Lauren Cirko

Why I Became an SLP

I wanted work where science translates into real progress for people. Speech-language pathology is that field, and my path from behavioural neuroscience at UBC to graduate SLP training followed naturally.

I love helping clients and families work through communication barriers at their pace. Seeing kids build confidence as they overcome those challenges is one of the best parts of the job.

My Approach

My Behavioural Neuroscience degree shapes how I think about every session. Improvements in speech, language, and feeding come from changes in the underlying neural circuits, and those changes only happen under specific conditions: practice at the right level of difficulty, attention focused on the task, and feedback timed to support consolidation rather than interrupt it. Those aren’t optional. They’re what separates a session that produces real change from one that just fills the hour.

For motor-based goals — speech sound production, voice, feeding, and AAC access — that means leaning on the principles of motor learning. We work toward skill, not just accuracy: varied targets, distributed practice, and feedback that fades as the new pattern becomes automatic. For language, literacy, and social communication, it means working in real contexts and using natural reinforcement so what we practice carries over outside the therapy room.

Engagement isn’t a bonus, it’s a requirement. Attention and motivation drive the neural systems that consolidate new skills — without them, repetition produces fatigue, not learning. That’s why sessions are built around what matters to each person: play for kids, functional and meaningful goals for adults, and an environment where it’s safe to try, miss, and try again.

I work closely with families and care partners too. Carryover is where progress is won or lost, so I make sure the people around my clients have practical, doable strategies they can use day to day.