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Interested in joining our dynamic team? We are always looking for highly motivated, skilled clinicians to bring their love of pediatric therapy to our offices! To see our openings, click here.
Mariana Marchitto received her Bachelor’s degree in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences and Human Development and Family Studies with a concentration in Early Childhood Development from the University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT and her Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Southern Connecticut State University, New Haven, CT. During her graduate studies she gained extensive experience working with a diverse caseload through pediatric outpatient rehabilitation facilities, specialty learning centers, public schools, university clinics, and telehealth experiences. She has worked with children with language disorders, articulation and phonological disorders, childhood apraxia of speech, fluency disorders, voice disorders, and feeding deficits. She also has had experiences working with children with autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome, cleft lip and palate, and velopharyngeal dysfunction.
Mariana is particularly passionate about working with infants and children ages birth to five and values the importance of building strong relationships with her clients and their families. She strives to implement an individualized, holistic approach to therapy that involves families and caregivers in treatment to provide support and carry-over into their homes and everyday lives.
A few of Mariana’s additional trainings and certifications include:
Lively Letters + Sight Words You Can See
PROMPTS for Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic Targets (Level I)
How to Identify and Treat the Sensory Component of Pediatric Feeding Difficulties
Building a Treatment Plan for Feeding Success: Tools for Your Toolbox
Adventures in Early Intervention: Navigating Goals, Strategies, and Families
Responsive Opportunity to Responsive Guidance in Pediatric Feeding Therapy: Considerations for a Responsive Use of Tools in Therapy
How Breastfeeding “Ties” Into Feeding Therapy
Picky Eating in the Preschool Classroom: MD & SLP Team Up to Solve the Problem
Picky Eaters vs Pediatric Feeding Disorders vs Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder: Using a Differential Diagnosis Decision Tree to Guide Intervention
Feed the Peds by Learning to Screen the Peds
Trauma and Feeding: Supporting Families at Mealtimes with a Trauma-Informed Lens
In her free time, Mariana enjoys being outside, hiking and playing games, spending time with her family and friends, and playing with her dogs.
Sarah Aimone received her Bachelor’s degree in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences and Human Development and Family Studies from the University of Connecticut in Storrs, CT and her Master’s degree in Speech Language Pathology at the MGH Institute of Health Professions in Boston, MA. Sarah has clinical experience working in a variety of settings including adult and pediatric outpatient facilities, public schools, and telehealth experiences. She has experience working with children with receptive and expressive language disorders, articulation and phonology disorders, autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, and children who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices.
Sarah is passionate about supporting her clients in communicating and expressing themselves through the most functional method that meets their individual needs. Sarah believes in the importance of incorporating the family into the therapeutic process to provide holistic care and support carry-over across environments. She is passionate about making therapy functional, personalized, and most importantly fun for her clients.
A few of Sarah’s additional trainings and certifications include:
AEIOU: An Integrated Approach to Pediatric Feeding
Lively Letters + Sight Words You Can See
In her free time, Sarah loves to hike with her dog, cook delicious food, practice yoga, and spend time with her friends and family.
Marina Lajoie received her Bachelor’s dual degree in Cognitive Science and Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences from the University of Connecticut and her Master’s degree in Speech Language Pathology from the University of Connecticut. She has gained clinical experience working in a variety of settings including adult and pediatric outpatient facilities, inpatient hospital settings, public preschool and elementary schools, university clinics, and telehealth platforms.
Marina is excited about working with the pediatric population. She has worked with children of all ages who have articulation and phonological disorders, receptive and expressive language disorders, fluency disorders, voice disorders, acquired brain injuries and pragmatic language deficits. She also has experience working with children who have medical diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome and cerebral palsy. In addition to clinical experience, Marina has a strong research background where she utilized fMRI, EEG, and eye tracking technologies to analyze the psychological processes of language production and comprehension. Marina also recently participated in the Disney College Program where she was able to make magic for children from all over the world as an employee of the Walt Disney company. Marina strives to implement a multidisciplinary, collaborative approach to intervention that is fun and engaging for her clients and accessible for caregivers.
A few of Marina’s additional trainings include:
Lively Letters + Sight Words You Can See
Diagnosis and Treatment of Childhood Apraxia of Speech using Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing (DTTC)
The Meaningful Speech Course
Focus on gestalt language processing and the Natural Language Acquisition (NLA) framework
In her free time, Marina enjoys baking, listening to music, spending time with friends and family, and playing with her new puppy, Baci!
