Leadership

Stephanie Coe, OTR/L, SWC, PAM, LEC

aMAYZing Kids Co-Founder and Clinical Director
Hailey Mayz Foundation Medical Advisory Board Member

Stephanie has extensive experience in pediatrics with evaluation and treatment of sensory processing disorders, pervasive developmental disorders (including autism), feeding and swallowing difficulties, fine-motor deficits, and developmental delays. Her specialized training includes advanced practice in feeding and swallowing (SWC), vital-stimulation certification, advanced practice in physical agent modalities (PAM), and advanced training in the SOS approach to feeding. She is certified in administering the Sensory Integration and Praxis Tests (SIPT), as well as the Therapeutic Listening program and astronaut training. Her qualifications include a B.S in occupational therapy from Thomas Jefferson University and a B.S. in psychology from Drexel University in Pennsylvania. Stephanie enjoys traveling and spending time with her husband, her two children, and her dog.

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Michelle Dilts, MS

aMAYZing Kids Co-Founder and Clinical Director
Hailey Mayz Foundation Medical Advisory Board Member

Michelle is a versatile therapist with diverse skills in teaching and infant care. She has a B.S. from Villanova University and a master’s degree in education from Fordham University. She taught elementary school for 15 years and now specializes in helping children with severe cognitive and language delays, assessing patients with the HELP, Rossetti and DAYC assessments. She is a hands-on partner with parents, and has completed coursework in child development and special education. Michelle has additional experience in marketing and advertising. Michelle enjoys camping and spending time at home with her husband and her two daughters.

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Kathy Morrison

Clinic Volunteer

Board Member, Hailey Mayz Foundation

Kathy is a friend of the Hailey Mayz Foundation.   She was an integral part of setting up important office policy and procedures and is a member of the board.  Over the years, she has volunteered at various aMAYZing Kids events and has spent countless hours working at the clinic.  Kathy has recently relocated back to California and is enjoying retirement with her husband.

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Mazie Stempkowski

Clinic Volunteer

Board Member, Hailey Mayz Foundation

Mazie is Hailey’s grandmother as well as a volunteer at aMAYZing Kids.  She enjoys seeing the legacy of her granddaughter live on through the clinic.

Wendy Vassilaros

Board Member, Hailey Mayz Foundation

Wendy is the mother of four children: three girls and a boy. Hailey Mayz is her second child. Although she doesn’t have much free time, when she does, she loves to volunteer and help out with the clinic. Wendy has a master’s degree in education with a minor in human and child development. After teaching elementary school for several years, she decided to take some time off to be a full-time stay-at-home mom. She also writes a blog journaling her experiences with the grief of losing a child. http://haileyshalo.blogspot.com

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AK Therapy Dog

Lulu

The sweetest and amayzing therapy dog ever!!!

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Occupational Therapy

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Stephanie Coe, OTR/L, SWC, PAM, LEC

Occupational Therapist (OTR/L)

 Feeding Specialist, Swallow Certified

Stephanie has extensive experience in pediatrics with evaluation and treatment of sensory processing disorders, pervasive developmental disorders (including autism), feeding and swallowing difficulties, fine-motor deficits, and developmental delays. Her specialized training includes advanced practice in feeding and swallowing (SWC), vital-stimulation certification (NMES), advanced practice in physical agent modalities (PAM), Lactation education consultant (LEC) and advanced training in the SOS approach to feeding. She is certified in administering the Sensory Integration and Praxis Tests (SIPT), as well as the Therapeutic Listening program and astronaut training. Her qualifications include a B.S in occupational therapy from Thomas Jefferson University and a B.S. in psychology from Drexel University in Pennsylvania.

 Stephanie enjoys traveling and spending time with her husband, her two children, and her dog.

Morgan Kollenda, MS, OTR/L

Occupational Therapist, Clinical Lead 

Morgan earned her BA in Psychology, with a minor in Applied Psychology at University of California, Santa Barbara.  While there, she gained experience in working with children with Autism, both in individual and group settings, as well as a research assistant for the Koegel Autism Center.   Morgan then obtained her MS in Occupational Therapy at California State University, Dominguez Hills.  She has a global perspective in OT, completing fieldworks in both Mexico and Bulgaria, and is also a club member of Integrating Culture through Occupational Therapy.   Morgan has a diverse set of skills in sensory integration, feeding, fine motor and global development. She has always been passionate about working with children, especially children with special needs.  Morgan believes a family centered approach and working as a team is of great importance when working to achieve a child’s goals.

In her free time, Morgan enjoys hiking or walking at the beach with her friends, family, and dogs.  Morgan loves cooking and exploring new foods and restaurants.

Morgan loves aMAYZing Kids because of its collaborative and multi-disciplinary team approach.  She is grateful for all the amazing kids and families she interacts with daily.

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Megan Shounia, COTA

Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant

Bio Coming Soon!

