Meet the Team
Meet the Team
Co-Founders
Vanessa Chan-Felcman,
Co-Founder, M.A., CCC/SLP
Michelle Reed,
Co-Founder, MOT, OTR
Meet the Speech Team
Ryan Emily Delahunt, M.S, CCC/SLP
Deondra Williams, MS CCC/SLP
Cris Marie Mireles, SPACE Gym Director, B.S., SLP Assistant
Madison Gilbert, MS CCC/SLP
Kenya Pye, M.S. CCC-SLP
Sofia Minick, MA CCC/SLP
Ryan Emily Delahunt, M.S, CCC/SLP
Deondra Williams, MS CCC/SLP
Cris Marie Mireles, SPACE Gym Director, B.S., SLP Assistant
Madison Gilbert, MS CCC/SLP
Kenya Pye, M.S. CCC-SLP
Sofia Minick, MA CCC/SLP
Meet the Occupational Therapy Team
Gina Drummond, Therapy Coordinator, OTD, OTR
Aly Hudec, MOT, OTR
Jordan Frye, MOT, OTR
Meredith Grissett, COTA
Anna Sheik, MOT, OTR
Gabrielle Eltanal, OTD
Gina Drummond, Therapy Coordinator, OTD, OTR
Aly Hudec, MOT, OTR
Jordan Frye, MOT, OTR
Meredith Grissett, COTA
Anna Sheik, MOT, OTR
Gabrielle Eltanal, OTD
Meet the ABA Team
Donisa Barrett, MS, BCBA, LBA
Emilie Hoffart, MA, BCBA, LBA
Emilie Hoffart, MA, BCBA, LBA
Donisa Barrett, MS, BCBA, LBA
Meet the Physical Therapy Team
Colleen O’Connor PT, DPT
Colleen O’Connor PT, DPT
Meet the Administrative Team
Henry H. Chan, Financial Manager/MBA, CPA
Jessica Luera, Intake Coordinator
Judy Nhan, Billing Manager
Dianna Mathis, Billing Assistant
Amaree Curtis, Client Coordinator
Henry H. Chan, Financial Manager/MBA, CPA
Jessica Luera, Intake Coordinator
Judy Nhan, Billing Manager
Dianna Mathis, Billing Assistant
Amaree Curtis, Client Coordinator
Vanessa Chan-Felcman
Co-Founder, M.A., CCC/SLP
With over 18 years of speech therapy experience, Vanessa founded Family First Speech Therapy in January 2014. Vanessa has been inspired by the many children that she has worked with and is excited about the opportunity to provide comprehensive programming for families under SPACE Therapy Gym.
Vanessa and her team are dedicated to understanding the whole child. As one of only a few fully certified speech pathologists in Profectum and ICDL in DIRFloortime® in Houston, she understands her clients’ challenges – how they process language, how they become regulated and how they move their body in order to build a strong foundation for communication.
She is passionate about the DIRFloortime® model and recently completed a 1-year course to become a DIR-FCD Trainer. This additional training allows Vanessa to provide training courses, provide tutoring and create workshops under the umbrella of the Profectum Foundation. With the support of an incredible team, Vanessa is the guiding influence behind the Family First Speech philosophy.
Michelle Reed
Co-Founder, MOT, OTR/L
Michelle Reed, OTR/L founded Kids Connect Occupational Therapy (KCOT) in June of 2014. She has over 17 years of experience in pediatric occupational therapy and is passionate about improving the lives of children and their families. Michelle is excited to be joining with Family First Speech Therapy to form SPACE Therapy Gym where SPACE stands for what Michelle feels is most important – Social Play And Creative Education!
A graduate of West Virginia University, Michelle has grown Kids Connect into one of the most prominent pediatric occupational therapy clinics in Houston and she is looking forward to adding more therapeutic services at SPACE Therapy Gym.
Prior to founding KCOT & SPACE, Michelle was a lead clinician at the Bridges Program of Texas Children’s Hospital where she was directly mentored by Dr. Serena Wieder, PhD, co-founder of the DIRFloortime® model, for 7 years. Receiving such vigorous education in the DIRFloortime® model has created a true passion in Michelle for integrating these principles with each family she serves.
Michelle is also Sensory Integration and Praxis Test™ (SIPT) certified and has undergone extensive training in sensory processing protocols such as the H.O.P.E Method, Astronaut Training, and Masgutova Neurosensorimotor Reflex Integration. Michelle is dedicated to understanding the whole child and focuses on building a strong underlying foundation for learning through developing regulation, engagement, and sensory processing capacities.
