Greater Atlanta Speech and Language Clinics, Inc.

Our Staff

Mindy Elkan, M.A., CCC-SLP, is the Clinical Director of Greater Atlanta Speech and Language Clinics and Director of MDE School. She joined Joan Aronson as a partner in GASLC in 1991. Mindy earned a Bachelor's degree in early childhood/elementary education at Oswego State University in New York, and a Master's degree in Speech-Language Pathology at New York's Hofstra University. Active in the field since 1978, Mindy served on the Board of Cooperative Educational Services in New York with the Autistic and Communication Disorders Program. In addition, she directed her own private practice in New York, including services for a nine-office neurology team. Mindy has served on the Cobb/Douglas Early Childhood Interagency Council since 1991, and is a past chairperson. She is a member of the Autism Society of America (ASA) and received ASA's 1998 Award for Supporting Professional. Mindy is the founder and director of the MDE school which started in August 2009.

Joan Aronson, M.Ed., CCC is the Founding Director and initiated the practice in 1982. Ms. Aronson earned bachelor's and master's degrees in speech-language pathology at the University of Miami in Florida, where she was awarded a graduate fellowship at the Mailman Center for Child Development. During her early years, she served on cleft palate and high-risk infant teams at the Children's Hospital of Orange County, California, and as head of program development for five rehabilitation clinics in Georgia. She served on the Gwinnett Early Childhood Interagency Council for over ten years, and her special expertise in myofunctional therapy has led to her frequent workshop presentations on this subject. Ms. Aronson earned additional accreditations in the field of hippotherapy from 2000 to 2002, which led her to found and direct Horse Talk which is a NARHA Center, as a division of GASLC.

Michelle Needle, M.Ed., CCC-SLP has a Master’s Degree from Georgia State University and a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Georgia. Michelle is a certified and licensed Speech and Language Pathologist. She has a wealth of experience working with children in the private practice setting and has been working at GASLC since 2001. Michelle works with children and adults with a wide range of speech and language disorders, and has extensive experience working with children who present with language based learning disabilities, language or auditory processing deficits, and executive function deficits.

Mary Paige Jones, M.Ed., CCC-SLP, obtained her Bachelor's Degree from the University of Georgia and her Master's Degree from the University of Georgia. Mary Paige is a licensed and certified speech language pathologist, who also holds a teaching certificate with the State of Georgia. Mary Paige has experience working with children in the public school and private practice setting and has worked with GASLC since 2005. Mary Paige has worked with children of all ages and with a variety of speech and language disorders. She has experience working with children who present with articulation and phonological processing disorders, autism spectrum disorders, language based learning disabilities, auditory and language processing disorders, Down syndrome, and other developmental language disorders.

Jordan Siegall, M.A., CCC-SLP joined the team at GASLC in 2009 after moving to Atlanta from Gainesville, Florida. Jordan received her undergraduate and Master’s degree from the University of Florida. Before entering the private practice setting, Jordan developed a passion for family-centered intervention while assisting with a training program for parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. At GASLC and MDE, Jordan works with children on social-pragmatic skills, articulation, and other language-based issues. She enjoys fostering children’s functional communication skills in a fun, motivating educational environment.

Susan Dumbacher, M.S., CCC-SLP earned both her B.A. and her M.S from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She previously served as a speech-language pathologist at a non-profit speech and hearing center in Charlotte, NC for three years. She worked predominately with toddlers and pre-schoolers with speech, language, and other developmental delays at a child development center through a grant, providing both individual therapy and inclusion therapy in the classrooms

Susan moved to Atlanta and joined Greater Atlanta Speech and Language Clinics in December 2010. She has varied interests and experience in many areas of communication, including articulation, language delays, literacy, and cleft palate and craniofacial anomalies. She believes in empowering parents and teachers, and treating each child in a holistic manner to help them reach their full potential. In her free time, she enjoys running, watching football and basketball games, reading, and spending time with family and friends.

Sheba Justin, OTR/L joined GASLC, Inc. in 2009 as a registered and licensed Occupational Therapist. Sheba provides optimal quality OT services to patients and their families in the Marietta clinic. Services include, but are not limited to, intervention in the areas of: fine motor skills, visual perceptual skills, sensory integration, coordination and strengthening, cognitive skills, self-care skills, play skills, pre-academic and academic skills as well as social skills. We are happy to have Sheba as part of our team at GASLC, Inc.

Deborah Giannotti, PT graduated Cum Laude from New York University with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy. During her 23 years of experience, she has worked with children of all ages with a variety of diagnosis and levels of function in many different setting. Additional certifications include 8-week NDT certification, level II Hippotherapy training, and Infant Massage. She loves watching children move, figure things out and explore the world in their own way. She believes that her role as a therapist is to help them to do these things as independently as they can.

Lindy Udwin, M(Ed)., CCC-SLP holds a B.A. (Honors) Degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology from The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, and a Masters Degree from Georgia State University. She has been a certified and licensed Speech and Language Pathologist for over thirty years, and has worked in private practice in South Africa, as well as in hospital settings at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in London, England and St. Joseph’s Hospital in Atlanta. Lindy has been a member of the Greater Atlanta Speech and Language Clinic team since 1995.

Nicole Bush, MOT, OTR/L joined GASLC, Inc. in May 2011 after moving to Atlanta from East Texas. She received her undergraduate and Master’s degree from Texas Tech University. She has worked in pediatric occupational therapy for over 7 years now. She has experience working with a wide range of children who present with fine motor deficits, autism spectrum disorders, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, brain/spinal cord injuries, sensory integration disorders, and handwriting deficits. Nicole’s special interests include sensory integration, therapeutic taping, and handwriting development.

Amy Culpepper M.A. CCC-SLP is a Nationally and State of Georgia licensed Speech-Language Pathologist. She was awarded her Bachelor of Science and Master's of Arts from the University of Central Florida in Orlando, FL.

Amy began her clinical work at GASLC in October 2006 as a part time speech pathologist, and has been employed full time in Fulton County Public Schools since August 2004. She has also worked as a school based speech pathologist in Orlando, FL and as a home based speech pathologist for Babies Can’t Wait. Amy has significant experience in working with children of all ages in the areas of: receptive/expressive language disorders, articulation/phonological disorders, pragmatic language disorders, spectrum disorders, Downs Syndrome, AAC, and apraxia.

Cara Robbins Traub, M.Ed., MSR, CCC-SLP, a native of Georgia, is a certified and licensed Speech-Language Pathologist. A graduate of the Medical University of South Carolina, Cara has worked predominantly with the pediatric populations through her experiences in schools, home health, and private clinics. She is a member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and holds a Georgia Speech Pathologist license. Cara also holds a Master’s degree in Education from Harvard University and formerly taught high school French.