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Jessica Martin, PT, DPT

Pediatric Physical Therapist 

Jessica earned her Doctor of Physical Therapy from Chapman University. Prior to receiving her Doctorate, she studied Kinesiology and Child Development at Texas Christian University. Jessica found her passion for pediatric physical therapy in her younger years when she volunteered assisting a special needs soccer team. Since then, she has participated in special needs baseball, Special Olympics, respite nights, and volunteered at a special needs school. Jessica has participated in a Toe Walking research study with CHOC and has received certifications in the treatment of Torticollis and Pediatric Kinesiology Taping. She is bubbly and full of energy but don’t let that fool you, she makes her patients work when in therapy and believes therapy is purposeful play. She has always loved working with children because it keeps her on her toes and constantly having to think outside the box.

Jessica loves to stay active by hiking, playing volleyball and football, and chasing her nieces and nephews.

Jessica loves working at aMAYZing Kids because it gives her the opportunity to work with children of all ages and treat a variety of conditions.  The best part of her day is celebrating in her patient’s successes.

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Elizabeth Wade, PT, MPT, C/NDT

Pediatric Physical Therapist,  Mentor 

Beth earned her MPT Degree in Physical Therapy at CSULB, in June of 2000 and has over 21 years of experience providing physical therapy in pediatrics. She has experience in treating early childhood development, Torticollis, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, rare genetic disorders, and assessing and providing equipment needs. Beth studied advanced coursework in Neurodevelopmental Treatment and received her C/NDT credentials in 2012. She has a passion for teaching PT students, parents, colleagues, and fosters a total-body approach to physical therapy. In addition to evaluation and treatment, she also enjoys teaching as an adjunct professor at Chapman University, overseeing student research for “Balanced Families” to study effects of dance class on children with neurologic disorders.

Beth enjoys spending time at the beach, camping in the Sierras with her husband, their two college aged children, and two dogs. As an energetic, adventurous and an empathetic individual, she brings a realistic, down to earth approach to therapy by incorporating objective research-based techniques with fun play techniques.

Beth loves treating at Amayzing Kids because the therapists are very close to each other, work well as a team and share an undeniable passion for helping children. 

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Laura got her doctorate in physical therapy in 2005 from Washington University in Saint Louis.  It was there she was drawn towards outpatient orthopedics and focusing on helping patients treat the problem instead of the symptoms.  Her experience included working with pediatrics, athletes and geriatric patients.  In 2006 Laura started her career as a physiotherapist in Sydney, Australia and enhanced her toolbox by learning new manual techniques, advanced taping types and focusing on women’s health. In 2011 she moved back to the US and worked in outpatient clinic using Redcord, ASTYM, vertigo therapy and concussion diagnosis & treatments.  Laura is passionate and dedicated to helping each patient reach their healthy living goals.

In her free time Laura enjoys playing with her son and taking him to the beach club.  She also loves playing tennis, photography and traveling.

What Laura loves about working at aMAYZing Kids is using her creativity with exercises and allowing kids to have fun but at the same time work towards meeting their functional goals.

Infant Stim Therapy

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Michelle Dilts, MS

Infant Teacher

Michelle is an experienced infant teacher with background of 15 years working as an elementary school teacher. She is passionate about her role in promoting the overall development of the child from ages 0-36 months through play development and social interaction.  She is instrumental in preparing children with severe cognitive and language delays for transition to direct speech therapy.  Michelle knows how important it is to collaborate regularly with parents and provide them with repeated modeling and a strong home program.   Her background includes a MS in teaching and early childhood development.

Michelle has been married 25 years and has 2 wonderful daughters.  She loves to play with her animals, exercise, and travel anywhere tropical.  She is a big fan of Harry Potter and Taylor Swift.

Michelle loves being a part of both the business and therapy side of aMAYZing Kids.  She is able to collaborate with therapy staff, treat children, listen to staff needs and learn more about the business world.

Abby Fickinger

Infant Teacher

Abby is an experienced infant/toddler teacher with a background of 10 years working in the field of child development. Her journey started in senior year of high school when she worked as a special needs aid for 24-Hour Homecare. She fell in love with the children, families, the work she was doing, and the work their therapists were doing when she accompanied them to their appointments. Over the years, she continued to enhance her skills and experiences by working and volunteering in public and private schools. Through each of those opportunities, her love and fascination for children, the human brain, and therapy grew. She went on to obtain her BA in cognitive studies from Arizona State Global and began working in ABA therapy where she provided behavioral support to children with developmental delays. She hopes to obtain her SLPA license in the future.

Abby loves starting her day watching the sunrise on her couch with a hot cup of coffee. She also loves reading, experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen, working out, and sitting on the beach practicing stillness and being in the moment.

What she loves most about AK is how warm and welcoming the entire staff is. Everyone is willing to help, share their knowledge, and support one another.  She loves seeing the AK kids progress every day.

