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.

Vera Girard, Clinic Operations Manager
vgirard@soundchildrenstherapy.com

Vera is our Clinic Operations 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, OT Project Coordinator, 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 loves event planning and is also the social coordinator for all the “fun” stuff at Sound!

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. Ruhama also has specialized training in working with infants with feeding challenges (breastfeeding, poor latch, bottle feeding) and in infant/toddler feeding challenges with transition to solid foods. In her personal time, Ruhama enjoys hiking, skiing, running, playing sports, traveling, spending time with her family, and attending music concerts.

Christian Eustaquio, COTA
christian@soundchildrenstherapy.com

Christian is a recent graduate of Lake Washington Institute of Technology’s Occupational Therapy Assistant program. He completed his field work at Sound Children’s Therapy where he worked with clients of various ages and diagnoses including autism, developmental delay, and selective mutism. Christian found a particular interest in helping clients with handwriting, feeding, and sensory regulation strategies.

Christian has ten years of experience in a wide breadth of healthcare roles, including surgical technologist, pre- and post-surgical nursing assistant, and EKG technician.
In his free time, Christian likes to read, practice meditation, and play video games with his wife.

Christina Kwon, OTR/L
ckwon@soundchildrenstherapy.com

Christina is a born and raised Seattle-ite, graduating from the University of Washington with her Bachelor’s in Biology and Psychology in 2017 and with her Master’s in Occupational Therapy in 2021. Between her undergraduate and graduate education, Christina worked in various pediatric settings as a paraeducator in schools and as a Behavior Technician where she enjoyed working with a neurodiverse population.

Christina completed her fieldwork placements in a clinical setting working with adults recovering from neurological injuries and in a clinical pediatric setting, where she worked with clients of various ages and a large breadth of diagnoses ranging from cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, and developmental delay. She is passionate about client-centered care and strives to deliver collaborative, individualized care for each of her clients and caregivers.

In her free time, you can find Christina hiking, baking, or finding new coffee shops with her husband!

Mallika Palecanda, OTR/L
mpalecanda@soundchildrenstherapy.com

Mallika is an occupational therapist. She graduated with her Master’s in Occupational Therapy from the University of Washington in 2021. Originally from California, she received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from University of California, Santa Cruz. Between her undergraduate and graduate education Mallika spent time working with adults with developmental delay, and Autism, both in the United Kingdom and the United States. She enjoys working with a neurodiverse population and is passionate about supporting neurodiversity across the lifespan. Mallika completed her Fieldwork rotation in a clinical and school-based pediatric setting working with clients with a variety of diagnoses including Autism, developmental delay, and pediatric stroke recovery.

In her free time Mallika enjoys rock climbing, baking, and exploring Seattle’s many libraries!

Cassandra Seale, COTA/L
cseale@soundchildrenstherapy.com

Cassandra graduated from Brown Mackie’s Occupational Therapy Assistant program in Arizona in 2014, and then earned her Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Grand Canyon University in Arizona in 2016.

She has worked as an OTA in Arizona, California, Virginia, and Washington, and volunteered at a children’s orphanage in Cambodia. She has served a diverse population of clients in the mental health and physical health settings, from beginning to end of life care. Her professional interests include emotional regulation strategies and sensory integration.

Cassandra enjoys spending time with her husband, who serves in the US Coast Guard, and her three busy children.

Grace Neff, Lead SLP & Assistant Director
gneff@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.

Grace has recently relocated to North Carolina to be closer to family, and is working remotely. She is available to see clients via teletherapy and also remotely mentors and leads the Speech/Language Pathology Team.

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

Emma Jones, SLP
ejones@soundchildrenstherapy.com

Emma graduated with her Master of Science in Speech Language Pathology from the University of Montana in 2021. Originally from Wisconsin, she received her Bachelor of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders in 2019 from the University of Wisconsin Eau-Claire.

Between graduate school and her clinical fellowship year, she has worked with clients across the life span with a variety of communication disorders. She has a passion for supporting the neurodiverse population, early language intervention, childhood apraxia of speech and working with children who use augmentative and alternative communication devices.

In her free time, Emma enjoys trail running, rock climbing, backpacking with her dog and making jewelry.

Erin Lemonds, M.S, CF-SLP
elemonds@soundchildrenstherapy.com

Erin is completing her clinical fellowship year at Sound Children’s Therapy. She recently graduated from the University of Washington with a Master of Science in Medical Speech Language Pathology. She has experience working with children of all ages and a variety of diagnoses. These include language, articulation, pragmatic, and fluency disorders, as well as autism and other developmental disorders. Erin is also proficient in ASL (American Sign Language). She is passionate about making her services accessible and personalized to each client and their caregivers.

Erin is originally from Oregon, grew up on the east coast, and is now happy to call Seattle home. In her spare time she enjoys hiking, playing guitar, and going to the beach.

Kate Johnson, SLP
kjohnson@soundchildrenstherapy.com

Kate has been a pediatric speech-language pathologist for 5 years, working in the school district and clinic settings. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Communicative Sciences and Disorders (with a minor in Early Childhood Education) from Saint Mary’s College in Indiana and her Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Washington. Kate enjoys working with children and their families to help them progress in their communication skills.

Kate hails from Los Angeles, CA and has lived in the Seattle area for 7 years. She enjoys exploring new places, going to the beach, biking, listening to music, and going to concerts.