Our Team
"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much" - Helen Keller
Speech and Language Pathology
LORI O’KEEFE
Speech Language Pathologist – Clinic Director Mississauga & SLP Clinical Lead
Lori is a passionate Speech – Language Pathologist who comes to us from the East Coast. After graduating from St. Thomas University in New Brunswick with a Bachelors of Arts in Psychology, she pursued her Masters of Clinician Science in Speech- Language Pathology at Western University. Empowering and supporting families is important to Lori and she loves the opportunity Butterfly affords her to focus on this.
Lori is passionate about ensuring children have the absolute best start in life by utilizing their strengths to expand their communication skills. She enjoys working with children and their families and has experience in a number of areas including language development, social communication, stuttering, speech sound production and reading skills. Lori has a keen interest in motor speech difficulties and has taken a number of continuing education courses in this topic area in addition to being PROMPT certified. An avid reader, literacy is another passion of Lori’s and she is trained in the ‘ASCEND Smarter Intervention Structured Literacy Approach’ to help support struggling readers.
Get to know Lori:
- If Lori could only eat one food for the rest of her life, it would be french fries! Extra fun fact: she grew up in the French Fry Capital of the World.
- If Lori had to compare herself to a Disney character, it would be Rapunzel due to her long hair.
- Lori is embarrassed to admit the movie “Scooby Doo Zombie Island” scares her, but her sisters agree!
JESSICA LEGGETT
Speech Language Pathologist – Media/Marketing Lead
Jessica received her Masters Degree in Speech Language Pathology from Western University. She has had many opportunities throughout her studies and years at Butterfly to work with children of all ages with a variety of communication difficulties including: speech sound disorders (articulation), language delays, fluency disorders (stuttering), and motor speech disorders. Jessica’s passion especially lies within early language learning and articulation therapy! She also believes wholeheartedly in family-centred care. She is passionate about helping children find their way to successful communication and loves to watch each of her clients find their voice and spread their wings!
Get to know Jess:
- If Jess could be an animal, she would be an octopus because she loves being in water, and octopi are extremely flexible and adaptable.
- If Jess could only eat one food for the rest of her life it would be pasta! She loves carbs, especially pasta.
- If Jess could live anywhere in the world, she would live in Slovenia! She was able to travel there recently and loved it so much, she would love to go back!
KELSEY ARGUE
Communicative Disorders Assistant
Kelsey is a passionate Communicative Disorders Assistant. She received her undergraduate degree from Western University and completed her Communicative Disorders Assistant program at Durham College. Kelsey is dedicated to helping individuals improve their communication skills and overcome any difficulties they may have in expressing themselves or understanding others. Kelsey has experience working with children of all ages, who have experienced a wide range of communication challenges, including speech and language delays, articulation and motor speech disorders, and fluency disorders.
Get to know Kelsey:
- Kelsey’s silliest talent is that she can fold her tongue into the shape of a clover! Only around 15% of people can do this!
- Kelsey couldn’t live without her chapstick. Specifically, Burt’s Bees Lip Balm (with Vitamin E & Peppermint)
- Kelsey is most like Belle from Beauty and the Beast as she is constantly seeking new knowledge and opportunities like Bell, and she is not afraid to define what she believes in.
JHANVI SHAH
Speech Language Pathologist
Jhanvi is a Speech-Language Pathologist with a Bachelor of Arts in Cognitive Science of Language from McMaster University and a Masters Degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Toronto. She is a recent graduate and is excited to begin her career at Butterfly! She has had many opportunities throughout her studies to work with children of all ages with a variety of communication difficulties including: language delays, speech sound disorders (articulation), fluency disorders (stuttering), and social communication disorders. Jhanvi’s passion especially lies within early language learning! She is passionate about helping children achieve successful communication through their strengths and abilities. She is a strong advocate for multimodal communication and family-centred care.
Get to know Jhanvi:
- If Jhanvi could be any animal, she would be a panda because she loves her naps as much as they do.
- Jhanvi’s superpower would be teleportation so that she can travel the whole world.
- Jhanvi is a big bookworm! If given the opportunity, she can read 3+ novels in a day.
IMAD ALI
Speech Language Pathologist
Imad’s passion for speech-language pathology comes from his own experiences of growing up with speech difficulties. Up until late high school, Imad was unable to pronounce the R sound and showed signs of a fluency disorder called cluttering. For young Imad, being misunderstood or mocked for the way he spoke was a familiar experience. But with the help of a speech-language pathologist and his own determination, Imad overcame his speech difficulties. In honour of his younger self, Imad became dedicated to advocating for and supporting anyone with communication difficulties or disabilities.
