Grace Hao, MD, PhD, CCC-SLP, serves as Chair of the Neurodiversity Committee of the International Association of Communication Sciences and Disorders (IALP). With over two decades of clinical, academic, and research experience, her work focuses on autism, pediatric feeding and swallowing disorders, gender-affirming voice and communication, and the development of speech-language pathology education and training programs in China. Her global outreach and collaborative efforts have helped bridge research and practice through translational approaches that advance evidence-based and family-centered practice standards in assessment, intervention, and professional training.

A recognized leader in the field, Dr. Hao has held numerous national and international leadership roles, including service on the ASHA Academic Affairs Board and the National Academy of Practitioners SLP Academy Board. She is a Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and a Distinguished Fellow of the National Academy of Practitioners. Her extensive collaborative work spans the United States, China, and Taiwan, where she has led training initiatives, clinical programs, and international partnerships to promote equitable and culturally responsive care.

As Chair of the Neurodiversity Committee, Dr. Hao is committed to advancing inclusive, interdisciplinary, and globally informed practices that support individuals with neurodiversity across diverse cultural and clinical contexts.

The biosketch for this committee member is not yet available.

Dr. Katerina Shtereva is a Professor of Speech and Language Therapy (Logopedics) at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, Faculty of Educational Sciences and the Arts, Department of Logopedics, Bulgaria. Her academic and professional work is situated at the intersection of language, literacy, and neurodevelopment, with a strong focus on educational and clinical applications.

Her research interests encompass reading and writing processes in children with neurodevelopmental conditions within the framework of neurodiversity, including autism spectrum disorders, dyslexia, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. She has a particular interest in early markers of dyslexia, especially the role of phonological awareness in literacy development, as well as broader issues related to neurocognitive and educational processes.

Prof. Shtereva has participated in and continues to contribute to nationally funded research projects supported by the Bulgarian National Science Fund, focusing on psychophysiological and neurophysiological approaches to identifying biomarkers in autism, including visual perception and its implications for diagnostic and intervention strategies. She is the author of the monograph Decoding Models in Autism Spectrum Disorders and has produced numerous scientific publications in related areas.

She is an active member of international and professional organizations, including IALP, ESLA, and SRCD. Her work integrates research, teaching, and clinical perspectives, contributing to the advancement of evidence-based practices, cross-linguistic research, and inclusive approaches within the field of neurodiversity.

I am Jacy Perissinoto, Speech Language Pathologist, Language specialist, and a Professor, researcher and advisor for the Postgraduate Program at the Federal University of São Paulo-UNIFESP, Brazil, at the Departament of Speech-Language, Pathology, and Audiology with emphasis on language development disorders and autism spectrum disorders.

My research focuses include development and speech-language assessment of children and adolescents, risk indicators of language disorders in infants  that were born premature, language pathology in the ASD, and language deficits in attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders.

My motivation for joining the IALP committee is to connect and collaborate with colleagues interested in reducing barriers and expanding communications opportunities for neurodivergent people. IALP’ International perspective uniquely encourages studies, research and innovation, focused on individuals, their families and communities.

Chilean speech-language pathologist and recent Ph.D. graduate whose research and clinical work focus on communication development in autistic and other neurodivergent children across Latin America, particularly those who use AAC in bilingual contexts. Over the past decade, he has combined community-based, co-designed interventions with qualitative and mixed-methods research to highlight families’ perspectives, sociocultural factors, and the strengths of multimodal communication within underrepresented Latinx and Global South communities. His scholarship emphasizes neurodiversity-affirming, rights-based, and culturally responsive practices and seeks to build inclusive support systems by collaborating with education and health sectors, publishing and presenting internationally, and framing communication within social justice and accessibility.

Dr Rachael Agius is a Speech and Language Pathologist and Senior Lecturer within the Department of Human Communication Sciences and Disorders at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Malta, where she also serves as Clinical Education Coordinator for undergraduate students. She holds a PhD from the University of Malta, where she developed the first bilingual literacy diagnostic assessment battery for Maltese children. Dr Agius is a founding member Board Director of the European Literacy Network and actively participates in European Projects and Doctoral Training Networks. In addition, she regularly peer reviews journal articles and contributes to international literacy associations and networks.

Dr Rachael Agius has worked abroad as a specialist literacy tutor within a primary school in the United States and locally as a clinician for the Ministry of Health, before transitioning to a full-time academic role at the University of Malta. She lectures and supervises across both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, with a strong focus on communication and language disorders, prevention and early intervention, collaborative practices, professional skills, and research methods. She is actively engaged in postgraduate (Master’s and PhD) research supervision and examination. She is currently leading the development of a Master programme in literacy and numeracy in neurodiverse profiles, in which she also serves as course coordinator and lecturer.

The biosketch for this committee member is not yet available.

Dr. Ronit Saban-Bezalel is a speech-language pathologist and Senior Specialist Lecturer at Ariel University, Israel. Her research focuses on social communication and language development in individuals with autism, intellectual disabilities, and developmental delays. She also works as a clinician and instructor within the Israeli Ministry of Education. Dr. Saban-Bezalel is a co-editor of the Israeli Journal of Speech-Language Pathology and a member of the IALP Neurodiversity Committee, where she promotes approaches that respect neurodiversity and are grounded in scientific research.

The biosketch for this committee member is not yet available.

Post-Doctorate in the Area of Language with a focus on Early Intervention with Children with ASD. Holds a PhD and Masters Degree in Language from Medicine School of the University of São Paulo- Brazil.
Improvement in Speech Therapy in Child Psychiatry at the Hospital das Clínicas of the University of São Paulo – Brazil. She has 28 years of experience in the clinical field

The biosketch for this committee member is not yet available.