Communication Works is a private practice of Bay Area speech-language pathologists, committed to providing the highest quality of services to our clients, families, and caregivers. We thoroughly enjoy the field of speech-language pathology and look forward to working with you!
Hillary is a licensed and certified speech-language pathologist, who has served individuals with speech, language and social deficits, auditory processing deficits, oral motor deficits, developmental disabilities, and autism. She has provided therapy for infants up through young adults in a variety of settings; including public schools, nonpublic agencies, in the home, and in private practice. Hillary has gained experience in dealing with challenging behaviors and behavioral management. She received her bachelor's degree. from California State University, Chico and her master's degree from University of the Pacific in Stockton. Since 2003, she has specialized in developing and providing social language groups for children in the Bay Area. Hillary truly enjoys working with a variety of students and their families. In her spare time she is enjoying her own family, husband and daughter.
Elizabeth Sautter is the co-director/owner of Communication Works. She is a licensed and certified speech-language pathologist who has been working with clients and their families since 1996. Growing up with a sister with developmental delays and now with a second cousin with Aspergers Syndrome, Elizabeth's passion in this field has never been stonger. She feels lucky to be able to give back to the community that she grew up in and that has given so much to her family.
A native of Oakland, Elizabeth received her bachelor's degree from San Francisco State University and her masters degree from San Jose State University. Elizabeth has particular expertise in the areas of autism, developmental disabilities, social cognitive deficits, emotional disorders, and challenging behaviors.
Elizabeth has worked with individuals ranging from preschoolers to adults in private practice, schools, and hospitals. In addition, she has developed and provided ongoing services to autism-specific, intensive intervention classrooms.
Since 2002, Elizabeth has focused most of her time on developing, organizing, and providing quality social learning groups and training for families in the Bay Area. She finds her work extremely exciting and gratifying and particularly enjoys collaborating with Hillary Kissack, Communication Works’ other therapists, and the clients and families of her students.
When she is not working, Elizabeth enjoys spending time with her husband, her two sons, her extended family, and her dog, Jack.
Audra has over 14 years of supervisory and therapeutic experience at the university level and in the private sector. She previously owned a private practice and most recently has been the Director of Special Programs for the Speech, Language and Hearing Clinic and Communicative Sciences and Disorders Department at California State University, East Bay (CSUEB). At CSUEB, she developed and oversaw the nationally recognized autism clinics; TALK and tiny TALK, oversaw the daily operations of the on-site university clinic, supervised part-time supervisors, served as a liaison and supervisor for interns, taught courses, and provided training to professionals and paraprofessionals. The aforementioned autism clinics were configured as group treatment sessions for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) targeting perspective taking, social cognition, theory of mind and linguistic constructs, with parent support groups and received specialty recognition from the Autism Society of America. Additionally, Audra co-developed and oversaw the early intervention program serving children birth to five years at the on-site CSUEB childcare center.speech-language screenings, as well as ongoing therapy services were provided to the children at the center using a collaborative curricular model working within the classroom environment with teachers and providing parental training.
Audra is highly regarded as an expert in the field of autism, deaf and hard of hearing populations and has vast experience with AAC. She has been involved with the development of several professional conferences both at the local and national level, has provided training to professionals in the medical settings and has professionally edited several publications in the field. She is an ASHA certified Speech-Language Pathologist, is on the ASHA Ad Hoc Committee on ASD and has been an Advisory Board member of the California Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities Research and Epidemiology (CA CADDRE) as well as is a member of the Deaf Counseling Advocacy and Referral Agency (DCARA) and Council for Exceptional Children.
Anthony has over 10 years experience in sales, relationship management and business development in the private sector. As our Business Manager, Anthony is responsible for the financial and strategic planning for our office. His addition to the team allows the managing partners to focus on therapy.
When not at work Anthony enjoys reading up on the environment, sustainable living and spending time with his wife and two sons. He also enjoys traveling. After graduating from the University of Arizona he began to “shoe-string” travel and has been to 14 countries in South East Asia, Europe and Central America.
Erica is a graduate of California State University, East Bay with a master’s degree in speech-language pathology and audiology. An Atlanta native, Erica received her bachelor’s degree in special education at the College of Charleston in South Carolina. During that time, she developed an interest in the area of autism while working at Emory University in the Walden Program. Additionally, she spent time in San Diego as an in-home therapist,trained in techniques of floor time therapy, discrete-trial teaching, and applied behavioral analysis with children with autism, ranging in age from toddlers to school-age children. Also a site supervisor for a social skills training program, Erica taught social communication skills to children with autism and worked to generalize those skills in biweekly community outings. Currently, Erica is working with children in both early intervention programs and preschool, in addition to supporting children using augmentative and alternative devices to communicate. Her main areas of interest are early intervention and autism. During her down time, Erica enjoys spending time with her husband and traveling to visit friends and family.
Leah Kuypers, M.A. Ed., OTR/L comes to Communication Works from the Midwest, where she earned her B.A. in occupational therapy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a graduate certificate in autism and M.A. in education from Hamline University in St. Paul, MN. She has practiced, as an occupational therapist in the school and clinical settings, specializing in sensory processing disorder, motor coordination and self-regulation needs.
