Speech pathologist: Twana D. has known since the age of 16 that she wanted to be a speech-language pathologist. On a whim, she visited a small college named Calvin College in Grand Rapids, MI, after receiving a brochure promoting an “unforgettable college visit.” When asked by the beloved professor assigned to her luncheon table, “Young lady, do you know what you would like your major to be?” She responded, “No Sir, I am not sure. I have so many interests. But if you can tell me a profession that combines my passion for teaching, medicine, journalism, and fine arts, with my love of children and the elderly, then that will be my major and I will do that job for a lifetime.” Unbeknownst to her at the time, she happened to be speaking with the head of the Communication Disorders program, who indeed uttered life changing words, “Speech-Language Pathology is the profession for you.”
After receiving her B.A. from Calvin College in Elementary Education-Language Arts, with a minor focus in communication disorders, she taught for a year and then attended Michigan State University where she received a Masters of Arts degree in the area of Speech Language Pathology. Twana has worked as a licensed speech pathologist in Michigan, California, and Texas for over two decades with diverse populations across settings that include private practice, clinics, public and private schools, therapeutic schools with a multidisciplinary team approach to Autism Spectrum Disorders, rehabilitation hospitals, home health, as well as therapeutic summer camps. She has also been privileged to supervise some of the most dynamic young clinicians over the years, lead clinical teams, train speech pathology students and colleagues, and develop therapy programs that integrate her creative arts background.
Twana brings an energetic, multi-faceted repertoire of training and experiences to her integrated approach to therapy. Some of these include PECS, ABA, RTI, and Floortime. She fervently believes that only the sky is the limit for each communicator and family with whom she is blessed enough to encounter.
Speech pathologist: Kristen Q. is very excited to join Rise with ABA, and hope to make a lasting impact with Risers ! She is starting her 15th year as a speech language pathologist. She has worked in private speech clinics, mutli-disciplinary clinics, and most recently in Katy ISD as part of the Assessment Team. Her special interest is in pragmatic language assessments for children with Autism. When she is away from the clinic, She enjoys gardening, playing board games, and spending time with her husband and daughter.
Speech pathologist: Diana G. is eager to get to know the children at Rise and help facilitate communication. She has been a speech and language pathologist for 10 years. Starting her career in Tampa Bay, Fl. then making the move to Katy, Texas in 2017. She has experience with school aged children as well as adults in a variety of settings. Most recently she has worked on bilingual assessment teams, helping identify communication impairments in bilingual children. Her passion is helping people find their “voice”, and helping parents understand the needs of their children so that they can in turn advocate for them. On her free time she enjoys gardening, DIY jobs around the house, and spending time with her family and pets by the pool.
