Spelfabet

Alison Clarke, Senior Speech Pathologist

Alison has been a Speech Pathologist since 1988, and also holds a Masters in Applied Linguistics and an ESL teaching certificate. She has worked for the Victorian Education Department, Yooralla, SCOPE, a University in Mexico, a hospital in London, RMIT, the Royal Children’s Hospital and Lewis and Lewis. She started her private practice in 2000 in Footscray, moved it to Clifton Hill in 2012, and then to North Fitzroy in 2018.

Alison set up this Spelfabet website in 2012, because she was keen to encourage early literacy teaching and intervention that  reflects scientific reading research. She was 2015-16 Vice President of Learning Difficulties Australia (LDA), and has also worked as an administrator, and been a City Councillor and Mayor. She received LDA’s 2018 Mona Tobias Award, and a Medal of the Order of Australia in 2022. Alison works Tuesdays to Saturdays during school terms, and weekdays during school breaks.

Nicola Anglin, Speech Pathologist

Nicola holds a Bachelor of Health Sciences and a Master’s degree in Speech Pathology, completed in 2013. She has worked with children and adults, mostly at private practices.

Nicola’s main clinical interests are literacy, fluency (stuttering) and voice, especially gender-affirming voice training. She is trained in the Sounds-Write program.

Nicola works at Spelfabet on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays. She loves peaceful productivity and planning, food, dancing to 80s music, doing craft and going to musicals.

Georgina Ryan, Speech Pathologist

Georgina holds a four-year Bachelor’s Degree in Speech Pathology completed in 2018. She has experience working with children delivering in-school and clinic-based services.

Georgina’s clinical interests include literacy and speech sound therapy. She is trained in the Sounds-Write program and PROMPT articulation therapy. She has experience in working with children with low vision and blindness.

Georgina works full-time at Spelfabet. She loves running, Lego and watching the Demons.

Kristina Tachtsis, Speech Pathologist

Kristina holds a Master’s Degree in Speech Pathology completed in 2017. She also has a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Linguistics and Applied Linguistics.

Kristina has experience working in schools with children and young people primarily from culturally and linguistically diverse and socially disadvantaged backgrounds. Through this work, she gained a passion for, and experience in, delivering professional learning to teachers, and supporting them to implement evidence-based teaching strategies aligned with the science of language and reading. Kristina’s clinical interests include literacy, language, stuttering and speech sound therapy. She is trained in Sounds-Write and the Lidcombe Program.

Kristina works at Spelfabet on Mondays and Fridays. She enjoys walking, strength training, Sudoku, watching Spanish Telenovelas, coffee and trying out new places to eat.

Jo Lomasney, Speech Pathologist

Jo completed a Master’s degree in Speech Pathology in 2019, and her Bachelor’s degree in 1997, majoring in Japanese and Linguistics. Her professional background includes journalism, English language teaching and assessment administration.

Since becoming a speech pathologist, Jo has worked with children and adults with speech, language, literacy and cognitive difficulties, in private clinics, school readiness programs and research trials. She is trained in Sounds-Write and Little Learners Love Literacy methodologies.

Jo is passionate about the importance of literacy to promote academic engagement and life participation. As a parent, Jo understands the need for therapy to be motivating and fun to help achieve the best outcomes for a child. Jo works part-time at Spelfabet, in the mornings on Monday to Friday. She loves camping, bird spotting, bike-riding, cooking and paddleboarding.

Lucy Smith, Speech Pathologist

Lucy gained her Masters in Speech Pathology from the University of Auckland in 2022, and also has an Occupational Therapy qualification and experience.

Before starting work at Spelfabet, Lucy worked supporting families to foster early communication and language skills, and trained in the Sounds-Write synthetic/linguistic phonics program.

In her spare time Lucy enjoys cycling, hiking, reading and being creative in the kitchen.

Lucy works at Spelfabet on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. 

Tiana Knights, Office Coordinator

Tiana holds a Bachelor of Medicinal Chemistry and has worked with children for over twenty years as a gymnastics coach.

She has also worked in administration for real estate, sporting organisations and not-for-profit gymnastics centres.

General interests include reading, festivals, bouldering and multi-species justice. Tiana enjoys exploring parks with Levi, her big and gentle dog friend, who sometimes comes to work. She works 10 am to 6 pm Monday to Thursday.

Elle Holloway, Speech Pathologist

Elle holds a Master’s Degree in Speech Pathology and Bachelor of Arts in Asian Studies and Languages, completed in 2017. She has experience working with children and teens in private clinics, and delivering in-school services.

Elle’s clinical interests include literacy, language, and speech sound therapy. She is trained in the Sounds-Write program, Talk for Writing, and PROMPT articulation therapy.

Elle was working full-time at Spelfabet until she had a baby in January 2024, so she is now on parental leave. She enjoys playing word games, spending time with her two retired greyhounds, playing Dungeons and Dragons, and lifting weights at the gym.