Leah has worked with students with autism since 1999 as an ABA therapist, occupational therapist, and most recently as an educational autism specialist in the school system. Her experience includes working with students of all ages and challenges, including mental health disorders, motor impairments, anxiety disorders, social cognitive difficulties, ADHD/ADD, and other neurobiological disorders.
Over the last 10 years she has extended her education in behavior management, therapeutic listening, TEACCH, social thinking, ALERT program, Braingym, Neuronet, sensory processing, visual strategies, assessments and evaluations including the ADOS as well as others. She is excited to work with like-minded professionals and share her knowledge and experience with bay area families.
Leah has developed and presented to parents and professionals on a curriculum she terms “The Zones of Regulation”, which is an evidence based curriculum designed to help clients learn strategies to self-regulate their sensory needs and emotions. Prior to her move to the Bay Area, she was active in the autism community in Minnesota, helping students be successful and included in school. She enjoyed coordinating activities and trainings, providing presentations, and mentoring other professionals in various disciplines.
Liz received her bachelor’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from San Diego State University and a master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from San Jose State University. While at SJSU, she completed a thesis investigating the effectiveness of behavioral checklists in measuring treatment outcomes in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and she has specialized in working with children with ASD ever since. For the past 3 years, she has worked and trained with a co-author of the SCERTS model, and has also been formally trained in the SCERTS approach to home and school based intervention for children with ASD ( www.scerts.com ). Liz has been certified in the Hanen It Takes Two to Talk ® and More than Words ® programs and has experience running these programs which focus on helping parents better communicate with their children with language delays and ASD ( www.hanen.org ). She has also been trained in the Kaufman approach to working with children with apraxia of speech. Other areas of expertise include early intervention, receptive and expressive language delays, articulation disorders and phonology disorders, and Down Syndrome. She currently works on the autism intervention team at Oakland Children’s Hospital (CHAI) where she utilizes her experience with SCERTS and has gained experience in DIR®/Floortime™ model and sensory integration techniques. Liz enjoys the extended vacation she experiences living in San Francisco in her free time.
Kristen is a Southern CA native who earned a bachelor’s degree from California State University, Fullerton in Child and Adolescent Development and a master’s degree from California State University, East Bay in Speech Pathology and Audiology. Over the past decade Kristen has enjoyed working with children in both the public schools and in private practices. Before entering the speech world, Kristen taught for the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District. It was there she discovered her passion for working with children with social cognitive disorders. Before moving to the Bay Area, Kristen worked for the Anaheim Hills speech-language Center where she led numerous social-language groups for children 3-19 years old. While attending graduate school, Kristen was fortunate enough to take part in CSUEB’s TinyTALK autism program. In the past, she has worked with CW’s social-language groups and is excited to be part of the team full-time!! She believes that building self-esteem and personal awareness is the most important and rewarding aspect of working with her clients. When not working, Kristen can be found relaxing with her husband, cooking, playing with her dogs, or camping with family and friends.
Kathryn has been working with children and families to some capacity for over 10 years, ranging from childcare, education, research and speech therapy services. Her particular area of interest is preschoolers, stemming from work in preschool programs designed for children with autism and a variety of developmental challenges. After completing her undergraduate work in Human Development and Linguistics at UC San Diego, Kathryn returned home to the Bay Area to earn a Master’s degree in speech-language pathology and audiology from Cal State East Bay. On a personal note, she comes from a “big, fat” Greek family -- if you have seen the movie “My Big, Fat Greek Wedding”!
Mary received her bachelor's degree at San Diego State University, and her master's at California State University, East Bay, both in speech language pathology and audiology. She specializes in working with the deaf and hard of hearing population. Her interest in this population developed many years ago when she became involved with various types of individuals who were hard of hearing or deaf. She is skilled in sign language and knowledgeable in aural rehabilitation. Mary was born and raised in the Bay Area and enjoys the diversity of people here. On her free time, Mary enjoys being with family and friends, playing with her dog, and being outdoors.
Jaclyn received her bachelor’s degree in linguistics at the University of California, Berkeley, and her master’s degree in speech-language pathology and audiology at California State University, East Bay. She has worked with children of all ages, from preschool through high school, but her particular area of interest is in early intervention and working with families. Jaclyn was born and raised in the East Bay, where she still resides with her husband. When not working, she enjoys a good cup of coffee, traveling, and spending time with her extended family.
Lauren received her Bachelor of Arts in Communication Sciences and Disorders at California State University, Chico. Currently working as a SLPA, Lauren has worked with preschool and elementary school children ranging from moderate to severe disabilities for six years. AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) is her area of interest, she has worked to support individuals with complex communication needs through the use of low tech, mid tech and high tech communication systems for several years in various settings. Lauren is excited to be a part of this new and growing field - providing many with the technology they need to be heard. After living in Northern California for several years, Lauren is excited to be back in the Bay Area with her friends and family. When not working, you will find Lauren at a baseball game, swimming, golfing, or just outside enjoying the weather.
Holly received her bachelor's degree in linguistics from Scripps College, and her master's degree in education and teaching credential from Pepperdine University. She taught kindergarten and 1st grade in Orange County (Santa Ana) for 4 years prior to becoming a speech language pathology assistant. Having studied Spanish her whole life, as well as studying in Spain, Holly's interest lies in working with English Language Learners, and currently conducts therapy sessions in both English and Spanish. Holly grew up in the East Bay and recently moved back to her hometown! When not working, Holly enjoys cooking with her husband.