Tara is a NJ and NY state licensed speech-language pathologist who received her Master’s degree in Speech-­Language Pathology from Long Island University in Brooklyn, NY and is nationally certified by the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA). She is passionate about treating each child as a whole, taking into consideration major developmental areas including cognition, sensory motor, linguistic and psychosocial factors. During graduate school, Tara completed an independent study on the effect of supporting sensory needs on social communicative development in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. She has worked closely with many skilled occupational therapists in a private practice setting, and understands the importance of recognizing her client’s sensory needs and how this affects their ability to learn. Tara emphasizes the importance of establishing a positive rapport with each one of her clients in order to maximize their ability to engage and learn new skills.

Her experience includes working with children with Autism, children with articulation/phonology disorders, executive functioning difficulties, auditory processing disorder, stuttering, oral motor weakness, language disorders and apraxia of speech. She has additional training in the PROMPT method, the DIR Floortime approach, TalkTools, the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), and counseling in stuttering treatment. In addition, Tara has taken an interest in researching the importance of play and literacy in child’s language development. She is passionate about educating caregivers on how to facilitate early language skills in a child’s natural environment. She is skilled in facilitating speech, language, and social communication through play interactions, making her sessions meaningful and fun!

When Tara is not treating her clients, she’s home taking care of her two sons who keep her very busy! She loves being a mom, spending time with her family, movies and relaxing with a Dunkin iced coffee!