP)”
  • 美国言语语言与听力协会“杰出青年治疗师荣誉证书 (ECP)”
  • 美国言语语言与听力协会“专业进修奖 (ACE)”

我擅长儿童语言发育迟缓、构音障碍、自闭症导致的沟通障碍、婴幼儿吞咽障碍及吞钡造影(MBS)诊断、各年龄层英语语音纠正等。我接受过S.O.S喂养进食障碍治疗法的国际认证培训，也持有LSVT权威嗓音沟通障碍治疗法的执照，更是一直秉承循证医学的治疗态度，保证所有的治疗方法科学有效。

What People Say About My Services
家长感言

很满意，老师讲课浅显易懂，操作性强。
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淘淘妈妈
通过本期课程，首先从思想上让家长建立了家庭干预为主的理念，认识到了家庭干预的重要性。其次，内容注重家长和孩子的互动，抓住了社交这一核心，强调激发孩子的主动语言，还有反复多次练习的方法，让我们受益匪浅。
flowers, daisies, meadow-276112.jpg
遥遥妈妈
碰到这么负责任还这么专业的老师真的是幸运。
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JJ妈妈

WORK WITH ME

My vision and experience brought me this far. I would love to connect with you and support you every step of the way.

  • I provide personalized 1-on-1 parent-training sessions over the Internet. I advise parents during pre-planned activities to address each child’s needs in the child’s natural environment. Currently there is a waitlist for my direct service. Email me below to join the waitlist.  
  • Contact me for business inquiries and other collaborations.  
  • Subscribe to my site to receive updates and freebies.

与我合作

希望我们能够彼此了解、互相学习交流。

  • 我提供知乎付费咨询，可以回答大家的简单问题；
  • 针对有语言沟通、发音障碍的儿童，我提供线上一对一家长培训。通过提前与家长沟通，我根据家中现有环境指导家长、根据孩子进度来计划最符合孩子沟通发展的康复方案，通过平均16次课程帮助孩子得到质的飞跃；（目前我的家长培训1对1课程已满，如果感兴趣，请点击下方按钮给我发邮件加入“等待名单“）
  • 任何商业咨询、工作合作请在此链接联系我；
  • 订阅本站，可获得最新资讯更新和免费资源。链接在本站最下方。

希望各位朋友平安！每一个孩子都是期待许久终于来到身边的恩赐。

育儿不易，照顾特殊需求儿童更需要耐心和对自己的恩典(grace)。

抱住孩子的时候，也请给自己一个大大的拥抱❤

Together, we will help our children grow!

Email Me! ｜发送邮件加入Waitlist

注：网络信息仅供科普。需了解儿童详细信息和病史才能做出个性化的诊断和建议。所有信息仅供参考。除非签正式合约，不网络问诊。

All content is for informational purposes only. This website does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

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