Alyssa Walker

Hi, I’m Alyssa! I’m an ASHA-certified SLP who has been working in northern Virginia for the last 2 years. I graduated with my Master's in speech pathology from the University of Delaware in 2023 and prior to that I completed my Bachelor's at the University of Central Florida. Since I was little, I have always been passionate about autistic children. I stumbled upon speech therapy while in middle school and have fallen in love with the field. After discovering it at 12 years old, I have enjoyed learning more about all of the various areas we treat and how they generally relate to child development. I love how diverse the field is. It is truly such a rewarding job to be able to support the child in their ability to communicate at an early age.

My approach is neurodiversity affirming, meaning it is completely child-led, play based, and supports the experience of children with a variety of lived experiences. I never force an activity on the child rather observe what they naturally gravitate towards and use that to create meaningful interactions. I believe language development is best targeted in natural environments where the child feels comfortable and is ready to learn. I prioritize connection and sensory regulation to then facilitate language development. I love bragging to my friends and family that my job is pretty much just being a play expert!

I am continuing to learn more and more about language development and the best supports I can provide. I am currently taking some feeding courses so I can continue to expand my knowledge to other areas.