Small shifts in your coaching can make a lasting impact at home.

Guest: Cristina J. Easton, Educational Consultant

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In this episode of The Gestalt Get-Together, host Corinne Zmoos, MS, CCC-SLP, welcomes back Cristina Easton to discuss what effective parent coaching looks like through the eyes of a parent of a Gestalt Language Processor. Drawing from her own experiences, Cristina shares what helped her feel supported, what created barriers to learning, and how clinicians can build stronger partnerships with families throughout the therapy process.

Together, Corinne and Cristina discuss practical coaching strategies that encourage collaboration, confidence, and meaningful carryover beyond the therapy room. You'll learn ways to provide education and feedback that feel supportive rather than overwhelming, helping families become active, empowered members of the therapeutic team.

Whether you're new to parent coaching or looking to strengthen your approach, this episode offers thoughtful insights and real-world perspectives that can help you create more effective, family-centered therapy for Gestalt Language Processors.

About the Guest: Cristina J. Easton is the founder of imPACT Educational Consulting, LLC, Director at Educator Support Collaborative, and Program Strategy Manager at AdoptAClassroom.org. She majored in Sociology at Smith College, earned her Master's in Teaching as a New York City Teaching Fellow in Special Education, and her Master's in Education Leadership at Bank Street College of Education. Her mission is to guide projects from promise to impact, focusing on measurable actions that promote voice, equity, and joy for youth, families, educators, and institutions.

Show Notes:

In Vivo Feedback Predicts Parent Behavior Change in the Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up Intervention

The Early Childhood Coaching Handbook - Dathan D. Rush & M'Lisa L. Shelden

Therapeutic Climbing: A Pediatric Top-Rope Rock Climbing Program for Sensory Integration Through Social Prescribing

Neurodivergent Climbers: Finding Balance On and Off the Wall

Effect of an indoor climbing program on selective attention of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

Reflection Questions

Discover how singable stories can unlock meaningful language learning for GLPs.

Guest: Rachel See, MA, MT-BC

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Join host Corinne Zmoos, MS, CCC-SLP, on The Gestalt Get-Together as she welcomes Rachel See, MA, MT-BC, for a conversation about using singable stories to support language development in gestalt language processors (GLPs). Together, they explore how music, storytelling, and literacy can be combined to create engaging, meaningful language-learning experiences.

Rachel explains what makes a story “singable” and why musical books and stories can be such a powerful tool for supporting communication. You’ll learn how singable stories can target language goals through repetition, predictability, shared attention, and meaningful interaction, while also supporting connection and engagement.

About the Guest: After graduating with an undergrad degree in communication disorders and a Master’s in music therapy, Rachel See, MA, MT-BC became interested in how language and music intersect, connect, and enhance each other. Starting in 2011, Rachel opened her private practice in Austin, worked for 11 years in the public school special education classrooms in St. Louis, and now owns and operates the Singable Book Club.Show Notes:

Show Notes:

Book- This Is How We Play

Book- Hi, How Are You

Book- Charlie Parker Played Be Bop

Book- Trashy Town

Rhythm and music for promoting sensorimotor organization in autism: broader implications for outcomes

Auditory-Motor Mapping Training as an Intervention to Facilitate Speech Output in Non-Verbal Children with Autism: A Proof of Concept Study

The Therapeutic Effects of Singing in Neurological Disorders

Supporting GLPs starts with supporting the team around them.

Guest: Tara Phillips, MS, CCC-SLP

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In this episode of The Gestalt Get-Together, Corinne Zmoos, MS, CCC-SLP, is joined by Tara Phillips, MS, CCC-SLP, for a conversation about supporting educators and paraprofessionals who work with Gestalt Language Processors (GLPs). Together, they explore how SLPs can build collaborative relationships with school teams, explain echolalia in approachable, meaningful ways, and share GLP-informed strategies that carry over throughout the school day.

Corinne and Tara also discuss ways to track and interpret gestalts as a team, helping educators better understand what a student’s language is communicating and how to support language development across settings. You’ll walk away with ideas for strengthening communication with school staff, increasing consistency in support, and creating a more collaborative approach for GLP students.

About the Guest: Tara Phillips is a speech-language pathologist with over 25 years of experience working with young autistic children. After decades in the school setting, she saw how overwhelmed and under-supported preschool special educators often felt—and how hard it was to find meaningful, engaging resources for young autistic learners. So in 2019, she founded Autism Little Learners. Today, Tara supports educators around the world with practical, neurodiversity-affirming strategies that help them move from overwhelm to confidence.

