When TJ was in 3rd grade, her best friend's little sister had a hearing loss and was a late talker.  When the little sister started speech therapy, it was like magic!  She started talking, and the world opened up to her. That was the first time TJ heard of speech therapy.  Later, when she was 16 and trying to decide what to do with her life, T.J. decided to become a speech therapist, so she could make that magical difference in someone's life.   

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Now, T.J. specializes in pediatric speech, language, and literacy evaluation and treatment. She received her Master's degree in 2002 in Communication Sciences and Disorders from The University of Georgia. She is an ASHA certified speech-language pathologist (SLP). She is certified in the Hanen Learning Language & Loving It Program for supporting the language and literacy skills of young learners through coaching of parents and teachers.  She is also trained in the Lindamood Bell LIPS program, a multisensory approach to supporting the underlying phonological awareness skills involved in fluid reading and writing. T.J. is a strong believer in lifelong learning and has served as the Professional Development Manager for ASHA's Special Interest Group 1, Language Learning and Education, for the past 5 years.  She has 17 years of experience as a pediatric SLP, and has expertise in the evaluation and treatment of late talkers, children with cleft palate or velocardiofacial syndrome, hearing loss, autism spectrum disorders, dyslexia, ADHD and other language based learning disorders, congenital syndromes, multiple disabilities, and children who require augmentative and alternative communication systems (AAC) to communicate. 

 

T.J. is originally from McDonough, GA.  She is married to Robi Ragan, a professor at Mercer University, and they have one daughter named Flannery.  She enjoys reading, writing, gardening, and playing with her two dogs, Valentino and Connor.