Family is the number one priority for Michelle, so she understands the importance of forming strong relationships with her clients and their families in order for each child to reach their fullest potential and experience optimal quality of life. When at home, Michelle enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband and twin daughters.
Ryan Emily Delahunt
M.S., CCC/SLP
Ryan Emily graduated from Texas Christian University (Go Frogs!) with a Bachelor of Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology and earned her Master of Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Texas Woman’s University. She is skilled in providing diagnoses and treatment for various speech and language disorders; receptive and expressive language, articulation and phonology, social pragmatic communication, feeding, augmentative alternative communication (AAC) and fluency.
Ryan Emily understands the need for integration of both behavioral and sensory support in the therapy setting. She has begun training in the integration of primitive reflexes, specifically the Masgutova Neurosensorimotor Reflex Integration (MNRI) method.
Current certifications include completion of the MNRI Dynamic and Postural
Reflex Integration course, NeuroTactile Integration course, and Oral-Facial I
Reflex Integration course. Ryan Emily is committed to the SPACE
interdisciplinary team approach and working with children and their families to
improve functional communication skills!
Kenya Pye
M.S. CCC-SLP
Kenya was born and raised in Tallahassee, Florida. She became interested in the field of speech language pathology while studying Early Childhood Education at Alabama State University where she received her Bachelor of Science. Realizing her passion for helping the pediatric population to communicate, she went on to pursue a Master of Science in Communicative Sciences and Disorders from Alabama A&M University. While pursuing her graduate degree she was recognized at Alabama’s statewide convention for being Alabama A&M University’s outstanding student of the year.
During Kenya’s clinical practicum experiences, she gained knowledge and experience working with the adult and pediatric population with a variety of communication needs and disorders including early intervention, speech sound disorders, autism spectrum disorder, dysphagia, traumatic brain injury, and aphasia. Kenya looks forward to treating communication and feeding disorders using a play-based treatment approach in a natural setting at SPACE! She strives to recognize the unique and individual needs of each child and to work in conjunction with caregivers to create a well-rounded treatment approach to meet their communication and feeding goals.
In her free time she enjoys working out, traveling, playing basketball, and getting out and exploring new things to do in her new founded home, Houston.
Sofia Minick
MA, CCC/SLP
Sofia Minick is a Texas State Licensed and nationally certified Speech-Language Pathologist with clinical experience in medical and school settings. Sofia graduated from Rice University with a degree in cognitive science specializing in linguistics. After working several years in behavioral health interventions in the Texas Medical Center, she then proceeded to obtain her master’s degree in communication sciences and disorders from the University of Houston.
Sofia specializes in pediatric feeding and emergent language intervention for linguistically and medically diverse populations. Her focus is empowering caretakers and individuals to systematic change enabling engagement in the functional aspects of communication and feeding.
Her clinical experience includes treatment and assessment of both children and adults, in a variety of settings. Her interests include providing therapeutic intervention for the following: expressive/receptive language (emerging, school-age, adults, AAC), phonological and articulation disorders, autism spectrum disorder, social communication disorders, feeding disorder and dysphagia (pediatric and adult), aural rehabilitation and accent modification. Coming from a culturally and linguistically diverse background, Sofia dedicates herself to serving Houston’s diverse populations.
Cris Marie Mireles
SPACE Gym Director, B.S., SLP Assistant
Cris joined our team in November 2015. Since 2007, she has been working as a dedicated Speech Language Pathologist Assistant and her experiences providing speech therapy over the past 13 years has driven her to want to do more for families. Cris’ passion, dedication and love for working with kids has brought her a great new opportunity as the new SPACE Therapy Gym Director!
As the Gym Director, Cris will be developing programs through groups and camps at an affordable cost. Her specialized groups will allow children the opportunity to play in an innovative, supportive, and fun gym, participate in gym classes and specialized camps such as Social Thinking Curriculum, and so much more. Over the past 8 years Cris has been passionately integrating the DIR®Floortime® model into her therapy practices and continues to believe in the importance of this piece.
Cris has extensive experience and advanced educational training in the areas of Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention Disorders, ADHD, ODD, Apraxia and Communication Milestones. She has been truly fortunate and touched by so many lives in her career and it has had a great impact on her. She is deeply committed to providing the highest standard of services for all clients and families. She is staying closely connected to all the therapists and is very excited and proud to offer new opportunities for our SPACE families.
