Donna Giachino Founder & Special Educational/Family Consultant
Donna was trained as a Speech-Language Pathologist and practiced as an SLP until May 1, 2019. She is now the Director & Special Educational/Family Consultant for VLTK. Donna is tremendously passionate about her work and believes that family education is critical in the overall progress of a child's social, emotional and academic development.
As the Founder of Vancouver Language Therapy for Kids (VLTK), Donna also coordinates all of the Registered Speech-Language Pathologists, Communicative Disorders Assistants, Communication Health Assistants, Special Education Assistants, Tutors and Occupational Therapists on the VLTK Team. She is responsible for organizing parent and community educational workshops, community outreach and coordination with other service providers.
Donna obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology from Trent University (Peterborough, Ontario) and a Masters of Science Degree in Speech Sciences from the University of British Columbia in 1992. After 18 years of clinical practice as a Speech-Language Pathologist, she founded Vancouver Language Therapy for Kids. During her time as an SLP, her experience focused primarily with preschool and school aged children in variety of settings including children's treatment centres (Fraser Valley CDC, Erinoak Children's Treatment Centre in Ontario) and for 10 years at a specialized language intervention centre in Vancouver for children with primary language delays / disorders and language-based learning difficulties.
Donna's areas of focus as a Special Educational & Family Consultant is Emerging Executive Functioning and Family Support. Her approach is based on a strong foundation in neuroscience and years of experience dealing with educational issues and ADHD/ASD.
Heather Morris Speech-Language Pathologist
Heather was born in Toronto and raised in Regina where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of Regina in 2006 followed by her Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology degree from the University of British Columbia in 2010. She has been with Vancouver Language Therapy for Kids since 2011. Heather is registered with the College of Speech and Hearing Professionals of BC. She is also a certified member of both Speech and Hearing BC (formally the British Columbia Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists) as well as with Speech-Language and Audiology Canada.
Heather's primary interest and experience base includes working with preschool, school-age children, teenagers and young adults with language delays / disorders, autism, neurological disorders and developmental delays (expressive and receptive language, articulation, and pragmatics). Heather's primary areas of therapy include the social use of language, narratives, language processing, executive functioning and alternative and augmentative communication. Heather is currently involved in research at UBC looking at narrative abilities of children with autism and children with primary language impairments (PLI). She recently completed the Social Thinking(tm) Level 1a Clinical Training in San Jose, CA and enjoys facilitating social language groups.
Heather has a calm and reassuring presence and children respond exceptionally well to her creative and engaging approach to therapy.
Heather's primary interest and experience base includes working with preschool, school-age children, teenagers and young adults with language delays / disorders, autism, neurological disorders and developmental delays (expressive and receptive language, articulation, and pragmatics). Heather's primary areas of therapy include the social use of language, narratives, language processing, executive functioning and alternative and augmentative communication. Heather is currently involved in research at UBC looking at narrative abilities of children with autism and children with primary language impairments (PLI). She recently completed the Social Thinking(tm) Level 1a Clinical Training in San Jose, CA and enjoys facilitating social language groups.
Heather has a calm and reassuring presence and children respond exceptionally well to her creative and engaging approach to therapy.
Anna Rolph (formerly Klenin) Speech-Language Pathologist
Anna was born in Ukraine and raised in Vancouver, BC. She earned her B.A. in Speech Sciences and M.Sc. in Speech Language Pathology at the University of British Columbia. During her university education, Anna obtained clinical experience working with children and adults with a diverse range of needs. Anna has experience in both a private setting as well as the public school system. Anna provides therapy in the areas of receptive and expressive language, social use of language, executive functions, metalinguistic skills, and articulation. Anna’s particular interests include helping children with receptive and expressive language disorders and autism spectrum disorders. Anna enjoys working with children of all ages and is inspired by their creativity and determination to communicate. She values an individualized approach to best support the needs of each child and their family. Anna is a bilingual speaker of both English and Russian
Anna is very excited to be a member of the Vancouver Language Therapy for Kids team and to help children achieve their full potential.
Ally Rochon Communicative Disorders Assistant
Ally was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario and obtained a Bachelor of Arts Degree with a major in Linguistics at the University of Western Ontario. Ally then completed a 1 year post-graduate Communicative Disorders Assistant Certificate Program in Ontario.
Ally proactively sought a student placement with Vancouver Language Therapy for Kids in 2016 as she wanted to continue her career in beautiful British Columbia. Ally returned to VLTK as a full time employee in 2017 after graduation. Ally is a registered member of Speech-Language & Audiology Canada (S.A.C.) as a Communication-Health Assistant.
Ally believes strongly in the family's participation in therapy sessions. She has a natural ability to engage with children of all ages and is very passionate about helping kids reach their full potential. Her calm and caring demeanour helps children feel confident within their sessions.
Sam Jaffe Speech-Language Pathologist
Sam was born and raised in Richmond, B.C. He earned his B.A. in Speech Sciences from the University of British Columbia, and his M.Sc. in Communicative Sciences and Disorders from New York University. During his graduate school career, Sam received a wide array of experience with adults and children alike, with a focus on preschool and school-aged clients in the New York public school system. Prior to leaving for the Big Apple, Sam worked as a behaviour interventionist in Vancouver for 3 years, working with children on the autism spectrum on their linguistic, social, and behavioural goals.
Sam’s primary areas of interest include prelinguistic development and early intervention on expressive/receptive language, social skills, and executive functioning in children on the autism spectrum.
Sam is a steadfast believer in using a team approach with the adjunct professionals at Vancouver Language Therapy for Kids to develop an individualized and functional goal trajectory for their shared clients. His creative, humourous, and crafty approach to speech-language therapy helps engage children at their level to achieve their speech and language goals.
