Welcome! I'm so glad you're here.

Hi, I'm Lia Burch, M.S., CCC-SLP, an ASHA-certified, Maryland-licensed speech-language pathologist with 13 years of clinical experience serving children and adults across medical, educational, and private practice settings.

As the founder of Leading Speech Therapy, I provide individualized, play-based, evidence-based therapy designed to help children become confident communicators. In addition to my pediatric private practice, I continue to evaluate and treat adults in acute care and inpatient rehabilitation, allowing me to bring a broad medical perspective to the children and families I serve.

I earned my bachelor's degree in Human Development from Virginia Tech, where I worked with the Virginia Tech On-Campus Transitional Program supporting young adults with developmental disabilities. After working as a behavioral technician at The Trellis School, I earned my Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology from Loyola University Maryland.

Throughout my career, I have practiced in acute care, inpatient rehabilitation, skilled nursing, schools, outpatient clinics, and private practice. These experiences have strengthened my ability to collaborate with interdisciplinary teams, interpret complex medical histories, and provide individualized, evidence-based care for children with a wide range of communication, feeding, and developmental needs.

I believe every child deserves therapy that is engaging, meaningful, and tailored to their unique strengths. My goal is to partner with families to create functional communication skills that extend beyond the therapy room and into everyday life.

In addition to my clinical work, I enjoy mentoring future speech-language pathologists and currently serve as an Adjunct Faculty Member and Clinical Supervisor at Towson University, supporting graduate clinicians as they develop their clinical knowledge and clinical reasoning.

I am committed to lifelong learning and regularly pursue advanced training to ensure the families I serve receive evidence-based, high-quality care. My professional development includes continuing education in childhood apraxia of speech, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), pediatric feeding and swallowing, orofacial myofunctional disorders, hippotherapy, TalkTools®, literacy intervention, gestalt language processing and Natural Language Acquisition, craniofacial differences and cleft palate, neurodiversity-affirming practice, and medically complex pediatric care. I also maintain experience with a variety of AAC systems, including TouchChat with WordPower, LAMP Words for Life, TD Snap, and Proloquo2Go, allowing me to recommend and support communication systems that best meet each child's unique needs.

At Leading Speech Therapy, communication is the heartbeat of connection. Whether we are working on first words, social interactions, or complex AAC systems, my goal is to foster a deeper sense of empathy and respect for your child's unique path. I strive to help children build meaningful communication skills that carry into everyday life, ensuring they have the tools to share their world with those who love them.