Gina Drummond
Therapy Coordinator, OTD, OTR
Gina joined the SPACE team in July 2018 and can’t imagine working anywhere else! Gina was born in Houston but grew up in Dallas. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Clinical Doctorate in Occupational Therapy from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. Gina knew she wanted to work at a play-based pediatric clinic following her clinical fieldwork in northern Italy, where she used the DIRFloortime® treatment approach with American military families.
Gina strives to implement evidence-based care and actively seeks continuing education experiences. She is a Proficient DIRFloortime® Provider and has formal training in Sequential Oral Sensory (SOS) Approach to Feeding, Beckman Oral Motor Protocol, sensory integration approaches, and emotional-regulation for children. She is passionate about child-led play and following a child’s lead to promote progress.
Having grown up with a sibling on the autism spectrum, Gina builds strong connections with caregivers and relates to families on a personal level. Outside of SPACE, Gina is a contributing faculty member and teaches at the University of St. Augustine in the MOT and OTD programs. In her free time, Gina enjoys traveling, being outside, and spending time with family and friends.
Madison Gilbert
MS CCC/SLP
Madison earned her Bachelor of Art and Master of Science degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders at Baylor University. She was introduced to the field of Speech Pathology during an internship working with kids with Autism Spectrum Disorder. She holds her Certificate of Clinical Competence with the American Speech, Language, and Hearing Association (ASHA), as well as a Texas speech-language pathology license.
She is experienced in diagnosing and treating speech, language, feeding, swallowing and cognitive disorders in toddlers, pre-school children, school-aged children and adults. She enjoys working with a collaborative team in advocating for early intervention. She is passionate about working with children and their families in meeting their functional communication goals!
Madison enjoys playing with her puppy, working out, traveling and finding new adventures in her hometown, Houston!
Meredith Grissett
COTA
Meredith joined the SPACE Therapy & Gym team in September 2020. She graduated from the University of Houston with her Bachelor of Science in Psychology. During undergraduate studies, she trained as a behavioral therapist implementing applied behavioral analysis and treating clients within the clinical and home settings.
She completed the Occupational Therapy Assistant program from HCC Coleman College for Health Sciences in the Texas Medical Center and has been a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant for 17 years. She has served the pediatric population of the greater Houston area within outpatient settings and private pediatric clinics. Meredith has developed individual and group based occupational therapy programs. Her professional career as a COTA has been dedicated to supporting children and their families using the DIRFloortime® Approach. She fully recognizes the importance of nurturing relationships and honoring individual differences in order to drive development.
Meredith is passionate about providing support for her patients and their families to ensure joyful and independent living. She has treated individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders, Sensory Processing Disorders, ADD/ADHD, Developmental Delay, Rett Syndrome, Down Syndrome, and other genetic and neurological disorders. Along with DIRFloortime®, she has extensive experience using sensory integration, augmentative communication, yoga for special needs children, and multisensory handwriting.
For fun, Meredith enjoys drawing and painting, nature walks, and spending quality time with her husband, son, and their two dogs. She believes that her role as a mother has provided her with the “parent perspective” to child development and functional living and has strengthened her desire to work within the field of occupational therapy.
Deondra Williams
MS CCC/SLP
Hello everyone! My name is Deondra Williams. I am a Speech- Language Pathologist of 6 years. I’m originally a Mississippi girl but moved to Texas 3 years ago. I began my career as an xray technician but my love for speech pathology quickly grew and soon changed my whole trajectory of life. I graduated from University of Southern Mississippi with my Masters of Science in 2015. Since the beginning of my career, feeding and swallowing were of such a huge interest to me. I began focusing on that area and truly found my passion within my field. From adults and geriatrics patients to babies in the NICU and everything in between, I know that I was placed in this field to make a difference in the lives of many.
I earned my first ASHA award for continuing education (ACE) in 2019 which can be contributed to by my love for helping kids in the area of feeding. I am officially trained in the use of Vital Stim Therapy and AEIOU: integrated approach to pediatric feeding.
In my 6 years as a Speech Pathologist I have gained knowledge and clinical experience in the areas of swallowing and feeding disorders, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Receptive-Expressive language disorders, articulation and phonological disorders, sensory and oral motor disorders as well as fluency disorders and the use of AAC.
When I’m not at work I enjoy hanging with my husband and our two sweet dogs, Hughston and Echo. I love getting out and learning about Houston’s rich culture and meeting new people. So far, Texas has won over our hearts indefinitely! On top of that, Houston has now given me an opportunity to work at a facility with infinite possibilities. So excited to be joining the SPACE speech and gym team!
