575 Menlo Dr, Suite 3 Rocklin CA 95765
Call: 916-287-1914 Fax: 916-258-0054
email: info@buildingblocksspeech.com
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Our Ukiah Location: 320 S State St Suite 4 Ukiah, CA 95482
Our Staff
Our staff at Building Blocks Speech and Language are here to support you and your child in meeting his/her speech and language goals. Our caring staff have years of experience helping children learn to interact and communicate with the world around them.
Meet your Therapists!
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The therapists at Building Blocks Speech and Language are dedicated to assisting families in learning strategies to help their child learn to communicate in their natural environments. We believe that the family is the best teacher and through daily routines and play, the child will learn new skills to increase his or her communication skills.
Melissa Savage M.S. CCC-SLP, Owner
Melissa is the owner of Building Blocks Speech and Language. She graduated from California State University, Northridge with a M.S. in Communication Disorders and Sciences after completing her undergraduate degree at Brigham Young University. She manages employees as well as a caseload of early intervention children and private pay preschoolers. She especially loves the birth to 3 years population where the children are beginning to discover and learn about their world! Melissa has extensive experience with children on the Autism Spectrum, is Hanen certified, and has completed the S.O.S. feeding course. She is a member of the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA). She also enjoys working with older children with speech sound disorders. Melissa and her husband have five busy children at home!
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Valerie Loberg M.A. CCC-SLP
Valerie graduated with her Master’s degree from California State University Chico in 2016. She has experience working in the school setting serving preschool and school aged children for five years. Valerie is currently serving in-home early intervention clients as well as a a variety of ages and needs in our clinic. In her spare time, she enjoys walks with her husband, son, and dog, spending time with family and friends, and visiting Lake Tahoe. Valerie is especially passionate about working with the early intervention population as she believes it is key for children to functionally communicate their wants and needs and reach their highest potential!
Ismara Contratto M.S. CCC-SLP
Ismara attended University of California, Sacramento where she received a B.S. and M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology. Over the course of her career, she has worked with toddlers through middle school-aged students in both the public schools, as well as private practice clinics. Her areas of expertise and interests include pediatric speech sound disorders, early language development, as well as feeding and pediatric swallowing disorders where she received her training as a volunteer and intern at University of California, Davis. She specializes in working with children who are challenged by extreme picky eating, often limiting their diet to just a few foods, and need one-on-one therapy with a specialist. She is certified in the SOS (Sequential Oral Sensory) Approach to Feeding trained and utilizes a family-centric approach to all her intervention strategies.
When not working, Ismara enjoys spending time with her family, hiking, cooking and kayaking...but not all at the same time. :)
Karen Edmiston M.S. CCC-SLP
Karen completed her Masters Degree in Speech Pathology at Catholic University in Washington D. After Moving to California I worked in the Public School system, in a variety of rehabilitation centers, and private practice. I had a varied caseload ranging from infants to senior citizens. I have always had a special interest in early childhood and now work solely in that area as part of the Early Intervention Team of Building Blocks Speech and Language Center. I love musical theater, walking, reading historical novels, cooking and collecting quotes and verses from books I have read.
Katie Joiner M.S. CCC-SLP
Katie received her B.S. in Communication Disorders at Biola University and M.S. at University of California, Sacramento in Speech-Language Pathology. She has worked in various settings: public schools (preschool through 8th grade), a non-profit clinic (ages 1 to 16), and in-home (ages 1 to 3). Katie is a member of the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA). Her area of expertise and interest is early language development and early intervention. When not working, Katie enjoys being a mama to her busy two-year-old, binge watching Netflix with her husband, advocating for safer beauty laws aka "clean beauty advocate", riding bikes, being outside, kayaking, and taking weekend trips to Tahoe.
Bethany Stout M.S. CCC-SLP
Bethany is a speech language pathologist with years of experience in the SNF, school, and clinical settings. Her passion is working with the Early Intervention population. She loves integrating sensory activities into her sessions and believes in meeting children and families where they are!
