Heide Emrich

The With Gift Founder | M. Cl. Sc., Reg. CASLPO | Speech-Language Pathologist 

Certified RDI® Program Consultant | Chopra Meditation Instructor

During her more than 30 years as a paediatric Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) in Southern Ontario, Heide has passionately supported neurodiverse clients and their families in clinical, home, childcare and school settings. Through her work, Heide has consistently found that families and educators want to know how to help their children or students to better connect with them and with their peers. Their overall goal for their children or students is to have a good life, filled with love and friendships, and some independence. Recognizing these goals, and that families and educators are finding themselves in ever more stressful and overwhelming situations without the resilience necessary to find balance and well-being in their own lives, The WITH Gift, was born. The aim of The WITH Gift is to increase well-being by supporting parents and educators in building a deeper, neurodiversity-affirming relationship with themselves, each other, and the children they guide.

Alycia Ryan

Parent | Contributor | Community Co-Facilitator

Alycia completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology in 2023. She begins her Master of Arts program in Counselling Psychology in September 2024 to pursue a career as a psychotherapist specializing in autism and ADHD. Her dream is to support individuals and families in navigating challenges with compassion using a holistic approach through a trauma-informed, neurodiversity-affirming, solution-focused lens. She is passionate about walking alongside other parents and guardians in their pursuit of peace and connection.

As a late-diagnosed autistic adult and parent to two unique and beautiful autistic children, she has a unique perspective that allows her to view the world through several different lived experiences. One of her children is an unconventional communicator who uses many creative ways to communicate with those around him, including Gestalts, drawing, and an AAC device. He requires significant support and accommodation to navigate safely through the world. Her other child has a combination of ADHD and autism with a Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) profile. With their unique expressions of neurodivergence and her own experience, Alycia understands the importance of acknowledging individual needs, how they are expressed and supported, and how crucial it is to consider each person as an individual and meet them where they are.

Sarah Brown

Occupational Therapist | Contributor

Sarah Brown is an independent, private-practice, occupational therapist who has been serving Guelph, Wellington and Waterloo regions for 25+ years. She has worked in general pediatrics, seating and mobility services, school and day care consultation with a diversity of needs and challenges. In her pediatric work, Sarah helps children, youth and their families, teachers and caregivers to realize their strengths while finding solutions to the challenges they face. Areas of intervention include functional task assessment and support, equipment prescription and recommendations, sensory processing strategies, and self-regulation skills, using the Self-Reg approach developed by Dr. Stuart Shanker. She brings creativity, compassion and collaboration to The WITH Gift Team, seeking to work with families and other team members to wrap support around the individual(s) in need.