Nydia A Mendez

Nydia (Abi) Mendez, M.A., CCC-SLP is a bilingual speech-language pathologist with over nine years of clinical experience serving diverse populations across medical, educational, and outpatient settings. Her professional interests include multilingual populations, language disorders, and supporting individuals on the autism spectrum.

Professor Mendez’s clinical experience includes work within the Metro Health System, where she supported individuals with head and neck cancer undergoing laryngectomy. In this role, she collaborated closely with an interdisciplinary ENT team to facilitate rehabilitation using tracheoesophageal punctures (TEPs). She has also worked in inpatient and acute rehabilitation settings, providing assessment and treatment for individuals with cognitive-linguistic deficits, aphasia, dysphagia, and voice disorders. 

In outpatient settings, she has partnered with interdisciplinary teams to complete comprehensive autism and dyslexia evaluations. Additionally, she works with school districts throughout Northeast Ohio, conducting bilingual Spanish-English evaluations to ensure students receive accurate and equitable special education supports. 

At Cleveland State University, Professor Mendez serves as the Online CSD Master’s Program Coordinator, where she supports faculty, staff, and out-of-state students. She also teaches both academic and clinical coursework and supervises graduate clinicians within the university clinic. Professor Mendez is passionate about expanding graduate students’ skills and confidence in working with multilingual populations across all service delivery settings.

1. Multilingual communication assessment; 2. Second language acquisition; 3. Multilingual neurodivergent populations; 4. Autism spectrum disorder: communication breakdown and repair; 5. Non speaking individuals and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC); 6. Dyslexia; 7. Early intervention; 8. Caregiver training and education.

1. Language Disorders; 2. Augmentative and Alternative Communication; 3. Articulation and Phonological Disorders; 4. Complexities of Pluralistic Societies in Communication Sciences and Disorders; 5. Clinical Practice in Speech & Hearing; 6. Diagnostic Methods