Keirstyn Yaccarino received her Bachelor’s degree in Communication Disorders from Southern Connecticut State University and her Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Sacred Heart University. Keirstyn has clinical experience in various public school settings, serving students PreK- through high school. Keirstyn also has clinical experience serving students in a highly behavioral school setting, focusing on emotional regulation techniques. She has experience working with children and young adults in areas of expressive and receptive language, autism spectrum disorder, fluency, pragmatic language and articulation.
Jillian Murphy received her Bachelor’s degree in Communication Disorders and her Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Southern Connecticut State University, New Haven, CT. Jill has clinical experience in a variety of settings, including university clinics, outpatient therapy centers, public schools, and telehealth. She has supported children and young adults with language disorders, communication delays, articulation/phonological disorders, fluency disorders, social communication disorders, and feeding/swallowing disorders. Jill is passionate about creating a therapeutic environment in which she can openly collaborate with families. She strives to make therapy both functional and exciting for her clients. Jill utilizes evidence-based practice to develop treatments and goals that align with the individual needs of children and their families. She greatly values being a lifelong learner and loves to bring her passion for positivity and personal growth into therapy!
In her free time, Jill enjoys traveling, going for walks with friends, reading, baking chocolate chip cookies, skiing, and going thrift shopping!
Meredith Wilson received her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN and her Master’s degree in Communicative Disorders from East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN. She has clinical experience in a variety of settings including pediatric and adult outpatient clinics, public schools, university, adult voice clinic, and autism clinics. She has provided therapy for children with autism spectrum disorders, cerebral palsy, fluency disorders, ADHD, expressive and receptive language disorders, social language impairments, Down syndrome, articulation delays, phonological impairments, and childhood apraxia of speech.
Meredith is excited about working with the pediatric population! She has worked with children in a variety of capacities for 17 years including as a preschool teacher, nanny, and special education paraprofessional. She is passionate about meeting children where they are and working alongside parents and families to develop functional therapy goals. Meredith is adept at utilizing evidence-based strategies to integrate speech and language techniques into everyday routines and activities. She strives to treat every child as an individual and to help them reach their full potential through play-based, engaging, and hands-on experiences and activities.
A few of Meredith’s additional trainings and certifications include:
Diagnosis and Treatment of CAS Using Dynamic and Temporal Tactile Cueing (DTTC)
Evidence-Based Tips for Implementing Augmentative and Alternative Communication
Using Dynamic Assessment to Reduce Bias and Identify Learning Potential
Using Video Modeling to Teach Play Skills in Children with Autism
In her spare time Meredith enjoys reading, exercising, being outdoors, and spending time with her husband, children, and two dogs.
Vanessa Harris received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Quinnipiac University, Hamden, CT and her Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Southern Connecticut State University, New Haven, CT. She has clinical experience in a variety of settings, including university clinics, public schools, and outpatient pediatric specialty centers. She has supported children with language disorders, communication delays, articulation/phonological disorders, fluency disorders, social communication disorders, voice disorders and feeding/swallowing disorders.
Vanessa is thrilled to be working full-time with the pediatric population! She has worked with children of all ages in various capacities throughout her life including roles as a summer student facilitator at Wesleyan University and babysitting. Clinically, Vanessa has experience working with children, adolescents, and their families to establish, improve and maintain receptive/expressive language, pragmatic language, speech sound production, and overall functional communication. She strives to create lifelong connections with caregivers and employs a family-centered approach to speech and language intervention. Vanessa aims to educate, encourage and collaborate with caregivers to ultimately help her patients achieve their goals. She is passionate about continually expanding her clinical knowledge, interdisciplinary collaboration, caregiver education and training, and providing home carryover strategies.
A few of Vanessa’s additional trainings include:
– Lively Letters + Sight Words You Can See
In her free time, Vanessa enjoys spending time with her loved ones (including her dog Lola), watching movies, music and shopping.
Christina Renzoni received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Quinnipiac University, Hamden, CT and her Master’s degree in Speech Language Pathology from Southern Connecticut State University, New Haven, CT. She has experience supporting speech and language skills in children across various settings, including public schools, programs for autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and university clinics. Currently, she holds a full time position at Beecher Road Elementary School in Woodbridge, CT, supporting students in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) use, social communication, functional language, language, articulation/phonology, and early literacy skills.