Matthew Kowalyk Speech-Language Pathologist
Matthew is a UBC graduate in Speech-Language Pathology. He comes to Vancouver Language Therapy 4 Kids with a wide range of experience and a dynamic approach to working with children. Most recently Matthew worked in the West Vancouver School District in both elementary and secondary schools, providing speech, language and social-pragmatic therapy. He has interned with a variety of specialized service providers such as GF Strong’s Acquired Brain Injury Program, Sunny Hill Health Centre’s Complex Developmental & Behaviour Team and Columbia’s Intensive Fluency Program. Matthew also taught English in Japan for a year, and then subsequently taught ESL in Vancouver. Matthew also has a background in graphic design, which is a tremendous skill to have when working with children who excel when visual and graphic supports are used in combination with verbal communication.
Matthew is an active member of the College of Speech & Hearing Health Professionals of BC (CSHHPBC) as well as the BC and Canadian Associations for Speech-Language Pathologists.
Matthew brings a thoughtful, holistic approach to his work and is especially interested in maximizing a child’s abilities to succeed in school and in community environments.
Wini Murphey Speech-Language Pathologist
(Returning September 2019 from a Maternity Leave)
Wini received her BA in Speech Sciences from The University of British Columbia in 2007 and then in 2016 she graduated from the UBC School of Audiology and Speech Sciences with her MSc in Speech-Language Pathology. Wini is a registered member of the College of Speech and Hearing Health Professionals of British Columbia, Speech and Hearing BC as well as Speech-Language and Audiology Canada.
Prior to starting her career as a Speech-Language Pathologist, Wini worked as a Behavioural Interventionist for children with Autism (ASD) under the age of 6 and as a Therapeutic Horseback Riding Instructor for riders of all ages. As a student at the School of Audiology and Speech Sciences she pursued her interests in technology by completing a graduate thesis on the use of ultrasound visual feedback in the treatment of speech disorder for an adult following a stroke. In her professional career, however, she has found her niche working with preschool and school aged students with speech and language delays.
Wini is particularly interested in working with emerging communicators with a focus on phonological disorders, users of Cochlear Implants and those on the Autism Spectrum. She is also very interested in narrative development and social language.
Erynne Green Speech-Language Pathologist
Erynne is from BC growing up in the Okanagan and ultimately moving to Vancouver to attend the University of British Columbia. She has a B.Sc. in Biology and a M.Sc. in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology from UBC. Erynne has worked in the private sector as well as in the public school system. She works part time in a medical setting where she is part of a multidisciplinary team assessing children for complex developmental behavioural conditions. Erynne has been with Vancouver Language Therapy for Kids since 2016.
Erynne has experience working with children up to 19 years old with speech and language delays/disorders, autism, and other developmental delays/disorders. She provides therapy in the areas of receptive and expressive language, social use of language, narratives, executive functions, and articulation. She enjoys working as part of a team with her clients and their families to best support learning and development. Erynne is registered with the College of Speech and Hearing Professionals of BC. She is also a certified member of both Speech and Hearing BC (formally the British Columbia Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists) and Speech-Language and Audiology Canada.
Sinéad Harris Communication Health Assistant
Sinéad received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of Limerick (Ireland) in 2008. Since then she has worked with children, youth and young adults across a variety of settings. Her areas of expertise include working with school-aged children, particularly those with Autism Spectrum Disorder- providing innovative and engaging functional academic and life skills programs.
Sinéad has the ability to recognize and nurture the endless potential of the children she works with. She is passionate about keeping children engaged by providing experienced based learning opportunities. Sinéad focuses on enabling each child to gain a greater sense of independence and always strives to empower children to reach their full potential.
Sinéad has the ability to recognize and nurture the endless potential of the children she works with. She is passionate about keeping children engaged by providing experienced based learning opportunities. Sinéad focuses on enabling each child to gain a greater sense of independence and always strives to empower children to reach their full potential.
Deena Hymowitz Communication Health Assistant
Deena was born and raised in Seattle, Washington and moved to Vancouver, BC where she earned her B.A. in Speech Science and Psychology at UBC. Throughout her degree, Deena gained a large array of research experience with infants and young children in linguistic, cognitive, social and moral development, along with being an aide in high school special education classes.
Now, she is excited to work with children of all ages with an array of skills.
Robert Giachino Consulting Occupational Therapist
Rob graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Occupational Therapy in 2000. He has had a wide range of experiences over the last 19 years which include; working at GF Strong in the Spinal Cord Injury Program, working at Penticton Regional Hospital, working at the Child Development Center in Penticton and at Emerge OT, a private practice he founded in 2016.
Rob subcontracts to Vancouver Language Therapy for Kids as part of a multidisciplinary team of SLP‘s, OT‘s, Special Education Assistants and Communication Disorders Assistants. Rob has an incredible amount of dedication to the students he works with. He has a very creative and engaging approach in his work with the children.
Rob is an avid cyclist, rock climber and skier and is very interested in helping children, teens and adults functionally participate in activities both within their school and community. His wealth of knowledge and engaging personality serves him well in his work with students as well as their families.
Rob subcontracts to Vancouver Language Therapy for Kids as part of a multidisciplinary team of SLP‘s, OT‘s, Special Education Assistants and Communication Disorders Assistants. Rob has an incredible amount of dedication to the students he works with. He has a very creative and engaging approach in his work with the children.
Rob is an avid cyclist, rock climber and skier and is very interested in helping children, teens and adults functionally participate in activities both within their school and community. His wealth of knowledge and engaging personality serves him well in his work with students as well as their families.
