The TEAM
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Kathy Dow-BurgerKathy Dow-Burger, M.A., CCC-SLP, Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, University of Maryland Autism Research Consortium (UMARC) Co-DirectorKathy is the founder and coordinator of SIGNA and has expertise in the evaluation and treatment of pediatric, adolescent, and adult autism spectrum disorders, language-learning & reading disabilities, speech/language disorders and stuttering. In addition to SIGNA, she coordinates and runs the UMD PEERS® Adolescent program. Kathy is a certified PEERS® provider for the Adolescent and Young Adult programs.
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Candace Nuzzo MichielsCandace Nuzzo Michiels, M.A., CCC-SLPCandace Nuzzo Michiels joins the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences as Faculty Assistant for the UMD SIGNA program. Previously, she worked with teens in the UMD Executive Functioning For Effective Cognitive Transformation (EFFECT) program. Throughout her career, Candace has worked with pediatric, teen, and adult clients in the home, daycare, clinic, and school settings. She has experience in the evaluation and treatment of articulation and phonological disorders, fluency disorders, receptive, expressive, and pragmatic language disorders, and executive function deficits. She received her M.A. in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Maryland-College Park, and holds the American Speech-Language Hearing Association Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC-SLP), as well as the D.C. and MD State License.
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Michelle ErskineMichelle Erskine, M.S., CF-SLP, Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, University of MarylandMichelle received her master's degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2016. She is passionate about supporting cognitive, linguistic, and literacy skills among individuals across the lifespan, particularly individuals from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. When she's not working in the clinic, she spends her time researching the contribution of linguistic and cognitive resources to reading development.
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Rachel EganRachel Egan, 2nd year M.A.-SLP Candidate, Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, University of Maryland
Rachel is involved in supervising the SIGNA undergraduate peer coaches and mentors and managing the administrative work for SIGNA. Rachel has been trained in the PEERS® program for the Adolescent and Young Adult programs. Her clinical interests include assessment and intervention of children and adults with developmental disabilities, a multilingual and culturally diverse background, and Alternative Augmentative Communication.
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Who runs SIGNA groups and individual sessions?
Communication Coaches
Communication Coaches
Fall 2019 Communication Coaches
Communication Coaches are HESP Master's graduate students in speech-language pathology. They program and implement individual, weekly treatment sessions with each SIGNA member related to social interaction and executive functioning skills that help the member learn ways to organize themselves around the many academic expectations and settings on campus.
The skills worked on are based on each member's input, standardized test measures, and observation. With the member's permission, parents, friends and significant others may share their impressions related to the member's social interaction and executive functioning strengths and needs.
Communication Coaches also run the SIGNA Launch group meetings.
The skills worked on are based on each member's input, standardized test measures, and observation. With the member's permission, parents, friends and significant others may share their impressions related to the member's social interaction and executive functioning strengths and needs.
Communication Coaches also run the SIGNA Launch group meetings.
Peer Coaches & Peer Mentors
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Peer Coaches are UMD undergraduate students who plan and run the SIGNA member group time using the evidence-based Young Adult PEERS® social interaction program developed by UCLA. This program was designed to help students navigate a variety of social situations on and off campus. The Peer Coaches also plan monthly social activities for the group.
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Fall 2019 Peer Coaches
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Spring 2020 Peer Mentors
Peer Mentors are UMD undergraduate students who are matched with a SIGNA member during the semester (particularly in the member's first year of participation). Peer Mentors do weekly 'check-ins' with the SIGNA member to review and practice concepts learned during the group meetings. They collaborate with the SIGNA team (e.g., SIGNA faculty, Communication Coaches) to discuss individual successes and needs that are related to the group setting.
FALL 2020 SIGNA Team
Communication Coaches:
Left-Right -
Top: Ms. Dow-Burger, Nada, Bushra;
Middle: Erin, Rebecca, Cecilia;
Bottom: Danait, Megane, Gammon
Peer Coaches:
Interested in joining the SIGNA Team?
If you are an UMD undergraduate student and would like to be a Peer Coach or Peer Mentor, please email signa@umd.edu.
Undergraduate students need to fill out an application, interview with the SIGNA clinical faculty, and be selected to participate. Our In-house SIGNA training is required. If you are a HESP major, applications go out the semester prior to the semester of involvement.
SIGNA Peer Coach and Peer Mentor Alumni
Spring 2020 Team
Fall 2019 Team
Spring 2019 Team
Communication Coaches
Front row L to R: Avery, Sandy, Michael, Emily, Allesondra, and Mandy.
Back row L to R: Ashley, Catherine, Samantha, and Alyssa. Not pictured: Jess
Front row L to R: Avery, Sandy, Michael, Emily, Allesondra, and Mandy.
Back row L to R: Ashley, Catherine, Samantha, and Alyssa. Not pictured: Jess
Peer Coaches
Peer Mentors
From bottom to top: Sarah, Maria, Nell, Gianna, Maria, Grace, and Kate. Not pictured: Bridget
Fall 2018 Team
Communication Coaches
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Peer Mentors
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