Hi, I’m Layla, a pediatric speech-language pathologist with more than seven years of experience supporting children and their families. Throughout my career, I have worked in pediatric hospital, outpatient, and private-practice settings with children who have a wide range of communication strengths and needs. My clinical experience includes childhood apraxia of speech, articulation and phonological disorders, early language development, receptive and expressive language differences, autism and neurodivergent communication, and stuttering.

I believe meaningful therapy begins with taking the time to understand the whole child—not only the skills that may be challenging, but also their personality, interests, strengths, relationships, and unique way of communicating. My approach is individualized and evidence-based while still feeling engaging, supportive, and comfortable for the child. Depending on a child’s needs, sessions may include play, movement, structured practice, literacy-based activities, conversation, and collaboration with parents.

Parents know their children better than anyone, and I view families as essential partners in the therapy process. I want parents to understand what we are working on, why we are working on it, and how they can support communication in ways that fit naturally into everyday life. My goal is to help children build meaningful communication skills while ensuring their families feel informed, supported, and confident throughout the process.

Speech with Layla provides in-person services for families in Edina and the greater Twin Cities area, along with virtual services for families in Minnesota and California. I offer complimentary consultations for families who would like to discuss their concerns, learn more about my approach, and determine whether we may be a good fit.

Advanced Training and Continuing Education

• Advanced Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing (DTTC) for childhood apraxia of speech and motor speech disorders

• Rapid Syllable Transition Treatment (ReST) for childhood apraxia of speech and motor speech disorders

• PROMPT Training for motor speech and speech sound disorders

• Speech Motor Chaining for motor-based treatment of speech sound disorders

• The Lidcombe Program for childhood stuttering

• Palin Parent–Child Interaction Therapy (Palin PCI) for early childhood stuttering

• CARE Model for Stuttering for supporting children who stutter and their families

• Hanen More Than Words® — trained provider and listed in the Hanen Centre directory; experienced in leading More Than Words® programs for groups of parents of autistic children

• DIR®/Floortime™ Basic Practitioner for supporting communication, engagement, and development in autistic and neurodivergent children

• PEERS® for Adolescents for supporting social communication and relationship skills in adolescents

• Orton-Gillingham Advanced Training in structured literacy and language-based reading intervention