About Us

Marion Leaman, MS CCC-SLP

Experience

Marion Leaman, MS CCC-SLP, is a Speech Language Pathologist who specializes in working with adults and has worked in a variety of medical and clinical settings for more than 20 years, diagnosing and treating adults with speech, language, cognitive and swallowing disorders and differences. In addition, Marion is an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Communication Disorders at Southern Connecticut State University, where she provides clinical instruction to graduate students in the neuro and adult speech and language clinics.

Specialization

Marion is passionate about working with adults to optimize their communication and swallowing abilities through innovative, individually tailored programs. She has a special interest and expertise in treating both aphasia (and its related disorders, apraxia and dysarthria) and Parkinson’s Disease. In addition to these areas, she has many years of experience treating teens and adults with Brain Injury, Executive Function Disorder and Neuro-Motor disorders as well as adults with Alzheimer’s Disease. More recently in her clinical career, Marion has completed specialized training in Accent Reduction, Voice Disorders and Transgender Voice and Communication, to allow for a full-array of services of interest to adults seeking Speech Language Pathology services.

Education

Marion holds a B.A. from Mount Holyoke College in French Literature and Economics and an MS from Boston University in Speech Language Pathology. Her first-hand experience in learning French as a second language, as well as having studied Italian, Latin, Spanish and Japanese have made her very aware of the frustrations and challenges in communicating when language ability is limited as well as in being a speaker of a second language with a foreign accent. She possesses the Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech Language Hearing Association, is a member of The Connecticut Speech Language Hearing Association and has advanced certification in the Lee Silverman Voice Treatment Method (LSVT), Lessac-Madsen Resonance Voice Therapy (LMRVT), Casper-Stone Confidential Flow Therapy (CSCFT)  and the Compton — Pronouncing English as a Second Language (Compton–PESL). She had a poster presentation accepted at The American Speech Language Hearing Association’s Annual Convention 2012 in Atlanta regarding her innovative program bringing adults with aphasia into high school psychology classes to educate students on aphasia and communication disorders.

Joyce Bottone

The TalkSpot welcomes art teacher, Joyce Bottone to our Aphasia and Dementia groups. Joyce Bottone is the owner of Joy2Crafts Art Studio in Westport, CT. She has an IT Degree in Graphic Design Management from Central Connecticut State University. After working many years in her chosen field of Graphic Designer, she chose to stay home and raise her children. With flexible hours, she has continued to use her talents by teaching and helping people of all ages be creative. She has taught Art Classes and Stamping Workshops and inspired women at nearby Senior Centers to create their own hand-stamped cards to share with family and friends. In addition, she offers creative arts workshops, birthday parties and celebrations to children and adults at her studio in Westport. She has found her true calling to help folks, of all ages, be creative and find their own unique style and creative voice.