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Speech Therapy

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Erica Buday, SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist
Department Lead

Erica has bachelor’s and master’s degrees from San Diego State University in speech pathology and audiology. She has worked in a variety of settings with diverse populations, including adults, at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego and severely disabled children in the San Francisco Unified School District. In Orange County, she has worked with children of all ages with a variety of disorders and needs, including receptive-expressive language, fluency, cleft palate, apraxia, autism, and articulation. She is specially trained in using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule.

Erica has been married for 39 years and has two adult sons, three grandchildren, and two dogs: chocolate Labrador, Guinness and mini Goldendoodle, Lulu.  She enjoys spending time with her family, gardening, playing with her dogs and going on walks.

Erica loves how the whole aMAYZing Kids staff, including the office works collaboratively to ensure a positive experience for all the families.

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Bonnie Payne, SLP, CCC

Leslie Ngo, SLPA

Speech-Language Pathology Assistant 

Leslie has a Bachelor of Arts in communicative disorders from California State University, Fullerton and received SLPA certification in 2005. She completed her SLPA internship in a school setting and in a hospital setting, where she worked with adult stroke and traumatic brain injury patients. She has over 10 years of experience working with children of all ages and a variety of disorders, including articulation, apraxia, autism, receptive/expressive, and pragmatic language.

Monica Martinez, SLPA

Speech-Language Pathology Assistant

Monica earned her AA degree in a Speech Language Pathology Assistant Program(SLPA) from Santa Ana College. She also received her AA degree in Child Development from Irvine College. Monica has more than ten years’ experience in working with children and adults with special needs. She has over 13 years’ experience in ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis.) She has experience working with a variety of disorders including; autism, down syndrome, and emotionally disturbed.  She has been able to utilize this experience as a licensed SLPA. Monica speaks Spanish and knows American Sign Language.

In her free time, Monica enjoys spending time with her family and her husband. She recently bought a home in Ranch Santa Margarita and is enjoying getting to know the area. Monica also loves to paint and watch sports.

What Monica loves about aMAYZing Kids is that her co-workers are so welcoming, and they are also a tremendous resource.

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Kristy Allison, SLPA

Speech-Language Pathology Assistant

Kristy earned her bachelor’s degree in Communicative Disorders from California State University, Fullerton. In addition, she received her associate degree in Teacher Education and Social and Behavioral Sciences. Her speech language assistant (SLPA)internship was completed in a pediatric clinical setting at United Cerebral Palsy of Orange County. Kristy has experience treating a variety of diagnoses and specializes in early intervention, articulation, and autism spectrum disorder. 

During her free time, Kristy enjoys spending time with her husband and her four children, traveling to unfamiliar places, as well as snowboarding with her boys. 

Kristy appreciates the collaborative multi-disciplinary team at aMAYZing Kids, along with all the aMAYZing children and their families.  She loves to watch therapists support one another and make therapy engaging and fun.

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Anne Hall

Administrative Director

Bio coming soon!

Jennifer has over 25 years’ experience in insurance verification, insurance billing and collections.  She is most passionate about working for a non-profit and enjoys supporting families with all their insurance questions and needs.

In her free time, Jennifer loves spending time with her family and visiting her son.  She enjoys the outdoors and traveling to blue water destinations.

What Jennifer loves most about working at aMAYZing Kids is how passionate everyone is about their job.  She sees firsthand how the staff truly cares about the AK children and their families.

Kenna Perry

Receptionist, Scheduler

Kenna, graduated from the University of Arizona with a BS in family studies & human development as well as a minor in psychology.  Kenna is passionate about working with children and plans to be a Child Life Specialist.  She coached a cheer team for children with special needs for 3 years and interned in college for a program for transitional aged students with intellectual/developmental disabilities to participate in collegiate level academic course, community-based work, internships and social campus life events.

In her free time, Kenna enjoys listening to live music, going on walks with friends and loves game night.

What Kenna loves about working at aMAYZing Kids is watching the children grow, learn new skills & reach their milestones.  The AK kiddos put a smile on her face every day.

Abby Fickinger

Scheduler

Abby is an experienced infant/toddler teacher with a background of 10 years working in the field of child development. She currently wears 2 different hats at aMAYZing Kids: including infant teacher and front office scheduler. She loves working with children and making sure the families understand the importance of attending regular therapy sessions.

Abby loves starting her day watching the sunrise on her couch with a hot cup of coffee. She also loves reading, experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen, working out, and sitting on the beach practicing stillness and being in the moment.

What she loves most about aMAYZing Kids is how warm and welcoming the entire staff is. Everyone is willing to help, share their knowledge, and support one another.  She loves seeing the AK kids progress every day.

Is my child meeting the age appropriate milestones?

• Learn how to recognize the signs of a developmental delay
• Which type of therapy will benefit your child
• Find out Next Step Solutions if an evaluation is recommended 

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