ABOUT
Fiorita Di Palma
Speech-Language Specialist
M.S. CCC-SLP, M. Ed
Fiorita Di Palma is a practicing Speech Language Pathologist licensed in the state of New Jersey. She is a certified member of the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA) and holds a Speech Language Specialist certificate from the NJ Department of Education. Fiorita earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology with a certification in Elementary Education K-5. In 2013, Fiorita graduated cum laude from Seton Hall University with a Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology. In May 2017, she completed a second Master’s program and graduated summa cum laude from William Paterson with a Master of Education in Special Education. Completing a dual masters provided Fiorita with comprehensive knowledge about the relationship between speech-language development and literacy. She also has a Supervisor Standard Certificate and is TEFL certified (Teaching English as a Foreign Language).
Fiorita’s clinical and professional experience includes both medical and educational settings. She has experience evaluating and treating young children and adolescents with Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, articulation impairments, language (expressive, receptive, pragmatic, semantic) disorders, apraxia of speech, fluency disorders, and more. She also has experience working with adolescents and adults in a hospital setting with disorders such as dysarthria, aphasia, dysphagia, and cognitive-communication impairments. She also provides virtual speech therapy through Teletherapy platforms focusing on language stimulation activities and articulation practice. Working extensively with children and young adults with Autism in a variety of settings, Fiorita has utilized both applied behavior analysis (ABA) and the DIR-floor time model in treatment. She has completed her RBT certification and provides direct implementation of behavior-analytic services for her clients. Fiorita also has worked in the Early Intervention system as an evaluator and a direct service provider for babies and toddlers with developmental delays and disabilities. Fiorita’s experience also includes, but is not limited to, developing and implementing alternative-augmentative communication (AAC) systems, such as the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) and voice output devices.
Understanding that speech and language development is paramount to one's life and to a child's academic success, Fiorita strives to provide the the most effective, individualized and comprehensive therapy by working with not only the client, but also the client’s family and interdisciplinary team. Fiorita has a passion for helping others, which is evident in her confident, compassionate approach to treating patients.
Fiorita is:
PECS Level 1 trained
PECS Level 2 trained
PROMPT Level 1 trained
PROMPT Level 2 trained
TEFL certified
RBT certified
*Licensed in New Jersey and Arizona
We cannot say enough about Fiorita! We first contacted her when we noticed a delay in our son’s speech development. Fiorita answered all of our questions and concerns and was confident in our son’s action plan. From the very first session, our son responded well to Ms. Flo. She was energetic and fun and motivated him by continuously changing the session routine to accommodate his interests. Within just a few weeks we saw significant improvements in our son’s ability to correctly pronounce sounds. His teachers at school even mentioned his progress, which proved to us that this was working. When we suddenly had to move to an online format due to COVID, Fiorita demonstrated tremendous skill in teletherapy. She maintained our son’s attention and kept him engaged throughout the 45 minute on-line session. The lessons were interactive and she was patient with him as we navigated this new format. Just a few months after his first session, our son had improved to the point where he was considered “age appropriate” and no longer required speech therapy. Even though the sessions ended, Ms. Flo continued to check in with us. We cannot express how thrilled we are that our son has come so far. We feel so fortunate to have met Ms. Flo, who has tremendous experience, energy and integrity!
-The Andersen Family
Author Fiorita Di Palma has always had a passion for working with children. Her profession is very rewarding and is filled with many moments of joy. Fiorita was inspired to write Imagine and Daydream to activate a child's imagination, to fuel their love for nature, to engage them in different sounds and to encourage outdoor play. After all, nature is the best playground.
