LA Speech & Swallow

K. Tatiana Maldonado, MS, CCC-SLP, IBCLC

Speech-Language Pathologist

HI EVERYONE!

I’m Tatiana Maldonado, a Spanish–English bilingual Speech-Language Pathologist and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) based in Los Angeles, California.

I specialize in the evaluation and treatment of infants, children, and adults with challenges related to breathing, speaking, swallowing, and feeding. As an IBCLC, I work closely with breast and chest feeding families, providing comprehensive support for direct breastfeeding, including latch difficulties, milk transfer concerns, and feeding efficiency.

My lactation and feeding services also include weighted feeds, transition to bottle feeding, and support with the transition to solid foods, particularly for infants and children with medical complexity, oral-motor challenges, or feeding disorders.

I take a relationship-centered, family-focused approach, partnering with patients and caregivers to develop functional, evidence-based goals that support safe feeding, effective communication, and meaningful participation in daily life.

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Credentials

K. Tatiana Maldonado, M.S., CCC-SLP, IBCLC received her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and her Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology from Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. She holds the Certificate of Clinical Competency (CCC-SLP) from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and is licensed as a Speech-Language Pathologist in the State of California. She is also an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC).

Tatiana has extensive experience providing evaluation and treatment for pediatric and adult patients across a wide range of acute and post-acute medical settings, including the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), adult and pediatric Intensive Care Units (ICUs), and pediatric Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs). Her clinical expertise includes the management of feeding and swallowing disorders, breathing and voice disorders, speech and language impairments, and cognitive-communication disorders, particularly in medically complex populations.

In addition to her hospital-based work, Tatiana provides in-home and outpatient services, partnering closely with patients and families to deliver individualized, functional, and evidence-based care. As an IBCLC she is passionate about working with caregivers to achieve safe feeding for their infants.

  • Tatiana’s clinical expertise focuses on targeting respiration and feeding/swallowing skills in children and adults, working with patients with acquired Aphasia and/or Apraxia of Speech and helping patients return to school or work. She is skilled in use of Passy-Muir Speaking Valve in order to allow patients (children and adults) with ventilators or tracheostomies the ability to communicate verbally and begin feeding trials. She also trains respiration and increasing volume and strength of speech and cough in children and adults with use of respiratory muscle strength training and other forms of respiratory training.

    Tatiana is deeply committed to a family-centered, relationship-driven approach, collaborating with caregivers and interdisciplinary teams to support meaningful goals and positive long-term outcomes.

Services

  • Speech Therapy for Children

    Having difficulty with speech impacts how we say sounds and words and how we are understood by others. Your child would benefit from evaluation or treatment if they demonstrate any of the following:

    • Difficulty saying certain sounds

    • Slurred or unclear speech

    • Changes to their quality of voice (i.e., a new hoarse voice or a very quiet voice)

  • Language Therapy for Children

    Having difficulty with language impacts how we communicate with those around us and how we understand communication. Difficulty with language can look like having difficulty thinking of specific words or developing complete ideas.

  • Cognitive Therapy for Children

    Having difficulty with cognition can impact a variety of important skills for children, including play, memory, and the ability to participate in school. Cognition may impact:

    • Attention
    • Memory
    • Problem solving, such as the ability to recognize right from wrong, complete math problems, or understand play routines

    Pediatric conditions that may require speech, language, or cognitive therapy include, but are not limited to:
    • Stroke
    • Traumatic brain injury
    • Spinal cord injury
    • Cerebral palsy
    • Chromosomal anomalies

  • Speech Therapy for Adults

    Adults may require speech therapy to address speech, language, and cognitive challenges related to a variety of diagnoses, including:

    • Stroke
    • Brain injury
    • Cancer and effects of cancer treatment
    • Spinal cord injury
    • Parkinson’s disease
    • Late effects of COVID-19

  • Dysphagia Treatment for Children and Adults

    Dysphagia is defined as any difficulties with swallowing. Difficulty with swallowing may look like:

    • Coughing or choking when eating or drinking
    • Needing to swallow each bite multiple times
    • A sensation of food sticking in the throat
    • Unintentional weight loss
    • Needing to modify diet to make eating easier

    Tatiana is trained in the McNeill Dysphagia Therapy Program (MDTP), an evidence-based treatment approach that uses principles of exercise physiology to help adults transition safely to oral diets.

  • Picky Eating / Selective Eating

    Selective feeding can impact toddlers, children and adults. It can look like having foods that are deemed “safe,” having strong preferences and dislikes that impact the ability to eat with others or result in multiple meals being made for every member of the family, or having strong feelings about certain food textures, smells or temperatures. Someone may seem picky or selective their entire life or may find themselves newly selective following an illness or incident around food. 

  • Lactation Services

    • Weighted feeds to assess intake and guide feeding plans
    • Support for infant feeding difficulties related to oral-motor skills, coordination, or medical complexity
    • Guidance with transitioning to bottle feeding, including paced bottle feeding and flow rate selection
    • Assistance with the transition to solid foods, with attention to safety, readiness, and oral-motor development
    • Feeding support for infants with NICU history, prematurity, or complex medical needs
    • Caregiver education and coaching to promote confident, safe, and responsive feeding
    • Collaboration with medical providers, therapists, and caregivers to support whole-family feeding goals

Schedule a FREE 15 minute evaluation

FAQs

  • No, but I am happy to provide you with a superbill, which is a receipt for services rendered that you can submit to your insurance company for potential reimbursement for out-of-network services. You are responsible for verifying your out-of-network coverage and I cannot guarantee if or how much each insurance company will reimburse for services. 

    I also accept FSA and HSA cards as payment. 

  • I provide in-home speech, feeding, and lactation assessments and therapy within the greater Los Angeles area. Distances over 10 miles from Downtown Los Angeles incur an additional travel fee. 

    Online speech, feeding and lactation assessments and therapy can be completed throughout California. 

    General consultations related to developmental speech and feeding skills or general education related to lactation dyads can be completed online internationally.

  • If you’re not sure If speech or feeding therapy is right for your or your family member, feel free to schedule a FREE 15 minute Discovery Call. During this call, we can touch on what type of services you’re looking for, pricing, what has worked (or hasn’t) in the past, and determine if we’re a good fit to work together. If so, we can chat about further steps, including scheduling for assessments and treatment. 

    If none of the available times work for you, you can still feel free to feel free to schedule a FREE 15 minute Discovery Call and I will get back to you via email and/or a phone call outside of these scheduled times.

  • At this time, I do not accept students for semester-long supervised internships. However, I can accept students for daily and/or hourly observations. 

    Additionally, I provide educational mentorship in feeding, swallowing and trach/vent management to students and early career SLPs and OTs. Schedule a time for your FREE 15 minute Discovery Call to find out more about the mentorship opportunities I offer. 

  • Yes!  I’ve spoken at ASHA, the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) and the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition (NASPGHAN) and have taught college and graduate courses at Chapman University and West Coast University. 

    I love talking about respiration, dysphagia, pediatric and adult feeding, spinal cord injuries, acute care, baby led-weaning, bilingual language development and disorders of consciousness (DOCs). 

    Schedule a time for your FREE 15 minute Discovery Call.