Slepian, Jan

Janice B. Slepian was born January 2, 1921, in New York, New York. She became a psychologist, but when she could not find work in that field, accepted a position as a language therapist at Mass. General Hospital in Boston. A colleague of hers at the hospital, Dr. Ann Seidler, suggested they collaborate on writing a series of newspaper articles about everyday speech problems, for worried parents. That was the beginning of Slepian's writing career. Working as a speech therapist, plus growing up with a handicapped brother, led her to feature handicapped individuals in many of her books, several of which have received honors or awards. Biographical Sources: Something About the Author, vols. 45, 51, 85 Something About the Author Autobiography Series, vol. 8.