Staff

Stefanie is a certified Pediatric Occupational Therapist with more than 25 years of experience in early intervention and pediatric therapies. Stefanie graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1992. She has worked in a hospital setting treating acute, rehab, and outpatient programs, as well as outpatient facilities. She has experience working with infants & children ages birth through 3 in the early intervention programs in Tennessee, Indiana, and Georgia areas. Most recently, Stefanie has worked with children primarily between the ages of 2 and 14 years, in the clinic setting, with Autism Spectrum Disorders, Developmental Delays, Cerebral Palsy, Traumatic Brain Injury, Sensory Processing Disorder, Learning Disabled, Cognitive Deficits, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Anxiety Disorder, ADHD, and Coordination Disorder. Stefanie has taken several post graduate courses on Sensory Integration, Neuro-developmental Treatment, Vision Therapy, Oral-motor and Feeding Issues in Pediatrics, Executive Functioning, and is trained in the Handwriting Without Tears Program, Interactive Metronome, as well as Therapeutic Listening and the Astronaut Training Program. Stefanie started Helping Hands Pediatric Therapy, Inc. in 2001 after moving to Georgia, primarily employing therapists to treat in early intervention. Her company has grown from this to providing both early intervention and clinic based therapy with over 10 therapists. Stefanie is the sole owner and director. She and her daughter live in Buford, GA.

Amanda and her husband, Derrick, live in Flowery Branch, Georgia. They welcomed a baby girl, Camdyn, in August 2019.  Amanda graduated with her master's degree in 2013 from Brenau University in Gainesville, Georgia. She has a lifetime of experience in the special needs community as she has been a volunteer for Special Olympics and various therapeutic camps throughout her childhood and college career. Amanda has experience in the school system as well as the private clinics. She enjoys working with children with various diagnoses, but has experience working with children ranged in age from 2-21 with Autism, Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, ADHD, Developmental Delays, seizure disorders, and various rare genetic disorders. She strives to provide the best services to her children as well as the families to allow life to be enjoyable!

Paige was born and raised in Gainesville, GA. After graduating from West Hall High School in 2005 she received a Softball Scholarship from Alabama Southern in Monroeville, AL. While in school she studied Early Childhood Education and graduated in 2007. She then moved to Mobile, AL to continue her education and ended up living there for 12 years. Living on the gulf coast was amazing and she spent numerous weekends and summers on the beautiful beaches of Pensacola, FL. She married her best friend in 2015 and they had a son together in July of 2016, which led them to move back to her hometown to be close to family.

She recently found out her son has special needs and that he needed therapy, this was a very difficult time for them, but the therapist they have worked with has brought them so much comfort and positivity. Through their experiences she is determined to learn as much as possible and help other parents and children like themselves to feel comforted and loved. She has worked in office administration for the past 10 years and truly enjoys what she does. Joining Helping Hands has been a blessing to her family and she enjoys being surrounded by the children and families that are just like themselves, along with the amazing therapists who are full of knowledge and encouragement.

Pam was born in Georgia. She Graduated in 1992 with Diploma in Practical Nursing from Gwinnett Technical. She then graduated in 2012 from Brenau
University with Master of Science in Occupational Therapy. Pam has volunteered work with adults and children with special needs in the community
for past 17 years. Her experience includes pediatrics & early Intervention. She is certified in the following therapies/programs:

• Interactive Metronome™
• Handwriting Without Tears Program™
• The Print Tool™
• Beckman Oral Motor™
• S.O.S. (Sequential-Oral-Sensory) Feeding Program™
• Completed level one mentor program with the Star Institute
Therapeutic Listening Program
Astronaut Training
Integrated Listening Systems (iLs)

Amanda and her husband, Derrick, live in Flowery Branch, Georgia. They welcomed a baby girl, Camdyn, in August 2019.  Amanda graduated with her master's degree in 2013 from Brenau University in Gainesville, Georgia. She has a lifetime of experience in the special needs community as she has been a volunteer for Special Olympics and various therapeutic camps throughout her childhood and college career. Amanda has experience in the school system as well as the private clinics. She enjoys working with children with various diagnoses, but has experience working with children ranged in age from 2-21 with Autism, Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, ADHD, Developmental Delays, seizure disorders, and various rare genetic disorders. She strives to provide the best services to her children as well as the families to allow life to be enjoyable!

