OUR TEAM
Our Story
April and Vanessa are the co-directors and founders of Words and Beyond Speech Therapy.
They became close friends working together in private practice, and they realised how well they work together as a team! They both are hard working, passionate and dedicated to all the children and families they work with. When the opportunity arose, April and Vanessa decided to start their own practice together, to support children with speech, language, literacy, social and functional communication differences, in their local community. Many of these children are neurodivergent, and the team have completed additional training to ensure they are continually learning and implementing a neuroaffirming approach in all sessions.
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The team has gradually expanded, as the clinic has grown, and this has allowed Words and Beyond to widen services including running multiple termly and school holiday groups, group therapy at kindergartens through school readiness funding, and Autism diagnostic assessments. We are always looking for new Speech Pathologists to join our team, so please get in contact if you are interested in applying!
APRIL LYELL
Co-Director
Paediatric Speech Pathologist
April graduated from La Trobe University with a Bachelor of Health Sciences and Masters of Speech Pathology.
She has had a variety of experience working as a Speech Pathologist with children, adolescents and young adults, from the ages of 2-20, in clinic, school, childcare/kinder and home settings.
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April developed a passion for Speech Pathology and helping others, following seeing her younger brother attend and develop his communication in Speech Pathology sessions, as well as, her interest in language and psychology during her studies.
Her interest areas include receptive and expressive language, social communication, and literacy. April loves working with children with Autism, Dyslexia and Developmental Language Disorder. She is extremely passionate, attentive to detail and demonstrates excellence in all she does. April believes that nothing is more rewarding than seeing children progress and achieve their communication goals.
April has completed Professional Development Training in:
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Sounds~Write First Rate Phonics (Literacy Program)
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Hanen: More than Words
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Play Skills - Learn to Play Therapy
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Social Thinking - The Incredible Flexible You and We Thinkers Series
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Colourful Semantics
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Mindful - ASD Assessment Fundamentals & Co-Morbidities
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Mindful - Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS-2) Introductory Workshop
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Diagnosing DLD with Confidence
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Play Learn Chat - Neurodiversity Affirming Practice (various webinars and workshops)
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Amy Graham - Tackling Tricky Cases: Effective Treatment for Speech Sound Disorders in Children
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Adventures of Speech Pathology - Which Phonological Intervention Do I Choose?
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April became a Mum in 2024 to a beautiful little boy, She currently works Tuesday afternoons, Wednesday-Friday and fortnightly Saturdays.
In her spare time, you can find April eating at gluten free cafes with her little family, relaxing watching TV with her cats, doing pilates, and catching up with family and friends.
VANESSA FITZGERALD
Co-Director
Paediatric Speech Pathologist
Vanessa graduated from La Trobe University with a Bachelor of Applied Sciences and Masters of Speech Pathology.
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She has had a variety of experience working as a Speech Pathologist with children and adolescents from the ages of 2-18, in clinic, school, childcare/kinder and community settings.
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Vanessa has always wanted to work in a field where she could help people communicate, having had all three of her siblings require speech therapy intervention. Her passion started when she was young and her vision continued throughout her studies until she graduated. She has been working in private practice ever since and loves being able to make a long-lasting impact in children's lives.
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Her interest areas include stuttering, receptive and expressive language, social communication and literacy. Vanessa loves working with children with Autism, Intellectual Disabilities, Speech Sound Disorders and Developmental Language Disorder. She is passionate about providing client centred care through a holistic approach, and strengthening the confidence of all her clients.
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Vanessa has completed Professional Development Training in:
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Sounds~Write First Rate Phonics (Literacy Program)
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Hanen: More than Words
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Colourful Semantics
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Mindful - ASD Assessment Fundamentals & Co-Morbidities
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Mindful - Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS-2) Introductory Workshop
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Diagnosing DLD with Confidence
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Play Learn Chat - Neurodiversity Affirming Practice (various webinars and workshops)
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Jennie Bjorem - Practical Strategies and Resources: Your Toolkit for CAS
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Amy Graham - Tackling Tricky Cases: Effective Treatment for Speech Sound Disorders in Children
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Adventures of Speech Pathology - Which Phonological Intervention Do I Choose?
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Vanessa currently works Monday-Friday both in the clinic and offsite.
