Frequently asked questions

Neurodiversity affirming means that we are taking an approach to therapy that seeks to support each child to communicate in their best, most effective way, even if that looks different than with most other children.  For example, we are not trying to suppress autistic traits or make a child seem "less autistic," but honoring the unique strengths and abilities of each child. It also means we are supporting unique needs such as sensory regulation and intense interests that are essential to understanding how each child interacts with the world.

My approach to stuttering therapy depends on the child's age, needs, and attitude towards their own speech and communication. In general, my main priorities are making sure that the child and their family/support people have a good understanding of stuttering and the neurology behind stuttering as a speech difference, and supporting the child in feeling like a good, effective, confident communicator. It's important for family members of children who stutter to realize that we cannot cure stuttering in therapy, but we can help them to become great communicators.

For now, sessions are only available as a home visit or at your child's daycare (with permission from caregivers/admin there) in Whatcom County. I am building a new business and still looking for a suitable (and affordable) clinic space. However, I hope to have a clinic space in Whatcom county open and ready in the next year. For folks who prefer home visits, that may still be an option after we have a physical space open. Let me know your preferences!

Yes! I do home visits all over Whatcom County. Though if you live in one of the farther reaches, I may need to group clients in the same area or carefully time my visits, so your schedule options may be more limited.

I am able to bill to your medical insurance through Regence and Premera plans at the moment. We are working on credentialing with other insurance providers and hope to be able to accept others soon. If you have another insurance provider, let us know!

If you have already had an evaluation elsewhere in the past 6 months, I will usually consider that enough information to get started with treatment sessions without doing another one. You'll just upload a copy to the patient portal. I may also be able to proceed with information from previous recent speech therapy, depending on the circumstances. Please include information about previous evaluations /therapy/ diagnoses in your inquiry, and I will let you know how we should begin! 

No, though if your child appears to have needs better served by a clinician that specializes in speech sound disorders or general language support, I may refer you to another provider. My area of expertise is early language development, gestalt language processing, AAC for autistic kids, and support for social language and self-advocacy. I also specialize in treating stuttering. Your child might demonstrate a need for support in those areas with or without an autism diagnosis. 

Call or email to let me know you are interested. You should do this even if a referral has been sent from someone else. We will make an appointment for an initial visit, and I will send you a link to a patient portal to upload intake documents (these must be completed before we can begin!). After the initial visit, if we determine that regular treatment sessions will benefit your child, I will find a recurring appointment time for you.