Ali Davis is a national certified and state licensed Speech-Language Pathologist with 15 years+ of pediatric speech therapy experience. A long-time resident of Buford, she loves giving back to the community she has called home for so long. Ali attended the University of Georgia for her undergraduate degree and Georgia State University for her master’s degree. She has experience treating infants, children, and adolescents with a wide variety of speech and language disorders including: Autism Spectrum Disorders, Hearing Loss, Childhood Apraxia of Speech, Articulation, Phonology, Expressive and Receptive Language Disorders, Fluency Disorders, Social Language/Pragmatic Language Disorders, Language-Based Literacy Disorders, Central Auditory Processing Disorders, and Oral Motor/Feeding Disorders. She enjoys working with children with a variety of etiologies and across a wide range of ages and has a real heart for pediatrics. Ali and her hubby Chris have two precious little ones, Cooper and Finley Jane, who keep them smiling and on their toes. Ali is honored to be part of the speech therapy team at Helping Hands Pediatric Therapy Clinic!

Tracy is a certified Speech-Language Pathologist with over 28 years experience serving patients ranging from birth to 21 years of age in the pediatric private practice setting.  She was born in North Carolina into a military family, and while they moved frequently, grew up in the “Aloha State” of Hawaii.  Tracy received her Bachelor and Master degrees from The Florida State University.  She has extensive training, including but not limited to the areas of:  oral motor/placement techniques (Sara Rosenfeld-Johnson/TalkTools OPT; Debra Beckman’ Oral Motor Protocol); myofunctional therapy (Sandra Holtzman’s “Myo Manual” - OROFACIAL MYOLOGY: From Basics to Habituation); feeding therapy (Cheri Fraker, Laura Walbert, & Sibyl Cox’s Food-Chaining Courses I, II, & III; Kay Toomey’s SOS Approach to Feeding); DSE’s See and Learn visually-based teaching programs which support development in four key areas - speech, language and reading, number and memory skills - through the early years and into primary school. They are designed to meet the additional learning needs of children with Down syndrome with practical, developmentally appropriate and individualized teaching activities, however benefit children across diagnoses; and Signing Time! - Baby Signing.  Tracy is excited to have the opportunity to serve the Buford and surrounding areas here at Helping Hands Pediatric Therapy.

Making a difference…one child at a time, inspired by The Starfish Story

Deinna was born and raised right here in Buford, Georgia where she and her husband, Randy, still reside. They are proud parents of two grown sons and welcomed their first grandchild into the family in 2020. She’ll probably have a few pics to share if you ask her:)  Deinna graduated summa cum laude from The University of Georgia with her bachelor’s degree in communication sciences and disorders and master’s  degree in Speech-Language Pathology. She is licensed in the state of Georgia and maintains her certificate of clinical competence with the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. She began her career 28 years ago in the Gwinnett County School System and has also worked for Lakeview Academy in Gainesville, GA and for Buford City Schools. Deinna currently works full-time for Gwinnett County Schools and part-time for Helping Hands. Her time spent in the public and private school sector has provided much experience writing and implementing individualized education plans (IEPs) assisting students in their communication development and academic growth. She has served pre-school through high-school populations and has experience with a variety of communication deficits including articulation, phonological, language, and fluency (stuttering). Deinna is passionate about making a real difference in the lives of the children she treats!

Julia is a certified speech-language pathologist with her Bachelor’s in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of Georgia and her masters in Speech Language Pathology from Armstrong State Atlantic. Julia has clinical experience with both pediatric and adult therapy. She has worked in outpatient neurorehabilitation and in elementary through high-school education. Julia has served on the PCORI Autism Advisory Board through the Emory School of Nursing, focusing on transition supports for individuals on the autism spectrum. Julia has assessed, diagnosed, and treated pediatric patients with a variety of disorders and special needs such as Trisomy 21, cerebral palsy, autism, apraxia of speech and severe developmental delay. Julia is also certified in Beckman Oral Motor assessment and intervention techniques for feeding

Cindy has been an occupational therapist for 23 years. She earned her BS degree in Exceptional Education from the University of South Florida and her MSOT in Occupational Therapy at Florida International University. In 2011, Cindy completed her Doctorate in Occupational Therapy at St. Augustine University. She has worked for 23 years for the Dekalb County School System and began working at Helping Hands Pediatric Therapy clinic in May 2012. Cindy has experience working with children and young adults ages 3 years through 22 with ASD, Developmental Delays, Cerebral Palsy, Traumatic Brain Injury, Sensory Processing Disorder, Learning Disabled, Cognitive Deficits, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Anxiety Disorder, ADHD, and Coordination Disorder.

