Your Speech-Language Pathologist
Lexi Smith, MA, CCC-SLP
My Mission
Connection with others is in our nature as humans—it is something for which we are hard-wired to seek out. That is why the ability to communicate is vital to not only our survival, but to our joy and well-being.
The guidance I provide as a speech-language pathologist in training parents and helping others communicate and form connections is a privilege to me, and I cherish the connections I make with all of my clients and families.
My guiding principle as a practitioner is to guide the development of practical skills by maintaining trusting relationships in order to foster holistic growth with pure acceptance, a serving nature, and a lively spirit.
Background Experience and Education
I always knew I wanted a colorful and gratifying career. At the University of Texas at Austin, I received a bachelor’s degree in retail merchandising and a business foundations certification from the McCombs School of Business. Although I enjoyed learning about the fashion industry and the fundamentals of business, I soon realized I craved a career path where I could serve and interact more with others. I spent my spare time volunteering around Austin at various schools and clinics for children with speech, language and learning disabilities and adults with neurogenic disorders. Through these experiences, my passion for helping others learn to communicate and connect was born.
I returned to the University of Texas at Austin where I received a Master’s Degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders with a focus in Speech-Language Pathology. I was the recipient of two faculty-awarded scholarships: the Graduate Diversity Mentoring Fellowship and the Lear-Ashmore Speech-Language Pathology Clinical Excellence Award, which is bestowed upon a graduate clinician who demonstrates exceptional clinical skills within the graduate class.
My focus in graduate school was vast and ranged from parent training for parents of children with language learning differences and autism, to evaluation and treatment of adults in the hospital setting with dementia, traumatic brain injury, cancer, and stroke. I also gained excellent clinical knowledge of fluency disorders during my time working under Dr. Courtney Byrd at the Lang Stuttering Institute.
Specialized Education, Certifications, and Training
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It Takes Two to Talk® - The Hanen Program® Certified Instructor for Parent Training Children with Language Delays
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SOS Approach to Feeding Course Certification
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DIRFloortime® (Floortime) – DIR 101 Certified
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National Stuttering Association Annual Conference 2021
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Communication Excellence for Children and Adults with Fluency Disorders at the Lang Stuttering Institute
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Responsive Feeding Therapy Conference 2020
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Extensive research and training under therapists certified in:
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Beckman Oral Motor Protocol
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“Get Permission Approach” and “Anxious Eaters” by Marsha Dunn Klein
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Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders
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SocialThinking Curriculum by Michelle Garcia Winner
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Diet Texture Modification and International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative (IDDSI) Training
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American Speech-Language Hearing Association Training in Reading and Interpreting Videofluoroscopic Studies
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Teaching Social Communication to Children with Autism Curriculum by Ingersoll and Dvortcsak
Licenses
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State of Texas Speech Language Pathology License (#114503)
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American Speech-Language Hearing Association Member and Certificate of Clinical Competence (#14276406)
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Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers and Professional Rescuers Certification
Awards
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American Speech-Language Hearing Association Award for Continuing Education (ACE)
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American Speech-Language Hearing Association Early Distinguished Career Professional Award
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Lear Ashmore Speech-Language Pathology Clinical Excellence Award
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Graduate Diversity Mentoring Fellowship Award
Recent Focus
The majority of my coursework and focus in the most recent years of my career has been directed towards serving the 6 month to young adult age range and treating a variety of speech, language, fluency and feeding disorders through parent training and individual treatment sessions, both in person and virtually.
I have conducted parent trainings to help foster mealtime peace in the home, became a Hanen®-certified parent training instructor in order to direct speech and language development individually and in group settings, created therapy groups for anxious and selective eaters, social groups for children with pragmatic language challenges, and have also promoted these skills in individual treatment settings both in person and virtually.
I have also been fortunate enough to work alongside and collaborate with many wonderful occupational and physical therapists, play therapists, counselors, nutritionists, doctors and other careproviders. These contacts and my breadth of experience allow me to provide the highest quality and most holistic care possible in order to fulfill my commitment to empower my clients and help them and their families achieve their goals.
Research
During my time in graduate school, I investigated auditory category learning across development with my research conducted under Dr. Bharath Chandrasekaran, which shed light on rule-based learning for executive functioning skills. Furthermore, I contributed to studies conducted at the Lang Stuttering Institute founded by Dr. Courtney Byrd, examining the latest evidence-based practices for children with fluency disorders.
Let's Get Personal!
I am first generation in the United States. My mother, who is native to Medellín, Colombia, raised my sister and me in Houston, TX. However, I have lived in Austin since 2011.
When I am not working, I enjoy hiking the Greenbelt and all of the various trails around Austin with my partner of 10 years (and fiancé as of Spring 2021)! He and I have a sweet, little Pomeranian-Shih Tzu named Leia (named after Princess Leia...and yes, she is quite the princess), who we enjoy taking on walks around our neighborhood and snuggling up with on the couch (she prefers the snuggle time over the walks though!).
I have always been a huge sports fan and spend copious amounts of time attending and watching sporting events, Hook ‘em Horns! I grew up as a selective eater, so I truly empathize with my selective eater kiddos! However, through my own experiences with food exploring, I was transformed into the hugest foodie who will now try just about anything, and I sincerely enjoy sharing my love of food with others!
I love to travel and find the local, must-try restaurants in the cities I visit. But perhaps my favorite thing to do is research and *attempt* to visit all of the new restaurants popping up all around Austin. I even keep a running Excel sheet of restaurants that I use as my very own, must-try list...just type A speech therapist things. (:
I look forward to getting to know you too!
