Lorinda Manuel

Ms. Lorinda Manuel is a Speech-Language PathologistatACPNAbu Dhabi. She earned herBachelor’sdegree in Speech-Language Therapy from Stellenbosch University in South Africa in 2015.Moreover, she also completed a Diploma in Healthcare Management and Leadership through Westford Universityin 2022.She isalicensedSLPwith the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) and the Department of Health (DOH), UAE.

With over nine years of clinical experience across South Africa, New Zealand, and the UAE, Ms. Manuel worked in hospitalinpatient and clinicoutpatientsettingsspecializing inpediatricand adult speech-language and feeding disorders, as well asschool settings. She has held senior roles at Tygerberg Hospital in Cape Town, where she ledpediatricspeech therapy services, supervised students, trained junior staff, and contributed to service development. Her previous experience also includes work at Livingstone Hospital, Worcester Hospital, and Hutt Valley District Health Board in New Zealand.In the UAE, she workedat Danat Al EmaratHospitalsupportingboth neonatal andpediatricinpatient wards, as well as outpatient services, managing a broad spectrum of disorders including feeding and swallowing difficulties, communication disorders, motor speech disorders, apraxia, articulation, and phonological disorders.Shewas also responsible for developing clinical protocols as well as in training clinicalstaffandmedical students. Working across the boardin school settings, sheassessed and managedspeech and language disorders across age groupsupto 18 yearsof age, helping educators and parents formulate individualized education plans (IEPs).

Ms. Manuel’s areas of expertise include feeding and swallowing disorders (including VFSS and FEES), motor speech disorders, language and articulation difficulties, and neurodevelopmental conditions such as cerebral palsy, autism spectrum disorder, and Down syndrome. She is passionate about early intervention, interdisciplinary collaboration, andenablingcaregivers and families through education and training. Her approach isgrounded inevidence-based practiceleading tomeaningfuloutcomesthroughcompassionate, child–centeredcare.