Christina is most passionate about the implementation of AAC, including eye tracking systems, across home and school environments, and she has supported students in various programs for ASD around the state. Additionally, she has experience working with children diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, Rett syndrome, Down syndrome, Hearing impairments, ADHD, and various behavioral needs. She strives to provide evidence-based practices through client-centered sessions and places emphasis on collaboration with families to support generalization of skills.
A few of Christina’s additional trainings and certifications include:
TouchChat, Proloquo2Go, Snap Core First Implementation
PROMPTS for Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic Targets (Level I)
PCeye Tracking System Implementation
Early Autism Advances in Research and Clinical Practice
Neural Correlates of Audio-Visual Speech Perception in Autism
In her free time, Christina enjoys spending time with her husband and children, visiting the beach, and traveling to NYC to see family.
Beth O’Dell received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Speech Language Pathology from Misericordia University in Dallas, PA. She has worked in outpatient pediatric, inpatient pediatric, and outpatient adult rehabilitation settings. Beth has experience working with individuals from birth through 99 with a variety of diagnoses including Autism, CHARGE syndrome, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, genetic disorders, lissencephaly, receptive, expressive, and pragmatic language impairments, articulation and phonological impairments, motor speech disorders, vocal cord dysfunction, and literacy impairments.
A few of Beth’s additional trainings include:
In her free time, Beth enjoys running, hiking, swimming, cooking, baking, and reading.
Kelsey Chacho received her Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy from Bay Path University, East Longmeadow, MA and her Bachelor’s degree in Health Promotion Studies from Western Connecticut State University, Danbury, CT. She has clinical experience in an outpatient pediatric setting, as well as, a community-based adult mental health setting. During her fieldwork placements, she worked with various diagnoses, including but not limited to, Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, Cerebral Palsy, developmental delay, sensory processing disorder, Down syndrome, Schizophrenia, and Schizoaffective.
Kelsey has worked with the pediatric population for 9 years while attending school. She has experience with children of all ages. She is extremely passionate about building relationships with children and their families. She takes great pride in providing client-centered and innovative interventions to her clients. Kelsey understands the importance of evidence-based practice and being a lifelong learner. She wishes to hold specialty certifications in sensory integration, therapeutic listening, and feeding in the near future. As an occupational therapist, Kelsey works closely with her clients and their families to maximize functional independence in activities of daily living.
Additional trainings and certifications include:
Complex Feeding & Swallowing Problems in Children: Discover the Underlying Causes of Food Refusal for a More Targeted Treatment Plan
Therapeutic Listening: Listening with the Whole Body
Oppositional, Uncooperative, and Aggressive Behavior
Sensory Integration and Telehealth: How do we facilitate from a distance?
Integration of Persistent Reflexes
In her free time, Kelsey enjoys spending time with family and friends, playing soccer, watching movies, and going to the beach.
Danielle Matos received her Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy from East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina, and her Bachelor’s degree in Allied Health Sciences from University of Connecticut in Storrs, Connecticut. She has clinical experience in school-based and outpatient pediatric settings. She has worked with children with a variety of diagnoses and abilities, including but not limited to, Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, developmental delay, Down Syndrome, and sensory processing disorder.
Danielle has experience targeting sensory processing, handwriting, fine motor coordination, visual motor integration, visual perception, motor planning, and self-care/daily routine independence. She has received certification in Learning Without Tears (Handwriting Without Tears K-5) and Interactive Metronome. She is passionate about facilitating independence and helping children thrive in their natural environments. Danielle works closely with families to determine collaborative and dynamic treatment plans for each child.
Additional trainings and certifications include:
Developing and Implementing Effective Sensory Diets for Children and Adolescents
Interactive Metronome
Learning Without Tears (Handwriting Without Tears K-5)
Primitive Reflex, Sensory, and Motor Integration
Therapeutic Listening
Treating Torticollis
In her free time, Danielle enjoys spending time with her family and friends, baking, being outside, and listening to podcasts.
