Our people

Thushara is a registered Psychologist, completing her Bachelor of Psychology (honours) in 2008 and a Master of Clinical Neuropsychology in 2014, both at Macquarie University. Since 2009, Thushara has been involved in reading research and remediation through the Department of Cognitive Science. She has over 10 years of experience working closely with children and adolescents including those with reading difficulties, autism, and acquired brain injuries.

In her role at the Clinic, Thushara is involved in both the assessment and treatment of children, teenagers and adults with reading and spelling difficulties. Thushara is passionate about working clinically and in finding ways to best support children in their everyday life.

See Thushara’s research.

With more than 20 years of experience in office administrative positions and a track record of strong performance in high volume, high-pressure environments, Sally Cawthorne manages administrative duties and client relations for the Macquarie University Reading Clinic.

As the administrative assistant, she ensures the smooth operation of the Clinic with her robust knowledge of office management and efficient handling of client inquiries, consultations, financial matters, client billing, and also provides support for our clinicians.

Anne-Maree completed a Master of Speech and Language Pathology at the University of Sydney in 2017 and is a Certified Practising Member of Speech Pathology Australia. She has previously worked in the school system assisting children with a range of communication difficulties.

In her role at the Clinic, Anne-Maree is responsible for the treatment of children, teenagers and adults with reading and spelling difficulties. She is particularly interested in supporting children to develop the literacy skills they need to succeed in their school lives, as well as in everyday communicative contexts.

Sophie completed a Master of Speech and Language Pathology at Macquarie University in 2017 and is a Certified Practising Member of Speech Pathology Australia. Since graduating, she has worked as a speech pathologist in private practice with children and adolescents with communication and reading difficulties, and in clinical research with adults with chronic aphasia. Sophie has also worked in a range of research support roles at Macquarie University including projects focusing on child language development and disorders.

In her role at the Clinic, Sophie is keen to support the literacy skills and communication abilities of clients of all ages and loves working with clients towards enjoyment and engagement with texts.

Ana completed her Bachelor of Science (Psychology), Postgraduate Diploma of Psychology and Master of Special Education at Macquarie University. Since graduating she has worked as a Learning and Support Teacher for over 15 years across schools in Sydney for students with diverse needs from kindergarten to year 12.

She has also worked as a Psychologist in private practice working with children and adolescents including those with reading difficulties, anxiety, language impairments, autism and gifted and talented.

In her role at the Clinic, Ana is responsible for the treatment of children, teenagers and adults with reading and spelling difficulties. Ana is passionate about working with children, their families, and teachers to improve their literacy skills.

Stuart is a Certified Practising Member of Speech Pathology Australia, having completed a Master of Speech and Language Pathology at the University of Sydney in 2017. He has previously worked as a writer and editor in print and digital publishing, and has taught English to speakers of other languages.

In his role at the Clinic, Stuart is responsible for the treatment of children, teenagers and adults with reading and spelling difficulties. He is particularly interested in how best to support literacy in the broader context of clients’ everyday communication.

Leslie completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology at Marist College (New York) in 2011. She then undertook a graduate program in School Psychology at Southern Connecticut State University, receiving her Master’s Degree in 2013 and her sixth year Professional Diploma in 2015. In 2016, Leslie became a Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP) in the USA and then subsequently relocated to Sydney to continue her work in education and research.

In her role at the Clinic, Leslie is responsible for the treatment of children, teenagers and adults with reading and spelling difficulties. She enjoys working with those who have special education needs, as well as with educators and families.

Stefani holds an Arts degree and a Master of Teaching as an English major. She is currently completing a Master of Research, where she explores the relationship between language and emotional learning. Stefani has worked as an educator in both primary and secondary schools; having worked closely with students with learning difficulties, as well as those from non-English speaking backgrounds.

In her role at the Clinic, Stefani is responsible for the treatment of children, teenagers and adults with reading and spelling difficulties. She has a passion for education and supporting individuals with special learning needs so they can reach their full potential.

Sophia is a provisional psychologist and completed her Graduate Diploma in Psychology and Honours in Science (Psychology) at the University of Sydney. She is currently undertaking the combined Master of Education and Developmental Psychology/PhD with Monash University, investigating the impacts of personal beliefs on cognitive and academic performance for adult women.

Since 2014, Sophia has worked in clinical, educational and research settings for the assessment and treatment of literacy and general learning needs in children and adults.

In her role at the clinic, Sophia is responsible for the assessment of children, teenagers and adults with reading and spelling difficulties. Sophia especially enjoys interacting with many different individuals across the lifespan and she looks forward to learning about the unique skills and qualities of each person she works with.

Jessica is a registered psychologist and neuropsychology registrar. She holds a Bachelor of Science-Psychology (Honours) and a Master of Clinical Neuropsychology, and is in the final stages of completing her PhD at Macquarie University.

Jessica has been involved in research with children and adults with neurodevelopmental disorders for the past 10 years, and has worked as a neuropsychology registrar in private practice and through NSW Health assessing children and adults who have a range of developmental disorders, including learning difficulties, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Developmental Delay and Intellectual Disability, attentional difficulties, and other neurological disorders.

In her role at the clinic, Jessica is responsible for the assessment of children, teenagers, and adults with reading and spelling difficulties. Jessica is passionate about working with individuals to identify their strengths and weaknesses, and provide them (and their families) the necessary support to overcome these challenges.

Tomi has been educating children as a dedicated primary school teacher for 15 years. She completed her Arts degree and Bachelor of Teaching at The University of Sydney. With a wealth of experience teaching in classrooms across Sydney and the Central Coast, she has a deep understanding of how to cater for children with a wide variety of learning needs.

In her role at the clinic, Tomi loves interacting with and engaging children in the learning process, and helping them to achieve success. In addition to her role at the clinic, Tomi is an author, creating decodable texts for developing readers.