Imad earned his master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Toronto and holds a bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience from McMaster University. He completed clinical placements in the Preschool Speech and Language program at ErinoakKids Children’s Treatment Centre and in the intensive stuttering treatment program at SickKids Hospital. He has experience in a number of areas including language development, speech sound production, motor speech disorders, and fluency disorders.
Imad is very passionate about empowering children with communication skills and enabling them to participate in their life more fully through communication. He is very excited to be part of a team at Butterfly that shares the same goals!
Fun Facts About Imad:
- If Imad was a celebrity, it would either be because of his passion for mushroom photography or his passion for Filipino martial arts.
- Imad loves learning new languages. If Imad could have a superpower, it would be the ability to speak every language in the world fluently.
- If Imad could only eat one food for the rest of his life, it would be his mom’s Chicken Qorma with Sheermal!
Ayesha Ahmed
Speech-Language Pathology Assistant
Ayesha is a research assistant for the Bilingual and Multilingual Development Lab at the University of Toronto, where her role involves supporting and assessing the literacy skills of English-Urdu bilingual children. She is also a volunteer teacher for elementary level English, providing support for reading, writing, and comprehension. In addition to her work with the paediatric age group, Ayesha has provided long-term support in speech therapy programs for individuals with communication disabilities, where she has gained hands-on experience working alongside interprofessional teams with SLPs, CDAs, and social workers.
Ayesha’s journey in the field of speech-language pathology (SLP) is fueled by a genuine passion for enhancing children’s lives through speech therapy, focusing not only on advancing their speech but also nurturing their self-esteem and social belonging. Her approach is deeply rooted in creating safe, welcoming, and engaging spaces where children from all backgrounds feel supported and empowered. Ayesha is dedicated to fostering holistic learning and development, aiming to help children reach their full communication potential, while also building confidence that will positively shape their futures.
With her strong academic foundation, valuable experience, and heartfelt dedication, Ayesha is committed to positively influence the lives of the children she supports in reaching their communication goals, through comfort, compassion, and effective treatment. Ayesha is incredibly excited and honored to be a part of Butterfly’s inspiring team, who shares her commitment to nurturing happiness and unlocking each and every child’s full potential!
Fun facts about Ayesha:
- If Ayesha could have any superpower, she would want to be able to speak all languages and communicate with all living things. Humans, animals, plants, and all!
- The Disney character that Ayesha is most like, is Princess Tiana- they both share joy in learning family recipes, cooking food, and sharing homemade meals with others.
- One thing that Ayesha could not live without is hand cream- she will always have some with her in case she or anyone else is ever in need.
Nikki Warren
Communication Disorders Assistant
Get to know Nikki:
- If she could be an animal, it would be a wolf as they are very loyal, friendly and caring.
- If she could only eat one food for the rest of her life it would be pizza.
- If she could live anywhere in the world, it would be Switzerland as she loves exploring the beautiful mountains and blue lakes.
Marina Iskandar
Speech Language Pathologist
Burlington
With hands-on experience as a Speech-Language Pathology Assistant, Marina has had the opportunity to support children of varying ages in their articulation difficulties, language delays, social communication abilities and much more. Marina is committed to providing personalized, evidence-based therapy to help her clients thrive. Marina is excited to grow in her knowledge and skills alongside her clients, and aims to empower each child to the best of their communicative potential!
Get to know Marina:
- If I was an animal, I’d be a giraffe!
- If I was a disney princess, I’d be Pocahontas
- If I had to pick one food, it would be sushi
Ummay Aiman
Speech Language Pathologist
Mississauga
Ummay is a dedicated Speech-Language Pathologist with a master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Toronto. Ummay enjoys working closely with clients and their caregivers to provide collaborative, client-centered care. Ummay strives to support children in reaching their communication goals through engaging and meaningful sessions.
Ummay has experience working with children of all ages with a variety of communication needs. She is particularly passionate in the following areas: Speech production (articulation, speech, and phonological concerns), literacy, early language development, and fluency (stuttering).
Get to know Ummay:
- If Ummay could have any superpower, it would be the ability to teleport anywhere in the world.
- If Ummay could be any animal, she would be a bird because she thinks flying would be fun.
- In her free time, Ummay enjoys expressing her creativity through painting and drawing.