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Our Team

Progressive Speech Therapy is committed to ensuring that every single child seen receives the very highest quality of care.  Each child's unique needs are assessed personally by Pooja to make individualized referrals to help establish a team of medical, allied health, and educational professionals that will maximize the child's progress. Progressive Speech Therapy takes pride in finding the person from each field who will be the best fit for each child's needs.  Progressive Speech Therapy opened it's doors in 2008 to ensure that families' hopes are met with the very best progress possible for their children. Please see below for more information about our exceptional team of therapists.

Pooja Aggarwal, M.S. CCC-SLP

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Pooja is the Owner and Clinical Director of Progressive Speech Therapy. She graduated Summa Cum Laude with her Masters of Science in Speech­ Language Pathology from Columbia University and has 20+ years of experience helping children with communication challenges.

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She has a passion for working with children and uses an eclectic approach that combines the most current evidence-based techniques in her clinical practice. She is focused on continuing education and the latest research developments. Pooja is a repeat recipient of the ASHA ACE award (American Speech Hearing Association - Award for Continuing Education).

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Pooja’s continuing education includes, but is not limited to, DTTC (Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing), PROMPT (Prompts for Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic Targets), RDI (Relationship Development Intervention), ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis), Food Chaining, Mealtime Partners, the SOS (Sequential Oral Sensory) Approach to Feeding, and LAMP (Language Acquisition through Motor Planning).

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Pooja is considered an international expert in the area of Childhood Apraxia of Speech. She was an inaugural graduate of the 2011 Childhood Apraxia of Speech Advanced Training Institute and has participated in advanced trainings in DTTC (Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing) through the Once Upon a Time foundation. Along with being Apraxia Kids Recognized for Advanced Training and Clinical Expertise in Childhood Apraxia of Speech, she was an instructor for the 2021 Advanced Training Institute for CAS which aims to further elevate the clinical skills of regional experts across North America.

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Pooja frequently volunteers professionally and has served as a Regional Volunteer Outreach Coordinator for Apraxia Kids.

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Pooja frequently presents both locally and nationally to a variety of audiences including parents, speech-language pathologists and medical/allied health professionals. Pooja has presented at numerous national conventions including Apraxia Kids and American Speech Hearing Association conventions. Additionally Pooja presents full day trainings focused on evidence based diagnostics and treatment for school districts (e.g. Loudoun, Prince William, and D.C. Public School systems).

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Pooja loves working with children, mentoring passionate clinicians, and sharing her knowledge through speaking engagements.

Katie Barnes, M.A. CCC-SLP, BCaBA

 

Katie received her Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from The George Washington University in 2015.  She previously attended the University of Mary Washington where she studied psychology as an undergraduate student.  She is a Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst and has over 7 years of experience providing services in Applied Behavior Analysis for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders.  Katie’s continuing education has included, but is not limited to DTTC (Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cuing),  PROMPT (Prompts for Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic Targets), SOS (Sequential Oral Sensory) Approach to Feeding, AAC (Alternative and Augmentative Communication), and LAMP (Language Acquisition through Motor Planning).  Katie has experience working with infants and toddlers through adolescents. Katie has worked with in early intervention, private pediatric clinics, and  provideed services to adolescents with emotional and behavioral disorders.  Katie is experienced and passionate about providing speech, language, and feeding services to children with Childhood Apraxia of Speech, Autism Spectrum Disorders as well as a variety of other speech language disorders.  Katie is enthusiastic about providing a multidisciplinary approach to intervention by combining her background in ABA with her speech and language therapy.

Emily Kurinsky, MA CCC-SLP

 

Emily received her Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from The George Washington University in 2014. She has a wide range of therapeutic experience that includes evaluating and treating children with childhood apraxia of speech, autism spectrum disorders, executive dysfunction, language disorders, developmental delays, articulation and phonological disorders, ADD/ADHD, Down syndrome, social/pragmatic language difficulties, and sensory processing disorders.

Emily has worked extensively with toddlers and school-age children diagnosed with a variety of disorders both in private practice and in a private school for children with language and learning disabilities using Greenspan’s Floortime and Affect Based Language Curriculum.

Emily is the recipient of the Award for Continuing Education (ACE) from the American Speech-Hearing Association in recognition of her commitment to lifelong learning in the field. She has continuing education in a wide range of areas including DTTC (Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cuing), PROMPT(Prompts for Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic Targets), Autism Spectrum Disorders, SOS (Sequential Oral Sensory) Approach to Feeding, AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication), LAMP (Language Acquisition through Motor Planning), and Social Thinking from Michelle Garcia Winner. Emily has experience working with multimodal communicators and is familiar with a wide variety of high-tech, low tech, and no tech communication methods. In 2019 Emily was designated a LAMP (Language Acquisition through Motor Planning) Certified Professional by the Center for AAC and Autism.

