Board-Certified Specialist in Child Language • Speech-Language Pathologist • Clinical Supervisor • Educator • Author & Presenter
Background and Experience
Tatyana Elleseff, MA, CCC-SLP, BCS-CL, is a bilingual speech-language pathologist and Board-Certified Specialist in Child Language with advanced expertise in Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), dyslexia, reading and written language disorders, pragmatic language, and complex language and literacy needs.
She is the owner and clinical director of Smart Speech Therapy LLC, where she provides clinical supervision and high-level oversight of comprehensive language and literacy evaluations and intervention services. Her work emphasizes individualized, evidence-based assessment, careful interpretation of complex and sometimes conflicting findings, and intervention planning that integrates oral language, reading, spelling, writing, higher-order language, and pragmatic communication when clinically appropriate.
Tatyana has extensive experience with school-age children, adolescents, and young adults whose language and literacy difficulties occur alongside learning, psychiatric, behavioral, or other neurodevelopmental needs. She is particularly interested in cases in which existing school, speech-language, psychological, or neuropsychological evaluations do not fully explain a student’s functional communication, academic, reading, or writing difficulties.
In addition to her private-practice work, Tatyana has held clinical and teaching roles at Rutgers, including clinical instruction within the Department of Psychiatry at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and clinical supervision at Rutgers Day School. She has published in professional journals and has presented nationally and internationally for medical, academic, nonprofit, and professional organizations.
Her clinical and professional work is grounded in critical appraisal of the research literature, functional assessment, and evidence-based practice rather than reliance on any single program, methodology, or diagnostic label.
Clinical Areas of Expertise
- Developmental Language Disorder (DLD)
- Dyslexia, decoding, reading fluency, and spelling
- Reading comprehension and higher-order language
- Written language and written expression
- Pragmatic and social communication
- Comprehensive language and literacy evaluations
- Complex language-learning profiles
- Bilingual and multicultural assessment considerations
- Language, literacy, and communication needs associated with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD)
- Language and literacy needs associated with psychiatric, behavioral, and neurodevelopmental conditions
- Independent evaluations, second opinions, and review of school and neuropsychological testing
Speaking, Teaching & Professional Education
Tatyana provides professional education, consultation, webinars, workshops, and invited presentations on evidence-based assessment and intervention for Developmental Language Disorder, dyslexia, language and literacy disorders, pragmatic language, written language, complex learning profiles, and related clinical topics.
Her presentations are designed for speech-language pathologists, educators, psychologists, physicians, advocates, attorneys, parents, and interdisciplinary professional audiences. Topics include comprehensive assessment, differential diagnosis, evidence-based intervention, literacy development, language-learning relationships, and critical appraisal of controversial or unsupported clinical practices.