Paula founded CLASS, Inc. in 1998 in order to provide functional, meaningful and life enhancing speech therapy services to children and adults. Her passion for children is supported by an extensive background and experience in child development and speech-language-communication disorders, with in-depth training in apraxia of speech and autism spectrum disorders. Paula has worked as a special education preschool teacher, school-based speech language pathologist, and international consultant to families of children with autism spectrum disorders.
Paula has extensive training and experience in the treatment of autism spectrum disorders including: ABA, SCERTS, RDI, sensory integration and advanced FloorTime Training at the International Council for Learning Disabilities with Stanley Greenspan in Virginia. Over the last 30 years as a speech-language pathologist, Paula has also enjoyed success with feeding therapy, that CLASS, Inc. offers to children both individually and in small groups. She has developed ways to make feeding therapy fun and successful for even the most sensory sensitive children.
Paula received FEAT, Washington's "Reach for the Stars Educator of the Year" award. She has contracted with school districts locally and nationally to provide in-service training and expert support for staff working with children on the autism spectrum as well as direct services to children for whom successful therapy is especially challenging within the school district setting. Paula received the Childhood Apraxia of Speech Association's Speech-Language Professional of the Year.
Working with many children and adults who are non-verbal or minimally verbal spurred Paula to develop expertise in Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). Paula began her work in sophisticated computerized AAC systems in 1987, when the concept was in its infancy, and she continues to remain at the cutting edge of AAC research, assessment, and application. At CLASS, Inc., Paula provides both diagnostic assessments and therapy for children and adults who benefit from AAC in the form of picture boards, iPads and computerized speech generating devices. Paula shares her expertise world-wide as an international conference presenter and trainer.
Paula's work in AAC naturally led her to become interested in complex communication disorders across the lifespan. She is committed motivating, age-appropriate and meaningful activities that result in successful functional improvement in communication skills across home, community school and workplace.
Paula has served as the speech-language pathologist for the ASTAR Center, under the medical direction of neurologist Gary Stobbe, where she provided diagnostics, individualized therapy and social skills development groups for people with Autism. She has served on numerous professionally related boards, including the ASTAR scientific advisory board, and was a founding member and past president of the Pacific Northwest Augmentative Communication Society. Paula was a 2013 Women's Business Owner of the year finalist.
More recently, Paula has been enjoying presenting at prestigious national conferences including: GTBank National Autism Conference in Nigeria, The International Society of Augmentative and Alternative Communication in Cancun, 2022; Australia, 2018 and Canada, 2015, the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) annual convention, the Assistive Technology Industry Association annual conference and Closing the Gap yearly conference. |