About the Autism Caregiver Group

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Rai Nihei

Rai Nihei functions as a research administrator for the university, but her preferred role is as the mother of one autistic son. Diagnosed just before his third birthday, Clark had major language delays, as well as other developmental delays. While a diagnosis didn’t change who Clark was, it supplied a limited explanation for his struggles and a range of options. Rai has done what parents and other caregivers do; she’s become a researcher on treatments and an advocate for her child. She continues to learn and grow in her role as the parent of an autistic child and is eager to foster a community of knowledge with others.

Allison Gladfelter, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

agladfelter@niu.edu
Research website: HUSKIES Lab

Allison Gladfelter, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the School of Allied Health and Communication Disorders at Northern Illinois University. Before coming to NIU, Gladfelter received her Ph.D. and clinical master's degree in speech-language pathology from Purdue University. She has also worked clinically on an interdisciplinary diagnostic team at the Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis. Gladfelter's research explores language acquisition in autistic children and children with developmental language disorder with the ultimate goal of developing more evidence-based language interventions. Gladfelter has over a decade of experience working with autistic children, and she is very excited to get to know the autistic community in the NIU area.

Milijana Buac, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

mbuac@niu.edu
Research website: BEAR Lab

Milijana Buac, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the School of Allied Health and Communication Disorders at Northern Illinois University. Buac received her Ph.D. and clinical master's degree in speech-language pathology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Buac also worked as a pediatric bilingual speech-language pathologist at UnityPoint Health-Meriter in Madison, WI. She provided assessment and intervention services to children ages 18-months to 16-years old with a wide range of speech, language and feeding needs, including children with an autism spectrum disorder. Buac's research focuses on bilingual language development in neurotypical children as well as children with developmental disorders with the goal of developing the least biased assessment tools for children from multilingual and/or multicultural backgrounds.

Alicia LaRouech

Graduate Student Coordinator
alarouech@niu.edu

Alicia is a current graduate student pursuing an M.A. in Speech-Language Pathology, and she serves as a student coordinator with the NIU Autism Caregiver Group. Alicia is also a member of NIU’s Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic’s autism diagnostic team and is looking forward to a great year! After graduation, Alicia hopes to work in early intervention or pediatric services.

Ourja

Graduate Student Coordinator
z1964672@students.niu.edu

Ourja is a current graduate student pursuing her Ph.D. in School psychology and serves as a student coordinator for the NIU Autism Caregiver Group. After completing her Ph.D., she hopes to pursue a career in academia. Ourja speaks and understands Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi and has experience providing therapy to children with autism spectrum disorders in Kuwait and in the United States. She is really excited to be a student coordinator for the group and is looking forward to this year!

Victor Becerra Cano

Bilingual Undergraduate Student Coordinator
z1897147@students.niu.edu

Victor is a Spanish-English bilingual undergraduate student who serves as a student coordinator with the NIU Autism Caregiver Group. Currently, he is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in communicative disorders with a minor in deafness. After completing his master’s degree, Victor hopes to work as a bilingual speech-language pathologist in an educational setting. His dream is to one day obtain a doctorate degree, and to conduct research that will help develop better evidence-based language interventions for children from multilingual backgrounds. Victor highly values giving back to the community through volunteering; thus, he is thrilled to be a part of the Autism Caregiver Group this year.

Evelyn Carranza

Bilingual Undergraduate Student Coordinator
z1970331@students.niu.edu

Evelyn is a Spanish-English bilingual student coordinator for the NIU Autism Caregiver Group. She is a current senior majoring in communicative disorders with a minor in rehabilitation counseling. After completing her master’s degree, Evelyn hopes to work as a hospital-based medical speech-language pathologist. She has experience working with preschool and elementary-age children with autism spectrum disorder. Evelyn is pleased to be a student coordinator this year and cannot wait to engage with those in the community!

Sofia Cruz Losada

Bilingual Undergraduate Student Coordinator
z1953090@students.niu.edu

Sofia is a Spanish-English bilingual student coordinator for the NIU autism caregiver group. She is currently a sophomore majoring in biological sciences with a minor in communicative disorders. After finishing her bachelor’s degree, Sofia plans to go to med school and work as a physician. By participating in this group, Sofia wants to cultivate the skills and insights that will empower her to provide compassionate and tailored healthcare in the future.

Adriana Dinello

Undergraduate Student Coordinator
z1896046@students.niu.edu

Adriana is a student coordinator for the NIU Autism Caregiver Group. She is currently a junior majoring in communicative disorders with minors in counseling and rehabilitation counseling. After completing her master's degree, she hopes to become a speech-language pathologist in an early childhood setting. Adriana has experience working with elementary-age children and middle schoolers with autism spectrum disorder. She is really excited to be a student coordinator for the group and is looking forward to this year!

Claudie Ramon

Undergraduate Student Coordinator

Claudie is a current junior majoring in elementary education with an emphasis in special education. She hopes to get her master’s in special education after a few years of teaching. Claudie is also involved in NIU’s Penguin Players, working with members of the community with disabilities. She loves working with children of any age and is so grateful to be a part of the Autism Caregiver Group.

Madelyn Maxwell

Undergraduate Student Coordinator
z1895890@students.niu.edu

Madelyn is a student coordinator for the NIU Autism Caregiver Group. She is a current senior majoring in elementary education with an endorsement in learning behavior specialist 1 (LBS 1). Madelyn is working towards becoming an elementary teacher and hopes that with her LBS 1 and various special education experiences she can help provide the most inclusive classroom for all students. Madelyn is also a dancer and instructor to ages 3-8 and hopes to bring creative ideas and her love for movement to the Autism Caregiver Group.

Contact Us

Autism Caregiver Group
NIU Wellness and Literacy Center
3100 Sycamore Rd
DeKalb, IL 60115
815-753-9126