As a speech language pathologist, I have a background in understanding how the brain understands speech and different sounds in our environment, how we organize words in the language centers of the brain, and how we coordinate very fine motor movement patterns to produce speech sounds with the parts of our mouth. In regards to feeding, I am aware of the developmental stages of feeding from infancy through childhood and what kinds of red flags to look for to indicate poor development in these areas. 

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To provide the most skilled, comprehensive therapy, I combine this information with my knowledge of reflex integration to assess and treat the "whole" child or adolescent. When looking through the lens of primary reflexes, a more complete picture can be created that helps me address the deficits in a way that isn't just a compensation or modification. While compensations and alternative strategies are helpful, they are not the goal or end of the road towards progress in acquiring a skill.

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In addition to providing direct treatment through MNRI®, I also am able to consult and teach caregivers how to implement the exercises so they can be done in the home regularly. Each family plan of treatment is uniquely created to ensure that everyone involved feels competent and knowledgeable about how, when, and why to implement exercises and strategies in the natural environment. 

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I am very passionate about what I do as a therapist and I enjoy helping families become equipped with the information they seek as they search for answers and intervention for their loved ones. To do this, I start by offering Initial Consultations that range from 70-90 minutes. These appointments are an opportunity for us to meet and discuss your current concerns while I do a hands on evaluation of the child or adult's reflexes. At this appointment, I can put together a plan for treatment and schedule sessions for the future. This is also a great time for me to answer any questions you have about reflex integration. Before the end of the appointment, I try to teach 2-3 exercises can be done at home even that day to start impacting the integrity of the sensorimotor system.

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For treatment , I strongly recommend scheduling between 2-5 consecutive days of appointments lasting from 90 minutes up to 6 hours (depending on availability and other circumstances). When working on a reflex, MNRI® has so many different techniques and ways to address the components to establish or correct the pattern. To do this, experienced MNRI® practitioners pull techniques from different programs within the Masgutova Method. During a single day, weekly session I may only be able to work from a single program to address only one reflex. When more time is available through the intensive model, I can implement many more techniques and work on many reflexes to ensure that your loved one is on the right path to a happy sensory system. The MNRI® Family Conferences, from which the rich research data has been collected, is structured in 5-8 day for this reason. It may seem that if I am focusing on one area of development (e.g., speech production), I would only implement one specific program, but because the reflexes are so interconnected, I need to establish a strong foundation of multiple reflexes before we can anticipate a noticeable change in that one area. It’s worth noting though, that I don’t usually see improvement in just one area of development but in multiple areas simultaneously.

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