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Alexis Wood  MS CCC SLP
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Alexis received her Master of Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Utah State University, where she graduated summa cum laude in 2007. She gained broad experience working with preschool- and school-age children in public school settings for several years. She later worked in private practice while based in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Berlin, Germany, providing services in person as well as via telehealth. Her experience includes working with individuals ages 2 to 18 with articulation and phonological disorders, Childhood Apraxia of Speech, fluency disorders, language disorders, dyslexia, Autism Spectrum Disorder, complex communication needs/Augmentative and Alternative Communication, and hearing impairment. She has particular interest and advanced training in treating speech sound disorders, Childhood Apraxia of Speech, and literacy disorders. Alexis values life-long learning, is passionate about evidence-based practice, and loves working with her clients to build connection and confidence through communication. 

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Megan Nickey  M.A., CCC-SLP
 

Megan Nickey graduated summa cum laude from Montclair State University in 2021 with a Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology. She previously graduated from Mount St. Mary’s University with a Bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences and a minor in psychology. Megan has experience working with preschool and school-aged students with a variety of communication disorders in the public-school and outpatient hospital settings. Her experience includes treatment of individuals with speech sound disorders, receptive and expressive language disorders, fluency disorders, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Childhood Apraxia of Speech. Megan has a passion for integrating evidence-based research into clinical practice. During graduate school, she worked as a research assistant in the Montclair State University Clinical Biofeedback Laboratory to support research regarding the use of biofeedback in the treatment of residual speech sound errors. Megan also assisted in the development of a published resource containing research-based tools for SLPs implementing multi-tiered systems of support in the school setting.

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Emma Klein M.S., CCC-SLP
 

Emma received her Master's degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Northeastern University in 2017. She has worked with toddlers through adolescents in a variety of settings including private practice, public, and private schools. Emma has clinical experience treating children with autism spectrum disorders, expressive and receptive language disorders, developmental delays, articulation and phonological disorders, social and pragmatic language difficulties, ADD/ADHD, Down Syndrome, as well as children who use Alternative and Augmentative Communication. She is excited to be working with children and families providing evidence-based speech therapy services!

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Meghan Girres, M.A., CCC-SLP
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Meghan received her Master's degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Northern Iowa in 2021. She also received her Bachelor's degree from the University of Northern Iowa in 2019 where she double majored in Communication Sciences and Disorders and Gerontology. Meghan has experience working with children from 1-21 years old with a variety of communication disorders in the outpatient setting. Her clinical experience includes treating individuals with childhood apraxia of speech, speech sound disorders, autism spectrum disorder, language delays/disorders, social/pragmatic language disorders, feeding disorders, augmentative and alternative communication, and a variety of complex medical disorders.

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Meghan has a special interest and additional experience working with multimodal communicators. She has worked with a wide variety of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), including high-tech and low-tech communication methods.

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Meghan is excited to be living in the Northern Virginia area, and is looking forward to providing evidence-based services and individualized therapy for every child she meets!

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Andrew Goldstein, MS, CF-SLP
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Andrew received his Master's degree in Speech-Language Pathology from James Madison University, where he completed placements in the pediatric, rehabilitation, and hospital settings. He previously attended Shenandoah Conservatory for degrees in voice pedagogy and music education, and has experience working with children through adults as a private music teacher, teaching voice, piano, and saxophone, and performing in the DC area, including with the Washington National Opera and Maryland Lyrics Opera chorus. Andrew lives with his wife and two cats in Leesburg, VA, and is excited to bring his experience and enthusiasm to the field of SLP!

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Jacqueline Morrow, MA, CF-SLP
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Jackie received her master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Temple University. She previously attended James Madison University, receiving her bachelor’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders with a minor in Chronic Illness. She has experience working with children from infancy to early adulthood in  any settings, including schools and pediatric inpatient and outpatient  hospitals. Jackie has a wide range of therapeutic experience including evaluating and treating fluency disorders, pediatric and infant feeding, articulation and phonological disorders, receptive and expressive language disorders, Childhood Apraxia of Speech, Autism Spectrum Disorder, traumatic brain injury, and children who use Alternative and Augmentative Communication.

Vickie Reisman, Bachelors in Business Administration - Accounting
 

Vickie received a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Public Administration from Armstrong State College. She completed a Bachelor’s degree in Business and Accounting from Savannah State College where she graduated summa cum laude. Vickie has experience working in accounting and Financial Analysis for a tertiary care hospital. She has extensive experience in cost accounting and Governmental reporting for Medicare and Medicaid.

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Vineet Aggarwal, Bachelors of Science in Computer Science
 

Vineet received a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science from the University of Virginia in 2001.  In addition to his work engineering software for the financial services industry, he performs all manner of behind-the-scenes work for Progressive Speech Therapy and is honored to support such an exceptionally talented team of therapists!

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