She and her husband, Steve, live in Suwanee. She has two children; her daughter Callie Jo is a student at GGC and her son Colin attend North Gwinnett High School. Cindy is originally from Florida and is an avid Florida Gators, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tampa Bay Lightning and Tampa Bay Rays fan.

Rachel Shotwell has worked as an Occupational Therapist since 2016. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Brenau University in 2010. She returned to Brenau University and graduated with a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy in 2015. Rachel has experience working with children and adults with a variety of conditions including Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, Developmental Delay, sensory processing issues, coordination and fine motor deficits, and chronic/persistent mental illnesses. Rachel uses a holistic approach to treatment and feels privileged to work with children and their families. She has completed continuing education in various pediatric topics and is certified in Therapeutic Listening and Sequential Oral Sensory (SOS) approach to feeding. Rachel is a licensed Occupational Therapist in the state of Georgia and registered by the National Board of Occupational Therapy.

Jennifer received her Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science from Georgia State University and completed her Master’s Degree in Occupational Therapy in 2013 at Augusta University (formerly Medical College of Georgia). Jennifer completed training in local school systems, hospitals, and outpatient clinics while volunteering for the Miracle League and Camp TBI. She specializes in pediatric therapy services for a variety of diagnoses including Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, sensory processing, and other developmental delays.

Jennifer is certified in the following therapies/programs:
• S.O.S. (Sequential-Oral-Sensory) Feeding Program
• Therapeutic Listening
• Interactive Metronome

Jennifer also has experience utilizing the Handwriting Without Tears Program and the Zones of Regulation curriculum. She has specialized training for the treatment of fine motor and visual motor skills as well as sensory integration and reflex integration.  Jennifer is licensed in Georgia and registered by the National Board of Occupational Therapy.  Jennifer enjoys spending time with her husband and kids. They enjoy going to the beach, going to concerts, and traveling.

Erin Burge, MS CCC-SLP is a national certified and state licensed Speech-Language Pathologist with 10 years of pediatric experience in a variety of settings . A recent member of the Buford community she is thrilled to build relationships with families in Buford. Erin attended Berry College for her undergraduate degree and East Carolina University for her master’s degree. She has experience treating infants, children, and adolescents with a wide variety of speech and language disorders. She enjoys working with children of all ages and especially loves working with kiddos who have pragmatic deficits related to Autism Spectrum Disorder. Erin and her husband Cory have six kids (a blended family with 3 kids each, think Brady Bunch). In her free time, just kidding- she has six kids there is no free time! Erin is excited to join the speech therapy team at Helping Hands Pediatric Therapy Clinic.

Cheryl Miller comes to Helping Hands Pediatric Therapy as a seasoned therapist with over 30 years of experience in pediatrics in a variety of multi-disciplinary settings.  Cheryl is a graduate of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill with degrees in Psychology and Physical Therapy. She has extensive knowledge and skills of evaluation, treatment, and education of children ages birth to 21 years.  Her areas of expertise are neuromuscular disorders, cardiopulmonary disorders; musculoskeletal disorders; pain management; and genetics.  Cheryl holds the position of Co-President of the Physical Therapy Assistant Program at Lanier Technical College and has been mentoring students from many schools throughout her career.  Cheryl is working on community development and program development for Helping Hands.  Some of Cheryl’s other interests include her fur-babes; cooking; crafting; photography; and traveling.

