Jodi Negrin, Owner, Speech/Language Pathologist
jodi@soundchildrenstherapy.com

As the owner of Sound Children’s Therapy Clinic, Jodi makes it her mission that all clients and their families that come through the door for therapy services are provided with the highest level of care in a caring, professional, and relaxed environment. She prides herself on fostering and maintaining a close-knit, dedicated, professional team of therapists and employees which then translates to a high-level of service provided to the clients.

Jodi is a speech/language pathologist. She is a proud graduate of the University of Washington with a Bachelor of Science in Speech and Hearing sciences and Master of Science in Speech/Language Pathology (1998). Jodi is licensed as a speech/language pathologist in the State of Washington and has been a longstanding member of the American Speech/Language/Hearing Association. Throughout her career, Jodi has worked as a pediatric speech/language pathologist (SLP) serving children in a variety of settings including private clinics, home-based, and public schools.

Outside of work, Jodi enjoys spending time with her husband and three sons, cooking, watching movies, and exercising (she can often be found at the local Orangetheory Fitness studio!). She believes in working hard but also in carving out time for self-care, relaxation, and spending time with family and friends.

In September 2020, Jodi sat down with Emily Swank from Autism Assistant to discuss the services Sound Children’s Therapy provides to children on the Autism spectrum. However, the information is useful for all parents who are seeking services at Sound Children’s Therapy Clinic. Click here to view the full interview.

Vera Girard, Client Relations Manager
vgirard@soundchildrenstherapy.com

Vera is our Client Relations Manager and she is often the first friendly face or voice our clients see or hear!

Vera has worked in the legal field for many years, but made the switch to the medical field in 2014. She is an integral part of our team and particularly enjoys working at Sound, getting to know and meet all the families that come through our doors.

In her spare time, Vera enjoys spending as much time as possible in the sun, when it decides to shine in the Pacific Northwest. She usually takes 3 or 4 camping trips a year with her family. She also likes to read and go to the movies with her daughter.

Tara Jesson, Lead Occupational Therapist, OTR/L
tjesson@soundchildrenstherapy.com

Tara is our clinical team lead and an occupational therapist. She received her BS in Occupational Therapy from Texas Women’s University. Her additional training includes the areas of: sequential oral sensory therapy; visual and perceptual deficits; sensory defensiveness and diet; and anxiety disorders. Her interests and expertise include feeding therapy, muscle strengthening and tone normalization, and functional activities as a tool to achieving therapy outcomes.

In her time outside of work, Tara enjoys hiking in the Summer and skiing in the Winter. Golf is another outdoor activity that she has found a passion for and is trying to improve her golf swing. She loves reading, musicals, and concerts. Tara relishes trying out new restaurants with her husband and friends and balances that with Orange Theory Fitness classes!

Ruhama Bestavros, MOT, OTR/L
rbestavros@soundchildrenstherapy.com

Ruhama is an Occupational Therapist. She received a BS in Biology with a minor in Psychology (2008) from the University of Texas Pan-American, a BS in Healthcare Services (2013) and an MS in Occupational Therapy (2013) from the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX. Her additional training includes Certification in Pediatric Kinesio Taping, continuing education in neurological deficits, and feeding. Her professional interests include birth to three, feeding across the lifespan, and neuro-developmental treatment.

Ruhama is an experienced bilingual therapist who is fluent in English and Spanish. She has been treating pediatric clients in both home health and outpatient settings. She specializes in treating children with Autism, developmental delays, feeding difficulties, and sensory processing disorders. In her personal time, Ruhama enjoys hiking, skiing, running, playing sports, traveling, spending time with her family, and attending music concerts.

Karen Cherry, AAS, COTA/L
kcherry@soundchildrenstherapy.com

Karen has experience working with children who have Cerebral Palsy, Autism, PDD-NOS, visual perceptual impairments, TBI, seizure disorders, developmental delays, craniosacral therapy, and sensory integration dysfunction. Her primary interest is pediatrics after multiple internships in pediatric outpatient settings. Karen graduated from the Occupational Therapy Assistant Program at Lake Washington Technical College in 2011.

Karen has two grown children. She enjoys hiking, working out, reading, continuing education, and spending time with her family.

Abigail (Abby) LePage, OT
alepage@soundchildrenstherapy.com

Abby graduated with her Master’s in Occupational Therapy from the University of Washington in 2020. Originally from Boise, Idaho, Abby graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Boise State University in 2016 before moving to Washington. While in graduate school, Abby gained experience in Constraint Induced Movement Therapy, creating sensory friendly public spaces and completed a capstone project about the Xbox Adaptive Controller. Abby completed a Fieldwork in a pediatric clinic where she worked with clients of various ages and diagnoses such as Autism, developmental delay and cerebral palsy.