Rebecca Hale received her Master of Occupational Therapy from Bay Path University and during her schooling she fell in love with working in the pediatric setting. She has clinical experience working within a school system for children aged 3-5 years old who were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome, developmental/intellectual disabilities, and sensory processing disorders. She believes children should learn and experience the world in a naturalistic environment which encourages self-motivation before jumping in and making the activity functional. This helps children learn cause and effect, as well as how to master their environments on their own. With children, it is important to incorporate family/caregivers into each session so they can allow for the transfer of learning within their homes. She believes that having the caregivers involved in the process can allow them to understand what occupational therapists aim to succeed in each session.
Colleen Rinaldi received her Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy from Worcester State University in Worcester, MA and her Bachelor’s of Science degree from Stonehill College with a major in Neuroscience and a minor in Fine Arts. Prior to graduate school, Colleen worked at the Hole in the Wall Gang camp in Ashford, CT for 4 years bringing camp activities to hospitals in Boston, MA and throughout the state of Connecticut. Colleen has experience in an outpatient pediatric clinic setting as well as the school setting. Colleen has worked with various populations as an Occupational Therapist including Cerebral Palsy, Autism, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Down Syndrome, and Sensory processing difficulties.
Colleen has experience in treating students with challenges in the following areas: fine motor skills, handwriting, sensory processing, visual perception skills, self care, and executive functioning. Colleen has participated in additional training for children with Autism creating sensory diets and treating the whole child to help them function in their daily life. Colleen enjoys utilizing her creative skills to come up with occupational based interventions that meet each child’s unique needs. One of her favorite parts of working in pediatrics is incorporating and working with the whole family. Colleen hopes to continue pursuing advanced certifications in sensory processing as well as low vision rehabilitation.
Additional Trainings and Certifications include:
Emotional Regulation Supports for Autistic Learners
Coping Skills for Children
Building Better Sensory Diets
In her spare time, Colleen enjoys traveling, spending time with her family and her dog. Additionally, she enjoys going for hikes, running, and practicing yoga.
Lindsey Heaton received her Doctorate degree in Occupational Therapy from Western New England University in Springfield, MA and her Bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in biology from Elmira College in Elmira, NY. She has clinical experience working in school-based therapy, as well as community-based mental health. Lindsey has experience working with individuals with various diagnoses, including autism spectrum disorder, sensory processing disorder, intellectual and developmental disabilities, ADHD, developmental coordination disorder, and more.
Lindsey has worked with children of all ages within the pediatric population for the past 10 years. She believes in providing client-centered occupational therapy through meaningful activities to children and their families in a naturalistic environment. Lindsey has experience developing handwriting skills, fine motor coordination, sensory processing, and visual perceptual and visual motor skills. She is a lifelong learner and is interested in furthering her knowledge on the role of OT in feeding and hopes to pursue further certifications in sensory processing.
In her free time, Lindsey enjoys spending time with her family and friends, baking, knitting and reading lots of books.
Kristen is our Patient Services Manager for both the Oxford and Branford offices! She currently coordinates evaluations with new families and provides education regarding services offered at More to Say. She ensures the intake process is easy and seamless from start to finish! She works hand in hand with the Clinical and Administrative Directors to ensure the front desk staff are up-to-date on the day to day operations and provide support to our families when needed.
Kristen has worked in a variety of clinical and administrative settings including inpatient hospitals and outpatient offices. She is also a certified Emergency Medical Technician and volunteers with her father in her hometown.
Outside the office, Kristen enjoys spending time with her horses, providing equestrian lessons, and coaching an interscholastic equestrian team for middle school and highschool age children.
Miranda will be the first person to greet you when you walk through the door of our Branford office! In addition to completing the office admin work, she plans engaging activities and projects for the children in the waiting room. Miranda is a recent graduate from the University of New Haven, earning her Bachelor’s Degree in Health Sciences with aspirations of becoming a pediatric occupational therapist.
She has experience working with pediatrics by assisting with pre-k and grade school settings. She also has experience working in a supervisor position during her time in college where she completed admin work while supervising her peers and provided a high level of customer service.
In her spare time, Miranda enjoys spending time with her friends and family, traveling, and watching Netflix.
Jocelyn will greet you in the afternoon at our Branford office! She loves working with children and has experience working as an assistant teacher at a daycare where she had the opportunity to create and implement learning activities. She also has experience working as a receptionist at a local animal hospital and thoroughly enjoyed seeing all the animals each day!
In her spare time, Jocelyn enjoys being outdoors, going on hikes, exploring new places, going to amusement parks with her two children, and spending time with family and friends.