Show Notes:

The Hanen Centre- It's "Owl" About Having Fun

Repeating purposefully: Empowering educators with functional communication models of echolalia in Autism

Meaningful Speech

***Originally aired: 12/8/2025***

Guest: Cristina Easton, Educational Consultant

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Join Corinne Zmoos, MS, CCC-SLP, as she interviews Cristina Easton about raising a musical Gestalt Language Processor. Corinne and Cristina will discuss the family’s shift from speech-only interventions to a musical language approach rooted in the NLA framework (Blanc, 2012). Cristina will describe her son’s progress arc, including musical and melodic gestalts, her advocacy work, and where her family is headed to help their GLP thrive.

About the Guest: Cristina J. Easton is the founder of imPACT Educational Consulting, LLC, Director at Educator Support Collaborative, and Program Strategy Manager at AdoptAClassroom.org. She majored in Sociology at Smith College, earned her Master's in Teaching as a New York City Teaching Fellow in Special Education, and her Master's in Education Leadership at Bank Street College of Education. Her mission is to guide projects from promise to impact, focusing on measurable actions that promote voice, equity, and joy for youth, families, educators, and institutions. With extensive experience in education, Cristina has designed inclusive instructional models, founded a new school, developed strategic plans, implemented equitable grading systems, and enhanced student voice in course selection while leading teams as a school administrator. She emphasizes centering the voices of marginalized communities in decision-making processes. Cristina holds a B.A. in Sociology from Smith College, an M.S. in Special Education, as a New York City Teaching Fellow, and an M.A. in School Leadership from Bank Street College of Education. A 2024 graduate of the Arc of Maryland’s Partners in Policymaking, she actively works to foster a world that embraces equity and joy for her son and all of us. In 2021, Cristina and her husband learned that their son was autistic. This catapulted their family into Autism acceptance and family advocacy. Together, they founded the Embrace Play playgroup for families of neurodivergent children ages birth to ten. Through Embrace, the Eastons have provided spaces for families to enjoy where their children and their needs and gifts are validated, and where families can learn from and lean on one another. Cristina is a member of the 2025 Kennedy Krieger Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Other Related Disabilities program and the Arc of Maryland’s Partners in Policymaking 2024 cohort.

Musical speech therapy techniques for the non-musical SLP.

Guest: Corinne Zmoos, MS, CCC-SLP

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Take the FREE Pediatric Feeding Courses for ASHA CEUs (through June 30, 2026)

Want to incorporate music into your speech therapy sessions but don't know where to start? Michelle and Corinne share easy-to-use resources to help non-musical SLPs confidently incorporate music into sessions, along with evidence-based tools for clinicians looking to deepen their knowledge of music-based language intervention.

About the Guest: Corinne Zmoos, MS, CCC-SLP, is a musical speech-language pathologist based in Baltimore, Maryland, and the founder of *Messy Happy Music Lab*, a private practice specializing in neurodivergent language acquisition, musical language therapy, Gestalt Processing, and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC).

Show Notes:

Please note the following correction: A4 (A above middle C) is 440Hz, not middle C as stated.

Contact Corinne:

• IG: @crescendo.communication
• crescendocommunication.com
• Gestalt Get-Together podcast

Love Money: Support Marian House in Baltimore

Join the National Foundation of Swallowing Disorders

Run the Virtual Dash For Dysphagia June 6-13, 2026

Dysphagia Research Society

Learn how gestalt-based approaches can transform feeding therapy for autistic children and their families.

Guest: Michelle Dawson, MS, CCC-SLP, CLC, BCS-S, FNAP

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How can GLP-informed strategies support pediatric feeding therapy for autistic children? In this episode, Corinne Zmoos, MS, CCC-SLP, interviews Michelle Dawson, MS, CCC-SLP, CLC, BCS-S, FNAP, host of the First Bite SLP podcast, to explore her work on pediatric feeding disorders in young autistic individuals. They discuss subtle, often overlooked signs of PFD, as well as medical factors that can impact feeding and swallowing. Together, they explore evidence-informed approaches to care, including how to incorporate linguistic and cognitive gestalts into therapy to support meaningful progress. You’ll leave with a clearer understanding of how GLP-informed strategies align with feeding therapy to better support autistic children and their families.

About the Guest: Michelle Dawson, MS, CCC-SLP, CLC, BCS-S, FNAP works for Augusta County Public School as a full-time early intervention speech-language pathologist with the Infant and Toddler Connection of Augusta-Highland in Staunton, VA, and as an adjunct professor at North Carolina Central University (NCCU) in Durham, NC. Additionally, she is the acclaimed host of “First Bite: Fed, Fun, Functional,” a weekly speech therapy podcast that addresses “all thangs” of pediatric speech therapy and is presented by Speech Therapy PD. Michelle authored Chasing the Swallow: Truth, Science, and Hope for Pediatric Feeding and Swallowing Disorders.

