Social Communication & executive functioning
Registered Speech Language Pathologist · Virtual Across Ontario · No referral needed
Communication built around your life
Maybe conversations feel harder to start or keep going than they seem to for everyone else. Maybe a class discussion, a meeting, or a group project leaves you more drained than it seems to leave anyone else. Maybe you're the parent watching this happen and wondering how to help. Therapy here isn't about asking anyone to mask or perform their way through it. It's about building tools that fit how you actually think and communicate.
Just over one in four Canadians aged 15 and older has at least one disability (Statistics Canada, 2022). Communication differences are part of that far more often than most workplaces and social spaces recognize.
Common Social Communication and Executive Functioning Challenges
Teens and adults reach out for support with difficulties like:
Reading social cues
Understanding and responding to tone, body language, or unspoken social rules
Social anxiety
Groups, new people, or unfamiliar settings feel overwhelming
Starting conversations
Knowing how to start, join, or keep a conversation going feels unclear
Focus & organization
Attention, memory, organization, or time management get in the way of daily tasks
Workplace communication
Meetings, interviews, and communicating with colleagues take a lot of energy
Organizing thoughts
Your thoughts are clear in your head but hard to organize out loud
Social exhaustion
You're drained after interactions that others seem to find easy
Dating and relationships
Starting or keeping personal connections feels harder than it should
You don't need a diagnosis, or even a suspicion of one, to start. Sessions focus on the communication patterns you're experiencing, whether you've known for years or you're still figuring it all out.
Success for your role, Wherever You're Starting From
For adults, executive functioning and social communication challenges often show up most obviously on the job or in the academic setting. Whether you're currently employed, graduating and actively job hunting, navigating a heavy courseload or coming back after time away, building systems to fit your life is key. This isn't about getting back to anything specific. It's the communication skills you need right now, for interviews, meetings, and the daily give-and-take of a working relationship, wherever you're starting from.
For teens, executive functioning and social communication challenges often show up most obviously in the classroom, whether that's group work, presentations, or simply getting started on an assignment. This isn't about catching up to a specific benchmark. It's about the communication skills a teen needs right now, for class discussions, group projects, and the everyday back-and-forth of friendships, wherever they're starting from.
If any of this sounds familiar, reach out
getting start is simple
No referral needed
You don't need a referral or a diagnosis to receive speech therapy.
Start whenever you're ready.
Direct Billing Available
Cognicare direct bills most major insurers, including Canada Life, Manulife, Desjardins, and Beneva, so claims go straight to your insurer.
what happens next
Free consultation
15 minutes. No obligation.
Assessment
A clear picture of your strengths, challenges, and goals
Treatment plan
Built around how you actually think and communicate
Functional application
Through home practice, skills carry over into real conversations at work, in relationships, or wherever communication matters most to you
speech therapy for adult autism
Progress and taper
Sessions ease off as you meet your goals and work towards independence. You leave with a toolkit that's yours to keep and an open door to return to if needed.
why virtual speech therapy?
Online speech therapy offers the convenience of receiving personalized treatment straight into your home. It offers increased flexibility in your schedule, removes the commute time, and accommodates your abilities and energy.
With Cognicare:
No downloads or subscriptions required
One click access. You receive a personalized link to your session in your inbox
Sessions are safe, secure, and private
who you’ll work with
Mariya worked in return-to-work rehabilitation at Altum Health, part of Toronto's University Health Network (UHN), and has supported individuals with ADHD and autism spectrum disorder ranging from childhood to adulthood. She does not believe in prescriptivism. Her approach to communication is holistic, neurodiversity-affirming, and built around real strengths.
Frequently Asked Questions
Still have questions? Take a look at the FAQ or reach out anytime!
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No. You don't need a diagnosis, or a suspicion of one. Speech therapists do provide autism or ADHD assessments or diagnoses, so if you're looking for a diagnosis, start with your doctor. Speech therapy focuses on the communication challenges you're dealing with now.
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No. There is no “perfect” communication style. The aim is to build tools that fit how you already think, like scripts for the conversations you find hardest, or ways to recover when a conversation goes sideways.
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Yes. Speech therapy can be helpful for teens navigating changing social rules amongst peers and in the educational environment.
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Yes. Regardless of if it’s a later-in-life diagnosis or one you’ve had since childhood, speech therapy can help autistic adults with navigating interactions with confidence and finding communicating per your own style, not someone else’s.
How Speech Therapy Helps With Social Communication & Executive Functioning
Everyone starts from a different place. Sessions work toward:
✓⃝ Social cues: Increased confidence reading tone, body language, and unspoken social norms
✓⃝ Conversation: Starting, keeping up, and recovering conversations, in person and online
✓⃝ Executive functioning: Strategies for focus, memory, planning, and organization in daily communication
✓⃝ Interviews and meetings: Feeling prepared and confident for high stakes conversations
✓⃝ Energy: Pacing social and work demands so you're not wiped out by the end of the day
✓⃝ Self-advocacy: Sharing what you need at work, at school, and in relationships
This work is grounded in neurodiversity-affirming practice, recognizing that there is no “correct” way to communicate and using approaches that allow you to build skills that reflect your communication style. Approaches are built for your learning needs, including conversation coaching, structured role-play, and audio-visual feedback.