In her spare time, you will find Vanessa playing with and walking her spoodle, Marley, going out for brunch, shopping, and spending time with her husband and extended family.
KAYLA CARERI
Paediatric Speech Pathologist
Kayla recently completed her Master’s of Speech Pathology at La Trobe University. Kayla has also graduated from a Bachelor of Health Science degree, majoring in medical sciences (Anatomy and Physiology). Kayla has also been a tutor for over 5 years and has extensive experience working with children with Autism, ADHD, dyslexia and Auditory Processing Disorders.
Kayla was an Allied Health Assistant at Words and Beyond in 2025 and her clients have loved their sessions every week!
Kayla enjoys working in the areas of: ​
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Receptive and Expressive Language
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Literacy
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Social Communication
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Stuttering
Kayla recently got married and went traveling to Japan! When Kayla is not busy studying or working, she loves to go to the gym, find fun foodie spots around Melbourne with her husband and friends, and watch her beloved Saints play footy!
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Kayla has completed Professional Development Training in: ​
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​Amy Graham - Tackling Tricky Cases: Effective Treatment for Speech Sound Disorders in Children
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Sounds-Write
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Neuroaffirming Practice with Cari Ebert
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Adventures of Speech Pathology - Which Phonological Intervention Do I Choose?
HIRUNI SENEVIRATNE
Paediatric Speech Pathologist
Hiruni completed her Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences from Monash University and then completed her Masters of Speech Pathology at Melbourne University.
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She currently is working part time at W&B on Thursdays and Fridays in the clinic. Hiruni also works part time at a major hospital in a mental health assessment team with other allied health professionals, focusing on supporting young people aged between 12-25.
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Her interest areas include working with children with receptive and expressive language differences and speech sound disorders.
Hiruni has completed Professional Development Training in: ​
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Mindful - ASD Assessment Fundamentals & Co-Morbidities​
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Amy Graham - Tackling Tricky Cases: Effective Treatment for Speech Sound Disorders in Children
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Sounds-Write
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RAMNA SAFDAR
Paediatric Speech Pathologist
Ramna completed her Bachelor of medical science degree from the University of Technology in Sydney and then completed her Masters of Speech Pathology at Canberra university in 2024.
She has experience working as a Speech pathologist with children, adolescents, young people and adults, in clinic, school, childcare/kinder and home settings. She also has experience supporting autistic children, those with ADHD, and intellectual disability.
Her interest areas include working with children with receptive and expressive language and the early intervention population. She believes in a holistic and family centred approach and maintains a neuroaffirmative therapy approach and places an emphasis to keep up to date with new research, as well as learning from the neurodivergent community.
Ramna has completed Professional Development Training in:
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Hanen- More than Words
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Adventures of Speech Pathology - Which Phonological Intervention Do I Choose?
When Ramna’s not at work, you’ll find her spending time with her family and friends, trying out new brunch spots or Netflix and chilling with her cats!
ALEXANDRA ZUMBO
Paediatric Speech Pathologist
Alexandra (Alex) graduated from La Trobe University with a Master of Speech Pathology and a Bachelor of Applied Science.
She is a warm and enthusiastic Speech Pathologist who loves supporting children and their families to build confidence in their communication skills.
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Alex is passionate about creating fun, engaging, and meaningful sessions, and believes that the best progress happens when children feel supported, understood, and empowered. She loves building strong connections with families and working collaboratively to help children thrive both in therapy and in their everyday lives.
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Alex has completed Professional Development Training in:
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Nuffield Dyspraxia Programme (NDP3)
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Hanen – Learning Language and Loving It
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Developing Pretend Play Skills in Children
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Jennie Bjorem – Practical Strategies for CAS
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Amy Graham – Effective Treatment for Speech Sound Disorders
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AAC assessment and implementation (including high-tech systems)
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Outside of work, you’ll find Alex spending time outdoors in nature, heading to the beach and cooking new recipes to share with family and friends!
ROBYN
Receptionist
Our wonderful receptionists/admin team work Monday-Friday and fortnightly Saturdays.
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Robyn works on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays and Barbara works on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays.
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If you are a current client, please email them at info@wordsandbeyond.com.au if you have any questions regarding payments, scheduling or booking into groups.
For all new enquiries, please use the form on the contact us page or the home page of our website so we have all your details and our team can contact you as soon as possible.
BARBARA
Receptionist