In her free time, Abby enjoys running, biking, rock climbing and trying out new restaurants in Seattle with her husband.

Jill Manasco, OT
jmanasco@soundchildrenstherapy.com

Jill studied Occupational Therapy at San Jose State University, graduating in 1999. She has been a pediatric practitioner her entire career. She has worked in private clinics and school districts. Jill is formally trained in Handwriting Without Tears, The Alert Program and The Listening Program. Jill’s love of animals (specifically dogs) led her to her most recent interest:
Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT).

Jill chose Occupational Therapy as her career, as it combines her love of continuous learning, medicine and teaching. She loves educating parents and helping children learn and grow to become their best selves!

Outside of her work, Jill is a devoted Mom to two teens! They share their home with a very furry and fun loving Golden Retriever named Maci. You can find Jill and her family on the weekends (rain or shine) at the baseball field, and in their spare time exploring Washington state trails, camping, and chasing sunsets!

Melanie Boehler, PT
mboehler@soundchildrenstherapy.com

Melanie graduated with her doctorate in physical therapy from the University of Southern California in 2015. She is a native of the Pacific Northwest, and moved back to the Seattle area immediately after graduation.

She is a licensed physical therapist in the state of Washington, and an ongoing member of the American Physical Therapy Association. While the majority of her career has been spent treating a wide age-range of patients in the hospital setting, Melanie has always had a passion for working with children.

Melanie is a proud mother of two young boys, and lives with her family in Issaquah. She is a former professional dancer of a local dance company, and remains dedicated to an active lifestyle.

Melanie believes that each child deserves the best care available, and is honored to get to be a part of your children’s lives.

Jagruti Hambir, PT, MHS, CIMI
jhambir@soundchildrenstherapy.com

Jagruti is a pediatric Physical Therapist who has been practicing for about 12 years. She graduated with a Bachelor’s in PT in 2006 from India and a Master’s in Health Sciences from University of Indianapolis in 2012. Throughout her career, she has worked in a variety of settings like Early Intervention, Pre-school, Pediatric Outpatient. Outpatient Ortho, Skilled Nursing Facilities, Assisted Living Facilities, and Cardiac Rehab. She always had a passion to work with kids and help them lead a quality life. Her motto as a Physical Therapist is “Adding quality to life and not just years to life.” She feels blessed to be able to touch her patients’ lives and make a difference.

Jagruti has immense knowledge and skills in treating preemies and babies with developmental delays, Torticollis, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, toe walking, spina bifida, and many more. She specializes in Torticollis and believes in a gentler, holistic approach for treating this population. Jagruti is also certified in Infant and Baby massage through the WINC, USA.

Outside of the clinic, Jagruti enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, cooking and exploring different cuisines.

Grace Kershaw, Lead Speech/Language Pathologist, SLP
gkershaw@soundchildrenstherapy.com

Grace is a Speech Language Pathologist. Originally from North Carolina, she graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Minor in Speech and Hearing Sciences. After moving out west, Grace earned her Master of Science in Speech and Hearing Sciences in 2017 from Washington State University.

Grace has worked with clients of all ages and with a variety of communication disorders but has particular interest in social/pragmatic communication, early language intervention, and in working with children who use augmentative and alternative communication devices.

In her spare time, Grace enjoys hiking, camping, traveling, and spending quality time with her friends, family, and dog.

Kristen Leucuta, SLP-CF
kleucuta@soundchildrenstherapy.com

Kristen is a Speech Language Pathologist (Clinical Fellow), originally from Illinois. In 2016, she graduated from the University of Kansas with a Bachelor of Arts in Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences and a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics. Kristen then moved to Idaho where she completed her Master of Science in Speech Language Pathology in 2020. She is very excited to begin her Clinical Fellowship at Sound Children’s Therapy.

Kristen has worked with clients of varying ages with a variety of communication disorders including Autism Spectrum Disorders, articulation/phonological disorders, voice disorders, swallowing/feeding disorders, receptive/expressive language disorders, and fluency disorders. Her additional interests and expertise consist of swallowing/feeding therapy, voice disorders, and fluency disorders including stuttering and cluttering.

Outside of clinic, Kristen enjoys exploring local coffee shops, cooking, traveling, and playing board games.