Kelita is a nationally registered and Georgia licensed occupational therapist serving the pediatric population. She  earned a bachelor's degree in Neuroscience from Brigham Young University and a master's degree in Occupational Therapy from Augusta University. Kelita has volunteered at Mustard Seeds Communities, a group home for adults and children with disabilities in Jamaica, and Steps of Grace, a dance group for kids with special needs. She has completed additional training in the Handwriting Without Tears and SOS Feeding programs. Kelita enjoys being outdoors, doing yoga and Zumba, and cooking.

Taylor Harrington is a state and nationally licensed speech language pathologist. Taylor attended Valdosta State University for her undergraduate degree and for her master’s degree. She has experience treating toddlers, children, teenagers and geriatrics with a wide variety of speech and language disorders including: autism spectrum disorders, articulation, phonology, expressive and receptive language disorders, fluency disorders, and social language/pragmatic language disorders. Taylor was previously a speech therapist in a school-system and understands IEPs, RTI, and the school system process. Taylor specializes in augmentative alternative communication devices ranging from low tech to high tech. She is trained with LAMP Words for Life and TouchChat software for high tech AAC devices. She also loves doing early language therapy with toddlers. During her free time Taylor enjoys distance running, hiking, and being outdoors.

Natalia Montalvo Ayala, M.S. CF-SLP, is a state-licensed Speech-Language Pathologist working towards national certification through ASHA. Natalia attended The University of Georgia for her undergraduate degree in Human Development and Family Science and Albizu University—Miami Campus for her Masters in Speech and Language Pathology. Born in Puerto Rico and raised in Georgia, she is fully
bilingual and proficient in both Spanish and English. Natalia has experience working with children of all ages from toddlers to adolescents, adults, and geriatrics with a variety of disorders and special needs. Her clinical experience includes treating expressive and receptive language disorders, social-pragmatic language disorders, articulation, phonological disorders, and voice. During her free time, she loves
traveling, watching and attending sporting events, and spending time with her family!

Natalia moved back to Georgia to fulfill a need in the community as a bilingual speech pathologist. She is happy to be back in the Buford/Sugar Hill area and excited to be a part of the Helping Hands family!

Alison has been an Occupational Therapist for 25 years. She received her B.S. in Occupational Therapy from Howard University in 1996. She received a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Southern Indiana in 1993. Alison has worked in hospital, acute rehab, outpatient, skilled nursing, home health, early intervention, and school system settings. She has worked with children birth to 3 in early intervention programs in Washington, D.C. and Metro Atlanta.

She has experience working with varying diagnosis of ages 0-24. Alison enjoys working with the families and her colleagues to assist the child in being successful. Alison lives in the Buford City community with her three sons. Alison is excited to be serving families and children in the Buford community.

Kacee Green graduated from Brenau University in 2019 with a Doctorate of Physical Therapy degree. Since graduation, Kacee has concentrated on pediatric physical therapy, yet also provides physical therapy services in geriatrics as well. In such a short time, Kacee has gained clinical experience in genetic and chromosomal disorders, musculoskeletal disorders, neuromuscular disorders, and general gross motor delay caused from sequalae of prematurity, failure to thrive, and childhood infections. Kacee evaluates and treats with a whole-body approach that combines knowledge and understanding of localized anatomy within the context of full body structure, function, and movement. She works to restore compromised stability, strength, mobility, and movement patterning through a variety of progressive exercises, manual techniques, and well, through play. Kacee enjoys building rapport with her patients and their families, and assisting children in progression towards activities they want to do and have potential to do. She finds pediatric caregiver burden an important topic of interest. In her free time, Kacee enjoys spending time with her dogs, outdoor activities, and being a mom.

Christina is a Speech-Language Pathologist who received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia (Gooo Dawgs!) and her Master’s in Communication Disorders from Auburn University. She’s had the pleasure of working with both children and adults in various settings, including the school system, private practice, outpatient rehab, and skilled nursing facilities. While she loves working with all populations, pediatrics is her favorite! When she is not working, she enjoys spending time with her friends and family, reading, and traveling.

Lindsey has worked as an Occupational Therapist for over 10 years. She earned her Masters of Science in Occupational Therapy at Brenau University In 2009. Lindsey has experience working with children with varying diagnoses from birth to 21 years old.  She has worked within the pediatric inpatient hospital setting, home based therapy, k-12 school based therapy as well as pediatric outpatient therapy/ private clinic settings. She enjoys collaborating with patients and families together as well as using the multi-disciplinary approach.  Lindsey and her husband live, work and volunteer in the local community with their 3 young and very active boys.

