Welcome to the University of Maryland's NATS program developed for neurodivergent college students and college-bound high schoolers who want to understand others, express themselves and navigate academic & campus life in better ways without losing their INDIVIDUALITY
Leadership Team
Kathy Dow-Burger, M.A., CCC-SLP, Friedman Family Director of Neurodiversity & Autism Transition ServicesKathy has been a Speech-Language Pathologist for 30 years and is certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. She is licensed to practice in Maryland.
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Kathy is an Associate Clinical Professor and the founder and coordinator of SIGNA. She has expertise in the evaluation and treatment of pediatric, adolescent, and adult autism, language-learning & reading disabilities, speech/language disorders and stuttering. In addition to SIGNA, she does research in the intersection of identity (race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, financial status, etc.,) and disability; full acceptance and inclusion of neurodiverent people in the workplace; and, Universal Design of learning spaces. Kathy is a certified PEERS® provider for the adolescent, school-based professional and young adult curricula.
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Norah AlJunaidi, M.A., CCC-SLP, Faculty Assistant, Dept. of Hearing and Speech Sciences, University of MarylandNorah is certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and she is licensed to practice in Maryland. Norah also oversees the administration of UMD's PEERS & EFFECT teen programs.
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Norah is a Faculty Assistant for the SIGNA Program in the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences. She has worked with adults with disabilities in the areas of social, academic, and cognitive skills in public schools, a special needs summer camp, and her graduate clinical work. Norah is inspired by working with neurodivergent individuals. She also passionate about social justice, intersectionality and inclusive language, all which will be an important part of her work at SIGNA. Norah received her M.A. degree in Speech-Language Pathology from George Washington in May 2021.
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Shawndre Jones-Johnson, M.S., CCC-SLP,
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Shawndre is a Faculty Assistant for the SIGNA Program in the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences. She has 23 years of experience working as a Speech-Language Pathologist in public schools, private schools, and private practice. Presently, she is pursuing a certificate in Autism Studies at Towson University. A native of Baltimore, she worked in the LEAP program at the Kennedy Krieger Institute to follow her passion for working with autistic students. After a move to the DC suburbs, she transitioned to working in an early childhood program in Prince George’s County Public Schools, where she developed her love for early intervention, language and literacy, and apraxia. She is a member of the University of Maryland Autism Consortium Advisory Board with the goal of advancing the body of knowledge to improve outcomes for autistic people.
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Aruna Hari Prasad M.A., CCC-SLP,
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Aruna is a Faculty Assistant at the University of Maryland's Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences. She received her Master’s of Arts in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Maryland-College Park.Aruna is a PEERS School-Based Professional certified provider and has worked in Montgomery County, MD for over fourteen years. During this time, she has worked with preschool, elementary, middle and high school students with language learning disabilities, autism, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Reading Disabilities, Writing Disabilities, and Other Health Impairments.
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Kaitlin McCloskey, SIGNA Graduate Assistant, SLP Graduate Student, Dept. of Hearing and Speech Sciences, University of Maryland
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Kaitlin "Kait" is SIGNA's graduate assistant and is involved in guiding the SIGNA undergraduate peer coaches and mentors. She also manages the administrative work for SIGNA. Kait is a second year MA student in Speech-Language Pathology.
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Kait aims to start her own practice one day, alongside her sisters who practice audiology and occupational therapy.
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