Melanie Brown, SLP is passionate about utilizing play-based strategies with her patients and strives to foster joyful and trusting relationships. She also enjoys involving parents and caregivers in her sessions and empowering them with ideas and strategies to continue their child’s progress at home.
Before joining St. Luke’s, Melanie worked with young children and their families in a home-based early intervention program as a child development specialist. She gained experience with children who have early language delays, developmental disabilities, and autism spectrum disorder.
Melanie is originally from Layton, Utah, and earned her master’s degree in communicative sciences and disorders from New York University. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, playing games with her family, spending time outside, reading a good book, and watching her favorite shows.
Jessica earned a bachelor's degree in psychology and family/human development from Utah State University and a master's degree in occupational therapy from Idaho State University. She has also earned Star Proficiency Level I certification from the STAR Institute for Sensory Processing and certification in sequential oral sensory (SOS) feeding therapy. She is currently working on another certification in sensory processing disorders from the University of Southern California.
Taylor King, OTR/L works with pediatric patients of various ages and diagnosis utilizing a play-based and family centered approach in her sessions. She has a passion for working with children on the autism spectrum, diving deeper into the “why” behind behavior, and utilizing her training in providing family centered care. Building relationships with her families is one of Taylor's main priorities as she believes through empowerment of the family and child you can foster greater independence and participation in everyday life. Through education and time spent engaging with adolescents with various mental health conditions she picked up a passion for providing trauma-informed care and hopes to be an agent of change and a safe place for her kids to attend therapy.
Taylor earned her bachelor’s in psychology from Dixie State University followed by her doctorate degree in occupational therapy from Rocky Mountain College. During graduate school she was a URLEND trainee, where she learned not only how to prioritize pushing beyond discipline boundaries to provide the best service to children with special needs and their families, but also widen her provider lens for children with autism. She remains excited to continue growing and expanding her clinical skill set.
Born and raised in Idaho, Taylor is excited to be back in her home state where she enjoys hiking, reading, live music, spending time with family, and playing fetch with her corgi.
Kayla Rydalch, SLP works with pediatric patients of all ages facing speech and language difficulties, often utilizing play-based therapy with her younger patients. She frequently works with patients with bilingual and bicultural needs. She has a passion for working with pediatric clients, especially those who are dual language learners.
Kayla was inspired to pursue a career as a speech-language pathologist after taking a child development class in college and after living in Peru for 18 months, where she learned Spanish. She earned her master’s degree in speech-language pathology at Utah State University. She enjoys helping patients enhance their communication through speech, language, reading and writing.
Kayla grew up in Idaho Falls and loves serving patients in Idaho. In her free time she enjoys reading, being outdoors and spending time with her family.
Amy Starr, MS-CCC SLP, ESDM earned her master’s degree in speech/language pathology from Idaho State University. She chairs the Magic Valley Autism Diagnostic Multi-disciplinary team and specializes in autism spectrum disorder and social skills development in children of all ages. She shares her time treating patients and managing both Magic Valley clinics.
Amy is married and has six children. She enjoys spending time with her family, hiking, and playing a variety of sports.
Favorite Book and Therapy Toys: I love books that are funny and allow the reader to see a variety of emotions, and or are interactive. A couple of my current favorites are “Snoring Beauty” and “Poke A Dot” books.
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