The Therapists

Elizabeth graduated in Speech and Language Pathology from the University of Cape Town (UCT) in 1992. She worked as part of a multi-disciplinary centre (psychology, occupational therapy and physiotherapy) for four years. She then opened her own practice and received her master’s degree speech and language pathology with distinction. Her research project focused on early intervention for dyslexia within a disadvantaged community.

Elizabeth designed and taught the course on dyslexia at UCT’s Speech Therapy Department for a number of years and facilitated a number of masters’ students in the department over the years. She runs courses for teachers and colleagues and loves to make theories simple and practical. Her driving force is to remove any sense of shame around learning challenges and get people of all ages to read and express themselves verbally and on paper. Elizabeth lives with her husband, two children and many books.

Luanne graduated from UCT in 1998 with a BSc Logopaedics which was a dual degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology. She took up a post in the Cochlear Implant Unit at Tygerberg Hospital where she was involved with both the technical aspects and rehabilitation of the patients. She then moved to The Dominican Grimley School for the Deaf where she worked for a number of years. Her most successful project at the school was to get funding from the Mayor’s Office to purchase new hearing aids for many of the pupils at the school. Luanne obtained her Master’s Degree in Central Auditory Processing Disorders in 2003. After starting a family, she worked part time as a clinical supervisor at UCT before taking a position at The Reading Language Gym when it opened in 2007.

Lyndall graduated from the University of Cape Town as a Speech-Language Therapist in 2014. She completed her community service year in a rural hospital in Mpumalanga – quite a different and eye-opening experience! She joined the Reading and Language Gym in 2016. She loves anything to do with words and hopes to share that passion with the children. She also has a particular interest in working with children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Shannon graduated from the University of Cape Town in 2010 with a BSc in Speech-Language Pathology. She has worked in the area of education and literacy for the past eight years. During this time, she has been part of multidisciplinary teams in schools and in private practices. Shannon has a keen interest in supporting the learning and literacy development of adolescents.

Rabia Mohidien qualified as a Speech and Language Pathologist in 2002. After completing her community service at Groote Schuur Hospital in 2003, she started working as a private therapist at Pro Ed House School in Rondebosch, a school that specifically caters for children who learn differently. It was this experience that created the love for working with children with learning disabilities and dyslexia. In 2007, after having her first baby, Rabia opened up her own practice at Oakley House School in Diep River, where she stayed for five years. At the beginning of 2012, Rabia followed her dream of working with Elizabeth and joined The Reading Language Gym in order to further her knowledge and continue her work with children.

Jane le Roux is a therapist at The Reading Language Gym and works part-time as a Senior Clinical Educator for Speech and Language Therapy at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. An experienced clinician, her work focuses on children’s speech, language and literacy development and ways to empower families, teachers and students to promote communication and learning in under-resourced contexts.

Susan Brown qualified as a speech and language therapist from UCT in 2006. She completed her community service at a rural hospital in KZN and then worked at a well-established paediatric private practice in Durban for two years. In 2010 she moved to London and worked at an independent school for children with special educational needs and then for the NHS as a highly specialist speech therapist, in a special needs’ preschool. She completed her masters in Language and Communication Impairment in Children at the University of Sheffield part-time and graduating in 2016. After six and a half years in the UK, she moved back to Cape Town and has worked part time for UCT supervising the students at their clinical placements and also at a local private practice.

Cath Martin worked as a Speech and Language Therapist at Pro Ed House School for three years before moving to the UK to study a Masters in Special and Inclusive Education at University College London. Upon completion, she worked for the NHS in inclusive mainstream schools across London for one year. Since returning to Cape Town she has started a practice at a local primary school in the mornings, lectures/supervises UCT undergraduate students part-time and works at the Reading Language Gym in the afternoons.