Show Notes:

Feeding Matters

Feeding Matters PFD pdf

Gut: The Inside Story of Our Body's Most Underrated Organ

Talk to Me Technologies

SOS Approach to Feeding

Turn everyday play into powerful support for language and executive functioning.

Guest: Rachel Terrell, M.S., CCC-SLP

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In this episode of The Gestalt Get-Together, Corinne Zmoos, MS, CCC-SLP, is joined by Rachel Terrell, M.S., CCC-SLP, CBIS, to explore the connection between gestalt language processing and executive functioning through play. Together, they discuss how to recognize different GLP play styles and what those preferences may reveal about underlying executive functioning challenges. The conversation highlights how play can offer valuable insight into regulation, flexibility, and organization.

About the Guest: Rachel Terrell, M.S., CCC-SLP, is a speech-language pathologist and founder of Rooted and Rising Therapies and NeuroNook. Through Rooted and Rising Therapies, she specializes in working with autistic children and gestalt language processors, focusing on executive functioning, AAC, and unmasking. NeuroNook aims to break down silos between disciplines and equip clinicians for regulation-first care. Through mentorship, speaking engagements, and digital resources, Rachel encourages therapists to build collaborative teams, challenge outdated models, and create therapy spaces where children feel seen, respected, and truly understood.

Show Notes:

Honoring Diverse Styles of Play

What if hyperlexia is not a barrier, but a bridge to language?

Guest: Liz Watson, MS, CCC-SLP

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In this episode of The Gestalt Get-Together, host Corinne Zmoos, MS, CCC-SLP, sits down with Liz Watson, MS, CCC-SLP, to talk about hyperlexia through the lens of Gestalt Language Processing. They explore what hyperlexia really is, why many GLPs are drawn to what Liz calls “human codes” such as letters, numbers, and symbol systems, and how these interests can become powerful entry points into language.

About the Guest: Liz Watson, MS, CCC-SLP, is a lifelong school-based SLP with a passion for working with hyperlexic kids. She specializes in the preschool age group and loves AAC. She is also a writer for The Informed SLP. Liz lives in Maryland with her wife, son, and two tiny dogs.

Show Notes:

What do autistic children who are interested in letters and numbers do with them? A qualitative study

Turn musical moments into meaningful communication breakthroughs.

Guest: Mikelia Wallace, MT-BC/L

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In this episode of The Gestalt Get-Together, Corinne Zmoos, MS, CCC-SLP, sits down with Mikelia Wallace, MT-BC/L, for an honest, interprofessional conversation about supporting highly musical gestalt language processors (GLPs). Together, they unpack how music therapists and speech-language pathologists can collaborate more effectively by clearly understanding each other’s scope of practice, education, and clinical lenses. Rather than overlapping roles, this conversation highlights how differences in training and perspective can be leveraged to improve outcomes for clients.

About the Guest: Mikelia Wallace, MT-BC/L, is a board-certified and licensed music therapist who is passionate about encouraging self-exploration and skill development through music. She is particularly passionate about working with early intervention, neurodevelopmental disabilities, and medically complex youth. Mikelia strives to practice through a neuro-affirming lens and is focused on adapting and adjusting music interventions to accommodate and empower individuals.

Bridging OT and SLP for stronger, more meaningful outcomes.

Guest: Erin Heyn, OTD, OTR/L, CLC

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The OT–SLP relationship can be a powerful alliance. For neurodivergent children and their families, collaboration across disciplines can make a meaningful difference in relationships, regulation, access to learning, and the ability to build new skills. In this episode of The Gestalt Get-Together, Corinne Zmoos, MS, CCC-SLP, sits down with pediatric occupational therapist Erin Heyn to discuss centering caregiver regulation and cue-reading to create a strong foundation for skill acquisition. Erin shares how sensory processing and nervous system regulation shape everything - from attention and movement to feeding and connection - and why caregiver education and training are essential in early development. Together, they highlight simple ways to build stronger OT-SLP relationships that honor each child’s communication style and help them access their environment with confidence. You will come away with ideas for connecting with the OTs on your clients’ teams on this topic to enhance language acquisition.

About the Guest: Erin Heyn, OTD, OTR/L, CLC, is a pediatric occupational therapist and lactation counselor who specializes in infant and toddler feeding and development. She started Tiny Tides Therapy, a mobile therapy practice, in January of 2025. Erin is passionate about supporting little ones and their families by meeting them where they are (literally) and finding ways to help them achieve their unique goals.

Show Notes:

The Pyramid of Learning