Founder Deborah Modé is a bilingual licensed, certified speech and language pathologist who has worked in schools and early intervention programs for the city of Springfield, MA as well as for the Weldon Rehabilitation Center at Mercy Hospital. She is a member of the Communication Disorders and Sciences in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Populations division of the American Speech-Hearing Association. She obtains the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Education Educator’s License.
Deborah completed a Master’s of Science in Autism Spectrum Disorders in 2010 at Elms College. She is in the process of completing her practicum hours to obtain her certification as a behavior analyst. She maintains and improves her clinical competencies via continued education, professional development and program enhancement.
Deborah Jones brings to SLDCenter thirty years of working experience with young children and the past ten years in pediatric occupational therapy, specializing in sensory dysfunction and maladaptive feeding patterns. She currently works at the River Street Autism Program at Coltsville (Hartford, CT) treating children with autism. She provides consultation in feeding disorders and has created a successful behavioral food program that utilizes a formal hierarchical food presentation system with subtle modifications to currently accepted foods. Deborah has worked in a variety of settings including, public schools,early intervention, in-home health, as well as children with autism. She is currently enrolled in the University of Massachusetts-Lowell Behavior Analysis post-graduate program to pursue her certification.
Jacquie Sargent, MS, OTR/L is a licensed, certified occupational therapist who graduated from Worcester State College with a BS in Occupation Science and MS in Occupational Therapy. She has worked with children in the school setting as well as in a clinic-based setting. She is currently working and helping children with sensory processing difficulties, emotional regulation, handwriting as well as general fine-motor delays. She is a registered therapist in the states of Massachusetts and California as well as registered by the National Board Certified Occupational Therapy (NBCOT).
Sarah Gilmore is a licensed, certified speech language pathologist who received her bachelor and master degrees in Communication Disorders from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Sarah previously worked at the Northampton Rehabilitation and Nursing Center treating clients ranging in age from 6 months to 95 years old. She also has experience working in the school setting and early intervention setting. Sarah is a member of the American Speech-Hearing Association.
Debra Thompson ( speech Therapist)
Renée Rodriguez, our office manager, brings several years of billing experience to SLDCenter.
Christina Schneider, our office support specialist
Students & Interns
Kristen Hastings (Occupational Therapist)