Connections Speech & Language, LLC

I'm a rather unusual presence in the field of speech-language pathology, since less than 4% of practitioners are male– I'm officially proud of my membership in the unofficial League Of Extraordinary Speech Pathology Gentlemen! Collaboration with parents and other specialists is key in my practice, since my perspective is limited to what I know and observe. I am grateful for the intimate knowledge and experience parents bring, and seek out the information and strategies that other professionals have to share. Having grown up in Bend and married early, I already had a growing family when I began to study communication disorders. I completed an online graduate program through Western Kentucky University while living in Bend and working for the Bend-La Pine School District as an educational assistant. I was fortunate to find an opening in the district and begin my career in Bend upon graduation. I extended my experience base in January of 2017 when I began working in private practice also, and have loved the time I'm able to spend with parents in the therapeutic process. My strengths are in making connections with clients and families, ensuring that their perspectives and values are honored. I have developed interests and strengths in speech sound disorders, complex communication needs (AAC), and language disorders. Most notably, I've become a local resource for families seeking guidance in literacy (reading and writing), executive functions, and fluency (stuttering, cluttering). I love being with my wife and 4 children (and daughter-in-law!), and every now and then I enjoy skiing, snow-shoeing, canoeing on the Deschutes River and Cascade Lakes, and anything related to classic cars!