Meet Our Team
Shivani Patel, PhD, CCC-SLP (she/her)
Founder & Speech-Language Pathologist
Hi there! I’m the founder of The Speech Path. I received my doctorate in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Northwestern University, where my clinical and research training focused on communication differences in autism and related neurodevelopmental conditions (e.g., fragile X syndrome). In addition to serving these populations, I enjoy and am experienced in the assessment and treatment of childhood apraxia of speech. I’m passionate about working with my clients and their families to help them develop and meet personalized, functional communication goals using evidence-based methods.
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Childhood apraxia of speech
Social communication disorders
Speech/language delays
Professional speaking
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Patel, S. P., Landau, E., Martin, G. E., Rayburn, C., Elahi, S., Fragnito, G., & Losh, M. (2023). A profile of prosodic speech differences in individuals with autism spectrum disorder and first-degree relatives. Journal of Communication Disorders, 102, 106313.
Cole, J., Hilger, A., Patel, S. P. (2022). Prosody: Linguistic and clinical perspectives. In N. Gurevich & C. Grindrod (eds.), Clinical Applications of Linguistics to Speech-Language Pathology: A Guide for Clinicians. Routledge.
Patel, S. P., Cole, J., Lau, J. C. Y., Fragnito, G., Losh, M. (2022). Verbal Entrainment in Autism Spectrum Disorder and First-Degree Relatives. Scientific Reports, 12, 11496.
Lau, J. C., Patel, S.P., Kang, X., Nayar, K., Martin, G. E., Choy, J., Wong, P. C. M., & Losh, M. (2022). Cross-linguistic patterns of speech prosodic differences in autism: A machine learning study. PloS one, 17(6), e0269637.
Patel, S. P., Winston, M., Guilfoyle, J., Nicol, T., Martin, G. E., Kraus, N., Losh, M. (2022). Neural Processing of Speech Sounds in Individuals with ASD and First-degree Relatives. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.
Martin, G. E., Losh, M., Bush, L., Patel, S. P. (2021). Fragile X Syndrome. In L. Cummings (ed.), Handbook of Pragmatic Language Disorders: Complex and Underserved Populations. Springer.
Maltman, N., Guilfoyle, J., Nayar, K., Martin, G.E., Winston, M., Lau, J.C.Y., Bush, L., Patel, S. P., Lee, M., Sideris, J., Hall, D.A., Zhou, L., Sharp, K., Berry-Kravis, E. & Losh, M. (2021). The Phenotypic Profile Associated with the FMR1 Premutation in Women: An Investigation of Clinical-Fragile X Syndrome, Social-Cognitive, and Executive Abilities. Frontiers in Psychology, 12.
Patel, S. P., Nayar, K., Martin, G.E., Franich, K., Crawford, S., Diehl, J.J., & Losh, M. (2020). An acoustic characterization of prosodic differences in autism spectrum disorder and first-degree relatives. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 50(8), 3032-3045.
Patel, S. P., Kim, J., Larson, C., & Losh, M. (2019). Mechanisms of voice control related to prosody in autism spectrum disorder and first-degree relatives. Autism Research, 12(8), 1192-1210.
Martin, G.E., Barstein, J., Patel, S. P., Lee, M., Henry, L., & Losh, M. (2019). A Longitudinal analysis of communication repair skills across three genetically based neurodevelopmental disabilities. International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders, 55(1), 26-42.
Martin, G.E., Bush, L., Klusek, J., Patel, S. P., Losh, M. (2018). A multimethod analysis of pragmatic skills in children and adolescents with fragile X syndrome, autism spectrum disorder, and Down syndrome. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 61(12), 3023-3037.
Sarah Zumbiel, MS, CCC-SLP (she/her)
Speech-Language Pathologist
Hi! I’m a Speech-Language Pathologist with over 10 years experience and have had the privilege of working with both children in school-based settings and with adults in medical settings. I hold a B.A. in Psychology from University of California, Santa Cruz, an M.S. in Childhood Education from Pace University, and an M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology from California State University, East Bay. My approach to therapy is holistic, evidence-based, celebrates neurodiversity, and considers each person's unique needs and strengths.
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Adult Acquired Cognitive-Linguistic Impairments
Aphasia
Receptive & Expressive Language Disorders
Eli Cruz (they/them)
Office Administrator
Hello! I am the office administrator at The Speech Path. I hold a B.A. in both Psychology and Linguistics and a Child Development minor from the University of California, Berkeley. I have experience with administrative work in clinics, schools, and non-profit organizations. I am looking to pursue a career in Speech Pathology, hoping to begin a M.S. program in Fall 2025. In the meantime, I am offering support to clients, both prospective and existing, as well as our incredible team of speech pathologists.
