About Us

About Us

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Rachel Kirson M.S. CCC-SLP, TSSLD graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelor of Science in Speech & Hearing Sciences and Psychology. She continued her graduate studies at Adelphi University where she received a Master’s of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders. Her office is located within Early Start Academy, in Livingston, New Jersey.

Rachel has extensive experience with the pediatric population; evaluating and conducting therapy to preschool and school-age students with developmental delays. Her areas of expertise include articulation and phonological disorders, oral-motor difficulties and childhood apraxia of speech, expressive and receptive language delays, pragmatic/socialization difficulties, and Autism Spectrum Disorders. She believes the most effective way to build a child’s speech and language skills are through interactive activities and play!

Rachel began her career as the Speech-Language Supervisor at Speech Zone; a speech-language and occupational therapy clinic located on the Upper West Side. She then moved on to experience the general education (Mountainside School District) and special education (NYLEL-The Gramercy School) school settings, treating students with IEPs and a variety of speech-language needs. After spending many years as a Child Study Team member, Rachel continues to follow a team approach in her Private Practice setting; regularly collaborating with educators and related service providers to best meet each child’s needs in the classroom and home. She consults for Early Start Academy; providing speech-language services to students with a variety of communication needs.

In April 2023, Rachel completed the Advanced DTTC Training (Dynamic Temporal & Tactile Cueing); used to treat Childhood Apraxia of Speech. Rachel is trained in the PROMPT technique and TalkTools® hierarchy; used to treat a variety of oral-motor difficulties and articulation delays. She is also trained in the Orton-Gillingham Reading Program; a multi-sensory reading/spelling technique used for struggling readers or children with Dyslexia. Rachel has also received training and education on common developmental conditions and therapy techniques: Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), Augmentative Alternative Communication (AAC) use, Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), Verbal Behavior & Functional Behavior Assessment. Rachel provides supervision to students and new clinicians on their first endeavors in the field!

She supports parent communities throughout the tri-state area by providing parent workshops. Workshops cover a range of topics such as typical speech and language development, toy selection, common developmental disorders, and navigating parenting as children develop language.

Rachel is a certified member of the American Speech & Hearing Association. She is a New York & New Jersey state licensed Speech-Language Pathologist and is a certified Teacher of Students with Speech & Language Disabilities. In her spare time, she is on the Parent Board of JCC Metrowest in West Orange, New Jersey, where she leads the Fundraising Committee. 

In her personal life, Rachel is mom to Theo & Mitzi, wife to Josh, and dog-mom to Louie. She enjoys spending her spare time with family and friends. But even in her down time, keeps up with current interventions in Speech-Language Pathology to best meet all of her children’s needs.