Jordan Frye
MOT, OTR
Jordan joined the KCOT team in October of 2017. She has provided services for children with special needs and their families in pediatric clinics throughout Houston since 2012 and became a certified occupational therapy assistant in 2015.
She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Baylor University and an Associate of Applied Science degree from HCC Coleman College for Health Sciences in the Texas Medical Center. Jordan has 3 years of experience applying the DIRFloortime® Approach with children and families and has completed continuing education in DIRFloortime®, Sensory Integration, Integrated Listening Systems (iLs), bilateral coordination, and vestibular-proprioceptive activation.
She has been trained in the application of primitive reflex integration techniques including Masgutova Neurosensorimotor Integration (MNRI) and Rhythmic Movement Training (RMT), the Wilbarger Protocol of therapeutic brushing for sensory integration, the Handwriting Without Tears Ⓡ curriculum, and the Astronaut Training Protocol for vestibular-visual-auditory integration.
Jordan has several years of experience providing individualized care to infants, children and adolescents on the Autism Spectrum and with a wide variety of other developmental conditions. She values every member of the treatment team and views her role in the therapeutic process as that of a facilitator, with the children being her teachers and their caregivers, the experts.
Her passion is providing the highest quality of compassionate and personalized care in enabling each child to meet their fullest potential toward functional independence and equipping families with resources and strategies best suited to meet their unique needs.
Aly Hudec
MOT, OTR
Aly joined the KCOT team in February 2019. She graduated with a Bachelor of Behavioral and Brain Science degree in Child Learning and Development from the University of Texas at Dallas and earned her Master of Occupational Therapy degree from Texas Woman’s University in Denton.
She is a certified and licensed Occupational Therapist and it is her passion to provide top quality care for both the kiddos she works with, as well as their family. She has clinical experience with a variety of populations including Autism Spectrum Disorder, sensory processing disorders, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, ADD/ ADHD, Down Syndrome, developmental delays, etc.
She is enthusiastic about joining the KCOT team and supporting children and their families by providing unique, individualized treatment focusing on the child’s strengths while also challenging them to reach their fullest potential.
Donisa Barrett
MS, BCBA, LBA
Donisa Barrett earned her BS in Psychology from Langston University. A Masters in Psychology with a concentration in Applied Behavior Analysis from Purdue University Global. She has 5 years of experience providing ABA services to children on the Autism Spectrum ages 2-16 in both clinical and in-home settings.
She has received additional training in Social Thinking™ through the Social Thinking Mentorship program. She also has a true love for research and had an opportunity to co-author on a research study on Joint control.
Donisa is a passionate clinician dedicated to offering exemplary direct 1:1 ABA services and collaboration on a multidisciplinary team, to provide a dynamic framework for children and adolescents to learn emotional regulation, cooperative work and play skills, build and maintain friendships.
“If a child cannot learn in the way we teach, we must teach in a way a child can learn”- Dr. O lvar Lovaas
Gabrielle Eltanal
OTD
Gabbie joined the SPACE Therapy & Gym team in May 2022. She graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelors in Allied Health in 2017 and earned her Doctorate in Occupational Therapy from the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences in Austin, TX in December 2021.
Prior to attending OT school, Gabbie has had extensive experience working with children with autism and worked as a registered behavior technician for two years. She is passionate about providing quality care that encompasses value and meaning to not only the children, but their families as well. Gabbie has clinical experience in working with children with autism, Down Syndrome, oppositional defiant disorder, developmental delays, and other neurological conditions.
Gabbie is delighted to join the SPACE team and is eager to collaborate with the rest of the talented therapists to ensure individualized client-centered care through fun, engaging, and meaningful activities.
Anna Sheik
MOT, OTR
Anna joined the SPACE Therapy & Gym team in December 2021. She graduated from University of Houston with a Bachelors of Arts in Psychology and completed her Masters in Occupational Therapy at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in December of 2019. She spent most of her college and graduate years working in health care as a home health care provider for individuals across the lifespan.
She enjoys providing family-centered care with a focus on how culture and personal experiences play a role in creating meaningful relationships and daily life. She is looking forward to coaching clients and their caregivers on creative ways to improve quality of life and achieve individual goals. She has treated individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Hunter’s Syndrome, Arthrogryposis, Developmental Delay, Spinal Cord Injuries, TBIs, Down Syndrome and other developmental and neurological conditions.
Additionally to working with kids, Anna enjoys long walks throughout Target and Marshall Homegoods and spending time with family and friends on the weekends. She is looking forward to being a supportive clinician to families at SPACE.
