No one person has all the answers, and at Connecting Dots we believe the key is in working together to find what works best for your family.
- Teaching and therapy happens in activities that a child would normally do
- Children feel valued when activities are focused on their interests
- We honour each individual child's natural development
- We can be flexible and develop a specific program for each child's exact needs
Parents and caregivers are valued members of any service provided by Connecting Dots. We listen to parents to find out about their values and expectations. Parents and caregivers are encouraged to be part of all therapy sessions and are asked to follow through with practice ideas between appointments. In addition, our Therapists are available to meet with just parents to discuss practical strategies for their child. We want families to do what works best for them. At Connecting Dots, we share our extensive knowledge with you. Our owners have over 30 years combined experience. All of our Therapists have extensive experience working with children and families, and we have many tools in our therapy tool boxes. As part of our services, we connect you with appropriate community resources. We also have great success collaborating with multi-disciplinary teams.
All of our Therapists are registered health care professionals with Master's level education. We provide services in accordance with the professional and ethical standards of our licensing colleges: We focus on improving the daily lives of children and their families. At Connecting Dots, we foster independence wherever possible. We look at the whole picture - the child, family, home and community. Our intervention and recommendations always match the child's developmental level so that we can work toward the best outcomes.
Meet Our Team
Speech Language Pathology
Sara Turner, M.Sc.(A), R.SLP, SLP(C), CCC-SLP
Sara is a certified member of Speech-Language & Audiology Canada (SAC) and the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA). Sara has lived in Calgary since 2005. She has over 15 years of experience, and loves to help people of all ages develop their functional communication skills. Sara represents Connecting Dots as an active member of the Autism Calgary Network. In her spare time, she can be found singing, reading, crafting or at the rink for her kid’s many hockey practices and games.
Leanne Wu, MSc SLP, R.SLP
Leanne was born in Calgary and raised in Hong Kong. She came back to Canada by herself when she was 14 to further pursue her journey in speech-language pathology. She completed her undergraduate degree in Lingiustics and Psychology from the University of Saskatchewan and her Master’s in Speech Language Pathology from Minot State University. She is fluent in English, Cantonese, and Mandarin. She has experience working in private practice, home and community, and school settings, and most importantly, she is still a child at heart! When she is not working, she enjoys baking, spending time with her family and friends, watching soccer, travelling, and of course, watching Netflix!
Theresa Nguyen, MSc SLP, R. SLP
Theresa obtained her undergraduate degree in Linguistics and Psychology and her Master’s in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Alberta. She is fluent in English and Vietnamese and has had several years of experience working with the pediatric population in various settings. Theresa is passionate about collaborating with families to support them in reaching their communication goals through therapy which is fun, effective, and meaningful. In her free time, you can find Theresa on the climbing wall, playing badminton, or singing!
Alice Pham, M.S., R.SLP
Alice is a registered speech-language pathologist and is passionate about language, as well as empowering individuals through enhancing communication with play-based approaches. When she is not working, she enjoys exploring the outdoors and cooking new recipes.
Occupational Therapy
Jenna Yang, M.Sc.OT
Jenna was born in Taiwan and moved to Calgary as a child. She attended the University of Calgary for her undergrad degree in Kinesiology and went onto the University of Alberta for her Master’s in Occupational Therapy. Jenna recognizes the importance of early intervention and has found her passion in working with the pediatric population. In her free time, Jenna enjoys reading, baking, crafting, and spending time with her family and friends.
Tammy Cheng
Irene Mulcahy
Irene Mulcahy has many years of experience working with individuals of all ages, most recently focusing on working with children. She is registered with the Alberta College of Occupational Therapists (ACOT), and is a member of the Society of Alberta Occupational Therapists (SAOT). Irene completed her studies in Ireland, receiving her Master of Science in Occupational Therapy from the University of Limerick, as well as her Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Studies from University College Cork.
Physiotherapy
Jawad Hashim, R. PT, BSc (PT), Msc (Kin)
Jawad completed Physiotherapy degree in 2008 from University of Health Sciences, Lahore followed by internship in Children Hospital and Institute of Child Health. He is a community physiotherapist since then and been active in clinical practice, academia and research. He completed Masters (Kinesiology) from University of Calgary. In his free time he loves to travel, read and spend time with family.
Psychology
Claudia Ng, M.C., Registered Provisional Psychologist
Claudia moved from Hong Kong to Calgary as a child and is fluent in English, Cantonese, and Mandarin. She has over 13 years of experience working in medical settings in helping individuals affected by anxiety, depression, and Motor Vehicle Accidents. Claudia also has a passion for working with children. She believes in meeting each child at where they are at, at that very moment. Claudia has over 15 years of experience providing psycho-educational assessments, treatment, and consultation to children and families with Autism Spectrum Disorders and other neurodiverse individuals in both school and in-home settings. Claudia enjoys traveling, camping, building Lego car models, and playing on her Switch. She volunteers regularly for charities in Calgary and aboard.
Crystal McNaughton, MACP, Registered Psychologist
Crystal is a registered psychologist with a passion for helping children and families and have been doing so for over 17 years. She has an extensive background in counselling psychology and play therapy training and is always seeking fun and creative ways to engage with her clients. Her focus is supporting children (ages 0-18 years) with developmental disabilities, including Autism Spectrum Disorder. Crystal can also help you and your child with issues such as behavioral challenges, emotion regulation, depression, anger and aggression, developing social skills, parenting support, bullying, domestic violence exposure, trauma, grief and loss, suicidal ideation, and divorce. She works from an integrative approach and believes each child and family is unique and that there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach. She is currently a Mom to 2 boys and a dog named Penny. She likes to play too, and keep busy playing sports, reading, and camping with my family. She thrives on the diversity and energy of working with children, and is grateful for the opportunity to support you and your child in your journey.
Behavioural Aides
Connecting Dots has a growing team of behavioural/developmental aides. Our aides have a variety of backgrounds, education and experience. What brings them together is that they all value children and play. They are skilled in being able to work at each child’s developmental level, using play and parent coaching to teach a family new ways to be successful. Our aides are valuable members of any multi-disciplinary team. When they are not working at Connecting Dots, our aides can be found doing many activities including studying, knitting, snowboarding and riding motorbikes.
Office Manager
Freda Neudorf
Freda came to Connecting Dots with many years of office experience and great organizational skills. She is happily married and has two adult children. Freda enjoys spending time with her family and friends, going for walks, baking, reading and eating dark chocolate. Freda is instrumental in keeping things running smoothly behind the scenes.