Jonathan is graduating from Peachtree Ridge High School in 2021 and he is planning on attending college and then medical school to become a doctor . Among helping with administrative duties, he also helps with translation for Spanish speaking parents and assists parents with any questions that they might have . He currently lives in Buford, and his favorite free time activity is fishing .

Tracy was born and raised in Flowery Branch, Georgia, and has been married to her high school sweetheart Hank for over 39 years. She has one daughter, a daughter-in-law and a grandson. Tracy worked in the insurance industry for 21 years before deciding to retire. After retiring she decided to help care for her grandson, after her daughter moved back home from Alabama. Tracy’s grandson is on the Autism Spectrum and started receiving speech, occupational and physical therapy services from Helping Hands in 2018. Tracy has been amazed by the progress her grandson has made, thanks to the amazing, caring and exceptional staff at Helping Hands.  So, when the opportunity to join the administrative staff was presented, Tracy did not hesitate to take the position. In her free time Tracy enjoys watching HGTV, going to the beach any chance she gets and spending time with her family.

Jennifer Mitchell, M.S., CCC-SLP is a nationally certified and state licensed Speech-Language Pathologist with over 10 years of experience. Jen has worked both in the private school and the private practice settings treating kids of all ages with a variety of needs. The private schools that she worked at were for students with significant language-based learning disabilities, including dyslexia. She specializes in phonological disorders, auditory processing disorders, language-based learning disabilities, nonverbal learning disabilities, and social skills. She has taken several trainings with Michelle Garcia Winner focused on the “Social Thinking!” program. Both her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees are from the University of New Hampshire. She loves living in warm and sunny Georgia after spending most of her life in the freezing cold of New England. Jen is the single mom of a college student who received speech and language therapy from birth through high school. A recent empty-nester, Jen is loving working with kids at Helping Hands in her free time!

Kayla was born and raised in Gainesville, Ga. Kayla attended East Hall High School where she played basketball, and was a part of the school’s Wind Symphony and Marching Band. During her senior of high school, Kayla decided to further her career by obtaining her Child Development Associate in Infant and Toddler-based Center Care where she has spent most of her professional career teaching in a childcare setting at TLC Childcare, Inc. and at SISU Integrated Early Learning (also known as Challenged Child and Friends). While she doesn’t have any of her own, Kayla enjoys working with, loving on, and learning with children from all walks of life. She acknowledges that adults can learn just as much, if not more, from children and how we can meet and extend past their needs. Kayla is passionate about children and their development. Kayla has 9+ years of experience serving children and their families. During her down time, Kayla enjoys spending time with her four-legged baby, her 6-year-old Shih-Tzu, Tiana LaShae, and binging a good TV show on Netflix. Kayla is excited to be joining the Helping Hands family and hopes to inspire, encourage, and love the families she will meet through Helping Hands.

Lynette was born and raised in Belzoni Mississippi where she lived until 2005, when she got married and moved to the Georgia area.  She has 2 two sweet girls. She graduated high school in 2000, and graduated from Medical Assistant in 2012 . She has been mostly a stay home mom. Lynette is a people person & easy going, and enjoys the interaction that she has with parents and clients at Helping Hands.

Vanessa was born in California and raised in Gainesville, GA. She is fully bilingual and proficient in both Spanish and English. Among helping with administrative duties, she also assists with translations for Spanish speaking parents and helps them with any questions that they might have. In her free time she enjoys going to the lake, traveling, and spending time with her  family.

Jennifer was born and raised in Bradenton Fl, she moved to Georgia in 2005. Jennifer has worked several different jobs over the years, from customer service manager to CNA. She is a wife and mother of 4. Her youngest is 2 and currently receives occupational and speech therapy at Helping Hands, she has seen a huge difference in Braelyn since beginning therapy at Helping Hands  in 2020. She is very excited for her position at Helping Hands and absolutely loves seeing all the kiddos and their families coming in each day for therapy. It is such a rewarding experience seeing  the difference in each child since beginning their treatment.