Colleen O’Connor
PT, DPT
Colleen has over 4 years of pediatric physical therapy experience in multiple settings such as home health and clinic based, serving the infant to adolescent population with a variety of diagnoses ranging from developmental anomalies, musculoskeletal conditions, neurological diagnoses, chromosomal abnormalities, etc.
She has also worked with patients post sports injuries, spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and vestibular/balance dysfunctions.
Colleen develops personalized treatment plans according to the patients’ condition, response to various cues, lifestyle and severity of deficits. She enjoys being creative and developing a strong rapport with not only the child, but the family in order to promote optimal continuity of care and progress.
She has treated a large population of infants, and is passionate about working with kids to promote progress, appropriate gross motor development and likes creating a fun environment that doesn’t feel like work for this population!
Colleen is excited to begin working with such a great team to continue her professional growth and making a difference in patients’ lives!
Henry H. Chan
Financial Manager/MBA, CPA
Henry is an accounting, tax, and finance professional with over thirty years of experience in global treasury operations, including risk management at Compaq Computers, McDermott International (Houston, Texas) and Hewlett Packard Inc. (Palo Alto, California).
He jumped at the opportunity to work with and support such a strong team of dedicated speech and language specialists who love what they do. Henry is diligent in providing the highest quality finance and operational expertise and is excited to be a part of the Family First community.
Judy Nhan
Billing Manager
Judy is a Certified Coding Specialist. She joined Family First Speech & Kids Connect Occupational Therapy clinic as a Billing Manager in 2016. Judy has strong knowledge and experience with Medicaid and different commercial health insurance plans, specifically for pediatric therapy services.
In addition to her medical and billing experiences, she also has a wonderful way of adapting to her surroundings, even the most stressful environment. She uses her management skills and applications to solve difficult problems for both clients and staff members. Judy is an excellent addition to our team!
Jessica Luera
Intake Coordinator
Jessica joined the SPACE team this summer as our Intake Coordinator. Jessica, a Houston native, comes to us with incredible experience in leadership, family relations and early childhood education. In her past position, Jessica was a Co-Director of a preschool and was the “go-to” person, who kept things running smoothly. She brings her kind spirit and eagerness to learn to our SPACE team and thoroughly enjoys her role of meeting and welcoming new families. She is dedicated to making our new client onboarding a smooth process and always looks forward to helping new families learn about our services at SPACE.
In her free time Jessica enjoys spending time with family and exploring new restaurants in the city!
Dianna Mathis
Billing Assistant
Dianna comes to Space Therapy with 24 years of medical billing experience in both pediatric and sports medicine therapy practices. Her expertise includes billing and coding for commercial insurance, Medicaid, and managing billing questions from payers and patients with confidentiality. She has a strong work ethic and works well with others.
Additionally, she is the proud grandmother of a precious 11 year old grandson who was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and speech disorder at 24 months old. She has seen first hand the value and impact that pediatric therapies can have on a family both personally and financially. She is thrilled to join the Space Therapy team.
Amaree Curtis
Client Coordinator
I’m Amaree’ Curtis, I joined the SPACE team in September. Originally, I’m from Oklahoma. I recently moved to Houston from Minnesota to start a new life adventure! I’m beyond excited to be joining the SPACE team as the Client Coordinator. I have ten plus years of experience working in childcare along with working as an office manager for a few years. Working with children and families has always been a passion of mine! Building relationships with people is one of my strongest attributes and I look forward to building relationships with my co-workers and the families at SPACE.
In my free time I enjoy living a healthy lifestyle physically, mentally and spiritually. I love to juice, hang out with my friends and family and explore what the world has to offer.
Emilie Hoffart
MA, BCBA, LBA
Emilie earned her BS in Family and Child Development with minors in Psychology and Social Work from Texas State University. She was introduced to Applied Behavior Analysis through an internship during her last semester of college. She immediately fell in love with the field and went on to earn her Masters in Applied Behavior Analysis from Ball State University. Emilie has 7 years of experience providing clinical and in home ABA services to children on the Autism Spectrum.
Emilie is a lifelong learner who enjoys reading research articles, listening to podcasts, and watching webinars about all things ABA. She has a passion for training Registered Behavior Technicians to provide high quality therapy.
Emilie’s background in child development heavily influences her approach and has sparked her interest in working on a multidisciplinary team. She is passionate about providing high quality individualized therapy to each of her clients. Her specific interests are in the areas of “learning to learn” skills, functional communication, and play skills.
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