Laura Sibbald is passionate about neurodiversity advocacy and empowerment, with more than 12 years of experience supporting and advocating for students with learning differences and their families. She is a nationally certified speech-language pathologist, a published author, and an invited speaker on the topics of trauma-informed best practices, supporting self-advocacy and self-determination, and developing neurodiversity-affirming interventions.
In advancing affirming practices for the neurodivergent community, she is an active member of the College Autism Network, the Neurodiversity Employment Network, and the Pennsylvania Speech-Language-Hearing Association DEI Committee. Laura coauthored the Trauma-Informed Social-Emotional Toolbox for Children & Adolescents (PESI, 2020) and the Parenting Toolbox (PESI, 2018). Beginning in 2020, Laura has presented at and moderated the PESI Annual Autism Symposium, where she has had the privilege of interviewing Dr. Temple Grandin, Dr. Stephen Shore, and Dr. Barry Prizant. She is the founder and CEO of ND SLP Advocate, LLC.
Laura graduated from The George Washington University in 2011 with a Master’s in Speech-Language Pathology. She currently resides in Glenside, PA, with her fiancé, Mike, and their cat, Alexandria. She is the inaugural Executive Director for Neurodiversity Initiatives at Chestnut Hill College where she creates and implements a variety of opportunities to support the empowerment of students who learn differently.
To Shrub Oak International School, Laura brings a critical lens on increasing inclusive opportunities for neurodivergent students and their families. Through her passion and dedication to neuroinclusion, Laura has demonstrated expertise in developing workshops, creating curricular resources, & collaborating with stakeholders in order to empower students to achieve their potential. She looks forward to meeting every student, staff member, and community stakeholder at Shrub Oak.
