Kelly graduated in 2006 in Leeds, England, working at the Department of Education in England and the NHS across 3 NHS Trusts. Here she worked in hospitals, rehabilitation centres, MND clinics, community clinics, a Specialist Language Unit, Mainstream and Specialist Schools as well as being the lead Speech Pathologist for 3 brand new Child and family Centres. Alongside this, in 2008, Kelly set up her own private practice working as an Independent Speech Pathologist. Upon arriving in Australia in 2010, Kelly worked in an Early Intervention Team, originally only planning to stay for 6 months before staying for almost 7 years. This formed her clinical progression into ASD assessments. Kelly then continued in her own private practice role that had been set up in 2012 and through her love of assessments, founded KL Assessments with her business partner Louise.

Kelly has been fortunate to work under the supervision of Helen Rippon, Speech Pathologist and Illustrator of the popular Black Sheep Press worksheets, undergo training at the Michael Palin Centre for Stammering and complete training in Hanen, Social Thinking, Talkability, Floortime DIR and administering the ADOS and Orofacial Myofunctional Assessment and Therapy.

Kelly’s passion lies in supporting babies and children with orofacial myofunctional disorders and assessing/supporting children with speech/language and ASD assessments, guiding them on their next pathway.

When not at work, Kelly enjoys spending time with her family at the beach and hanging out with friends.

Louise has been working as a psychologist for more than 10 years. She was always keenly interested in Forensic Psychology and her goal was to work in prisons once qualified however, while studying she completed placements that completely changed the direction of her future career.

Louise completed a 9-month placement within the area of neurodevelopmental disabilities. During this time, she worked with many incredible children and families and within a team of talented allied health professionals which ignited her passion for this area of practice.

In 2012, Louise simultaneously started her own private practice and worked in the Early Intervention Team at Gateways Support Services providing therapeutic support to neurodivergent children and adolescents and their families. In 2013, Louise completed ADOS-2 training at Latrobe University with Dr. Kristelle Hudry and became part of a multidisciplinary ASD assessment team with Kelly until 2015 when she left to have her third child, and fourth in 2017. She continued providing therapy and ASD assessments with Kelly privately but dreamed of establishing a clinic offering assessments and supporting families; and KL Assessments was officially formed. Louise relates to the many emotions parents experience through the assessment process, having been through it for her own children. It has always been important to her that families feel listened to, understood, and supported throughout what can be a very overwhelming process.

Louise has completed training in Social Thinking, Hey Warrior and is a trained facilitator of the Social Stencil program. She also has extensive experience with a range of standardised assessments including the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence – Fourth Edition (WPPSI-IV), the Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children – Fifth Edition (WISC-V), and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale – Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV). Louise uses evidence-based frameworks such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Zones of Regulation, Floortime and Positive Behaviour Support.

Louise is in a unique position. She is a neurodivergent woman with four neurodivergent children of her own and provides therapy and assessments to neurodivergent individuals. She is passionate about the journey from assessment to diagnosis and the importance of clients understanding themselves, embracing who they are and celebrating their neurodiversity.

When not working, Louise loves spending time with her husband and children, snuggling with her dog and cats, immersing herself in puzzles and adding to her Pokémon collection in Pokémon Go! Fun fact: she loves Converse shoes and has about 20 different pairs!

Melissa has been working as a clinical psychologist for more than a decade. During her clinical placement training, she developed a passion and love of working with children, adolescents and their families, and after graduation, went on to specialise in this area.

Melissa has worked with many individuals, families, schools and wider communities, providing assessment, therapy and consultation services in the area of autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, intellectual and learning disabilities, mood and anxiety disorders, behavioural problems, emotion regulation difficulties, social skills difficulties and providing parenting support.

Melissa’s professional qualifications include a Master of Clinical Psychology from the University of Ballarat. Before that, she completed a Bachelor of Science (Psychology) and a Graduate Diploma of Psychology, at Victoria University. Melissa is registered with the Psychology Board of Australia (Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency) including endorsement as a clinical psychologist and approval as a supervisor for clinical endorsement. Melissa is a full member of the Australia Psychological Society (APS), Fellow member of the College of Clinical Psychologists and member of the Australian Clinical Psychologists Association (ACPA). Melissa has completed the Board-Approved supervision training.

Since 2010, Melissa has worked in a variety of settings with children, adolescents and their families including the Royal Children’s Hospital Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (RCH CAMHS) and Schools Early Action Program (RCH CASEA), various schools in the metropolitan Melbourne region, Gateways Support Services in Geelong as well as in various private practices (Geelong and Melbourne). She is a registered provider of Medicare specialist clinical psychology services, and enjoys providing professional supervision to other psychologists.

As part of her ongoing professional development, Melissa has completed many various trainings and workshops in the area of child and youth psychology. Melissa is passionate about working with children and young people, and is committed to providing them with effective and respectful services, including working from a neuro-affirming perspective. She has a special interest in assessment, and has completed the ADOS-2 training in multidisciplinary ASD assessment, as well as training in cognitive and educational assessments, mood and anxiety disorder assessment and ADHD assessment.

Melissa also enjoys consulting to teachers and schools, and is experienced in running professional development to teachers and school staff. Melissa particularly enjoys the dynamic process of group work with parents.

When not working, Melissa loves spending time with her three children and husband, as well as going out for good food and laughs with friends.

Nicky began working as a Speech Therapist in the UK in 2003, initially working for National Health Service (NHS) in Lambeth, London, and then within private practice. She has experience of working across a range of different settings such as nursery schools, primary and secondary schools, and within community clinics.

Nicky arrived in Australia in 2011, and worked for the Department of Education within primary and secondary schools. She enjoyed working within a team of psychologists, and social workers to provide speech and language therapy services to local schools. On returning to the UK in 2017, she continued to work in private practice specialising in working with pre-school autistic children. She then trained in autism diagnosis assessments and worked for an online company, Healios, providing autism assessments for children, adolescents and adults. Nicky returned to Australia in October 2022 and began working for KL assessments. She has a particular passion for working with autistic individuals, and helping them on their journey’s through assessment and diagnosis. She believes in a neurodiverse affirming approach to therapy.

Nicky has completed a range of training courses throughout the course of her career including ADOS-2, ADI-r, Hanen More Than Words, Social Thinking, and Gestalt Language Processing. She regularly attends workshops and online courses, recently completing Tony Attwood’s courses on emotional regulation and autism, and adolescents and autism.

Nicky has a son with a diagnosis of ADHD, therefore understanding the highs and lows involved with parenting a neurodiverse child!

When not at work, she enjoys travelling, spending time with her family, running and socialising with friends.

Hel is your go-to person for all things business-related. With over 30 years of experience in accounting and business management, Hel is the backbone of our organization. She handles our intake process, invoicing, and all administration, ensuring that everything runs smoothly behind the scenes. You’ll be in frequent contact with her, as she’s always there to provide you with support.

When Hel isn’t immersed in her work, you’ll find her exploring the world of online technology or being an outdoor enthusiast. Whether it’s mountain bike racing, road and track cycling at the velodrome, kayaking, bush walking, camping, or embarking on adventures with her family to remote corners of the world, Hel loves the thrill of the great outdoors.