Our Story
The journey to Tempo Talk began years ago when Dr. Linda Papa’s son was diagnosed with autism and went to his first speech therapy session. He could barely speak a word.
“Over the course of the next few years, we worked with some wonderful speech-language pathologists. I sat through countless hours of therapy, watching my son struggle to learn a single word. It seemed like each new word took weeks, sometimes months of therapy.
One day we were introduced to a new speech-language pathologist, and she incorporated the principles of Melodic Intonation Therapy (MIT) into my son’s sessions. This was the breakthrough we always hoped for. It was the first time my son was able to pronounce new words without struggling or getting frustrated. He was happy and excited. Hallelujah! I recall the moment I heard the sound of his sweet little voice articulating a phrase, it was pure joy! I was elated! I was in awe! I was inspired!
This technique, which married speech and music therapy together, helped my son to start speaking. Melody, rhythm, and intonation made a world of a difference. My son went from barely being able to speak a word to acquiring words at an accelerated pace, to saying phrases and sentences.
This process has been an emotional roller-coaster, driven by joy, hope, and inspiration. Out of this journey, Tempo Talk was born.
I share with many parents of autistic children, the challenges, struggles, and frustration of finding consistent, effective and accessible speech therapy. Over the years I have looked high and low for a tool that uses the principles of MIT that can be used at home and in the clinic. I witnessed the effectiveness of this speech therapy technique first-hand and I would like to share it with children and families who are also struggling with speech. I hope Tempo Talk can fill this void.”
Dr. Linda Papa
Emergency Medicine Physician, Director of
Academic Clinical Research
Kaylie Holzapfel
Speech-Language Pathologist
Kaylie Holzapfel M.S., CCC-SLP, CBIS is a speech pathologist with many years of experience in a variety of settings and with diverse patient populations. She specializes in the evaluation and treatment of autism spectrum disorders, pediatric brain injury, and early childhood language. She has utilized current evidence and language acquisition developmental norms to write the Tempo Talk curriculum content.
Diana Buchanan
Music Therapist
Diana Buchanan has been a board-certified music therapist since 2017, working both in Indiana and Florida. She has had experience working with children with disabilities throughout her career and more specifically, working on communication goals within family homes while working for a private practice. Currently, Diana works with a range of children at Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and is excited to bring her knowledge of music therapy within various settings to help create the Tempo Talk application and give parents and children more tools for learning effective communication.
Molly Moses
Music Therapist
Molly Moses-Krumm, M.M., MT-BC, has been a board-certified music therapist since 2015. She has experience working with children with special needs in schools, groups, and individual sessions in the private practice setting. Molly currently works at Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, primarily in the hematology and oncology units and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). She is excited to incorporate the evidence-based approach of music therapy into the Tempo Talk application.