Marleen D'hondt
1 Ενότητα • 0 ΣυμμετέχωνΒιογραφικό
Marleen D’Hondt is a Belgian Speech and Language Therapist with an extensive and internationally recognised career in clinical practice, higher education, professional policy, and scientific dissemination. She was born on 11 April 1958, holds Belgian nationality, and is married to Christiaan Sels (born 14 February 1950). She has two children, Louis Sels (born 5 July 1993) and Rik Sels (born 16 December 1995).
Education and Training
Marleen D’Hondt completed her secondary education at Sint Vincentius Lyceum in Mortsel, Classical Humanities (Latin–Greek), graduating in 1976. She subsequently pursued higher education at the Catholic Flemish University College in Antwerp, where she obtained a Graduate Degree in Speech Therapy and Phoniatrics in 1979 with distinction.
During her studies, she undertook clinical internships at several specialised institutions, including Royal Institutes for hearing- and speech-impaired children (types 7 and 8), hospital-based services in Antwerp and Mechelen, and a mental health centre. Her final dissertation focused on an investigation of spontaneous syllabication, rhythm, and aspects of active language use in children aged six to seven years.
Areas of Expertise and Specialisation
Marleen D’Hondt is an expert in the diagnosis and treatment of individuals with developmental disabilities, with particular expertise in paediatric dysphagia, feeding and swallowing disorders, communication disorders, and developmental care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). She has extensive experience working with infants, children, and complex clinical populations.
She is a recognised Senior Tutor of the European Bobath Tutors Association (EBTA) and is specialised in Bobath (NDT) treatment for babies and children with cerebral palsy. Her additional specialisations include Mueller Therapy, Sensory Integration Therapy, and certifications in NOMAS, SOFFI, EFS, and the Hanen Programme. She also has recognised expertise in professional law, professional administration, ethics and deontology in Belgium, as well as in Evidence-Based Practice and the development of clinical guidelines within healthcare.
Language and Digital Skills
Her mother tongue is Dutch. She has a very good command of English and French, including teaching experience in both languages, a working knowledge of German, and basic notions of Spanish. She is proficient in the use of Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Excel.
Continuing Professional Development
From 1983 onwards, Marleen D’Hondt has continuously engaged in extensive after-school education, in-service training, workshops, certifications, and international congresses across Europe and beyond. Her continuing education covers a wide range of domains, including voice therapy, sensory integration, Bobath/NDT, paediatric feeding and swallowing, neonatology, evidence-based medicine, coaching, professional legislation, and interdisciplinary care.
She has attended all congresses of the Flemish Association of Speech Therapists (V.V.L.) over the past forty years and has followed the majority of professional development activities organised by V.V.L., CPLOL/ESLA, and ABBV, as well as all teaching days at Artevelde University College.
Professional Experience
Her professional career began in 1979 at a mental health centre in Mechelen. From 1980 onwards, she worked in rehabilitation centres in Sint-Niklaas, where she was involved in the assessment and treatment of children and adults with speech and language disorders, learning disabilities, voice disorders, and developmental disabilities, as well as in early intervention services and therapeutic coordination.
Between 1990 and 2000, she worked at the Developmental Disabilities Centre of Ghent University Hospital, where she was responsible for the diagnostics of developmental disorders. Since October 2000, she has been active as an unpaid volunteer at the Prinses Elisabeth Children’s Hospital (University Hospital Ghent), focusing on the diagnosis and treatment of complex medical feeding problems in (preterm) infants and children.
From 1987 until her retirement in September 2019, Marleen D’Hondt was employed as a lecturer and practical teacher at Artevelde University College (formerly HIPB and KAHOG), where she taught in the departments of Speech Therapy, Paediatric Nursing, and Midwifery. In parallel, she maintained a self-employed private practice in secondary occupation.
Academic Teaching, Research and Projects
Within higher education, she taught a broad range of theoretical and practical courses, including psychomotor development, developmental theory, language development disorders, paediatric dysphagia, neurological language disorders in children, professional law and deontology, complex care issues, and supported communication. She was actively involved in internationalisation projects (Erasmus and Socrates), supervised internships, bachelor’s theses and dissertations, and coordinated international benchmarking projects.
She also worked as a project-based scientific research associate in a pilot study on the development of evidence-based paramedical guidelines for rehabilitation after stroke (2005–2007).
Governance, Policy and Professional Representation
Marleen D’Hondt has played a major role in professional governance and policy-making within speech and language therapy at regional, national, and European levels. She served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Flemish Association of Speech Therapists (V.V.L.) from 1992 to 2024, acting as administrator and secretary, and was responsible for continuing education, quality assurance, and evidence-based practice.
She has been a member of numerous governmental and advisory bodies, including committees of the National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance, the Federal Public Service Healthcare, and the Flemish Agency for Care and Welfare. Since February 2023, she has served as Chair of the Recognition Committee attached to the Flemish Agency for Care and Welfare. She has also been Vice-President of the Technical Commission for Paramedical Professions and a member of the Federal Council for Paramedical Professions.
At the European level, she acted as the V.V.L. representative within ESLA until September 2024 and has been Secretary of the European Bobath Tutors Association (EBTA) since 2022.
Publications and Scientific Contributions
Marleen D’Hondt has an extensive publication record, including peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, professional manuals, guidelines, and conference proceedings since 1991. Her work addresses topics such as dysphagia, feeding and swallowing disorders, sensory integration, developmental disabilities, evidence-based practice, and multidisciplinary care. She is co-author of the handbook Dysphagia: Handbook for Clinical Practice, which received the Garant Textbook Prize in 2015.
In addition to her written work, she has delivered several hundred lectures, workshops, and conference presentations nationally and internationally, contributing significantly to professional education, clinical practice, and policy development in speech and language therapy.
