About Us2023-10-25T11:20:06+02:00

HEIDI ALLAN’S PRACTICE IN KWAZULU NATAL
Speech therapists and audiologists in Durban

Heidi Allan’s Practice is an Audiology and Speech Therapy Practice with various branches located across the greater Durban area. You will find us at the uMhlanga Hospital Medical Centre, Hillcrest Balance Clinic at Hillcrest Private Hospital, Durban Girls College Core Centre, Maris Stella School, Clifton School and DPHS Academic Support Unit

At these practices, all communication areas including hearing, speech and language concerns are addressed through extensive assessments and, where required, specialist management and remediation. Whether you are looking to consult an audiologist in Durban, or a speech therapist in Durban and surrounds, you can expect personalised and reliable services at Heidi Allan’s Practice.

The members of each practice adopt a team approach and work in association with numerous other medical and educational experts such as GPs, Ear, Nose and Throat Specialists, Paediatricians, Physicians, Neurologists, Neurosurgeons, Psychologists, Psychiatrists, Occupational Therapist, Physiotherapists and Educators to provide each of our clients with a solution that is tailored to their exact communication needs.

The cost of the services provided at our various practices are supported by most medical aids.

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    “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”

    – Helen Keller

    Meet The Team

    Our team consists of professionals with a wide range of interests and expertise in their field.

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    Heidi Allan – Principal Audiologist and Speech- Language Therapist (M.A. Audiology)2023-10-25T11:12:21+02:00

    Heidi has always loved communication and her early interest in this field started with speech and drama where she won the Vincent Primary School trophy for Public Speaking at the age of 7 years. She has always had an interest in medicine and one way for her to combine her interests was to complete a degree in Speech Therapy and Audiology at the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal.
    Heidi then spent the next 5 years working as both a speech-language therapist and audiologist before spending 5 years working as a speech-language therapist in the Netherlands, where she ran her own practice.

    On her return to South Africa, Heidi spent a few years raising her two sons and acquiring further experience in the field of Audiology. It was during this time that her interest in Auditory Processing started. She developed a special interest in this area and has travelled extensively to international conferences to develop her knowledge and expertise in this area, especially on how it pertains to communication and hearing loss in all ages.

    Together with her husband, Mike, a chartered accountant and businessman, they developed the Reconnect Lifestyle Brand in 2005 and today there are three hearing and speech-language therapy practices in the greater Durban area, which focus on all areas of hearing health, balance and communication.

    Heidi’s audiology practice has developed and maintained school hearing screening programmes in more than 30 schools across Kwa-Zulu Natal and the speech-language therapy arm provides services in several of the prestigious private schools in the area. The practice is involved in training programmes for parents, teachers and allied health professionals.
    Heidi strongly believes in a holistic approach, acknowledging that hearing and communication difficulties do not stand alone, but have significant impact on relationships, mood, health, academic and work advancement, as well as emotional and social well-being. She works within a team approach in the assessment and management of communication and balance disorders and works closely with various other disciplines. She believes in the critical role of family and significant others in the management of communication difficulties, and also the importance that the correct information plays in making informed decisions.

    When she is not consulting in the practice, Heidi enjoys combining her love of travel with attendance at various professional conferences around the world. She is a keen reader and has developed a culture of reading for pleasure within the practice. Occasionally, her forays into the kitchen to bake are shared with the team.
    Heidi has held positions in the South African Speech-Language-Hearing Association, both locally and nationally and is a member of the South African Audiology Association, American Academy of Audiology, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the International Guild of Auditory Processing Specialists.

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    Jessica-Lee Shaw Audiologist (B.Comm. Path. – Aud.)2023-10-25T11:14:04+02:00

    Born and raised in Durban, Jessica has always been involved in improving the local KZN community and environment. She completed her Bachelor of Communication Pathology (Audiology) at the University of Kwa Zulu Natal after a successful school career where she was head-girl of Danville Park Girls’ High School in Durban North. Following her community service at a hospital in the heart of rural KZN, Jessica developed a passion for paediatric audiology and a family-centred approach to intervention.

    Joining Reconnect Lifestyle in 2016, following her role as audiologist and field trainer for a hearing aid manufacturer, Jessica has further developed her skills in both aural rehabilitation for children and adults and has a special interest in vestibular/balance assessment. Jessica is recently married and practises from our uMhlanga and Hillcrest practices, as well as Busamed Hillcrest Private Hospital.

    Kerryn Jeary – Speech-Language Therapist (B.Comm. Path. – Sp. Lang. Path.)2023-10-25T11:16:26+02:00

    Born and raised in Ladysmith, Kwa-Zulu Natal, Kerryn completed her Bachelor of Communication Pathology: Speech-Language Pathology at the University of Pretoria in 2016. Following that, she was assigned to Ladysmith Regional Hospital for her community service year. Kerryn then began working for a private practice in Ladysmith in 2017, servicing various schools in the area, as well as a rehabilitation hospital. In September 2021, she and her fiancé relocated to Durban, Kwa-Zulu Natal.

    Joining Heidi Allan’s Practice in January 2022, Kerryn is excited to begin her new adventure in a bigger city. Her passion is working in the school setting and forming bonds with children, as well as working closely with teachers and parents, to help children be the best that they can be. Personally, Kerryn enjoys being on the beach and being with her family and is looking most forward to getting married this year!

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    Chané Naidoo – Speech Language Therapist (B.Sc Sp. Lang. Path.)2023-10-25T11:17:16+02:00

    Chané was born and raised in Durban, Kwa-Zulu Natal. She pursued a degree in Speech-Language Pathology at the University of Cape Town, Western Cape. Thereafter, she completed her community service at St. Chads CHC, Ladysmith.

    Upon completion of her fourth-year group thesis, supervised by Dr. Michelle Pascoe, her team was invited to present their findings on a study: Three-year-old children acquiring South African English in Cape Town at the International Symposium of Monolingual and Bilingual Speech 2015 in Chania, Crete. This study has since been published in Chapter 1 of Crosslinguistic Encounters in Language Acquisition, Typical and Atypical Development.

    Chané has worked with a variety of populations, including adult acquired neurological disorders, with in depth exposure to dysphagia. She has also worked with the paediatric population and is highly interested in developmental language, learning and literacy disorders of school aged children. Chané has a strong desire to identify difficulties children face whilst acquiring language fundamentals at school and assist with coping strategies to further them academically.

    To talk to a speech therapist or audiologist in Durban about your communication difficulties and requirements, please feel free to make an appointment at any one of our practices.

    Contact us via phone or email

    To talk to a speech therapist or audiologist in Durban about your communication difficulties and requirements, please feel free to make an appointment at any one of our practices.

    Contact us via phone

    or email

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