Carol Oliveras M.S. CCC-SLP
Carol completed her M.S. at the University of Puerto Rico, Medical Science Campus in Puerto Rico in 1999 and worked with the pediatric population, early intervention, school settings, and adults for 6 years. After moving to California in 2006 with her family, she has been working with early intervention, preschool, and school settings. She is a certified member of the American Speech Language and Hearing Association (ASHA) and is a Spanish-English bilingual speaker. She feels a special connection with the birth to three year old population, the geriatrict patients and with multicultural families. Carol loves spending time with her husband, her three daughters and her dog, Taina. Her hobbies include running, hiking, traveling, reading books, talking with her family in Puerto Rico, and watching documentaries with her family.
Julia Miles M.S. CCC-SLP
Julia received her Bachelor's degree in Communication Science and Disorders at California State University, Chico and her Masters degree at West Texas A&M University. She is a member of the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA). Julia has worked in various settings including public schools (preschool through 8th grade) and in-home (ages 1 to 3). She has experience working with children with a variety of disorders. Previously, Julia worked in the public schools treating students with moderate to severe disabilities and enjoyed addressing functional communication skills. Additionally, Julia enjoys providing play-based therapy and supporting children and families with expressive and receptive language delays. When not working, Julia enjoys spoiling her golden retriever, going on hikes with her husband and cheering on the Oakland A’s.
Lindsay Baughn
M.S. SLP-CF
Joy Bell C-SLPA-C
Rachel D'Amico A.S. SLP-A
Rachel graduated from American River College with an A.S. in Speech-Language Pathology Assistant, and she is currently pursuing her M.S. at University of California, Sacramento. She has worked with early intervention ages birth-3 years, children ages 3-12 in both the clinic and public school settings, ages 18-21 in a transitional program, and ages 30+ in the hospital. Rachel has experience with several different populations and especially enjoys working in the area of early language development. During her spare time, she loves cooking, walking her dog, spending time with family, volunteering at her church, and vacationing near bodies of water.
Alyssa Hammitt
M.S. CCC-SLP
Lindsay received a B.A. in Communication Sciences and Disorders from California State University, Chico and attended a post-baccalaureate program to earn her license as a Speech-Language Pathology Assistant. Lindsay plans to begin graduate school this summer to pursue a Master’s Degree in Speech-Language Pathology. She has experience providing speech and language services in the clinic with children ages 3-12, as well as working on early speech and language development with children ages 0-3. Lindsay enjoys working in the clinic with school-aged children, but also loves engaging in early intervention and helping children reach those speech and language milestones! In her spare time, Lindsay enjoys connecting with friends and family, traveling, and spending time outdoors.
Natalie Hall M.S. CCC-SLP
Joy holds an Associate of Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology Assistant and is a
certified member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). She also
earned Associate of Arts degrees in both Language Studies and Psychology. As a Certified
Independent Baby Sign Language Instructor, Joy is passionate about supporting early
communication.
She brings over ten years of experience in public school settings, working with students ranging
from preschool to high school. Her background includes providing speech and language
services in the Preschool Intervention Program. Joy has a special interest in the areas of
articulation and early language development.
Outside of her professional work, Joy enjoys watching her children play competitive soccer and
taking family vacations to Disneyland.
Diana Wang M.S. CCC-SLP
Alyssa Hammitt is a certified Speech-Language Pathologist and Pediatric Feeding Specialist with a passion for helping children thrive through effective communication and safe, enjoyable mealtimes. With a Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology and a Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), Alyssa brings clinical expertise and compassionate care to every family.
Specializing in early intervention, pediatric feeding and swallowing disorders (dysphagia), and speech/language development, Alyssa works closely with families, medical teams, and educators to create individualized treatment plans that support each child’s unique needs. With advanced training in areas such as sensory and oral motor feeding therapy, and neurodevelopmental techniques. Alyssa provides evidence-based care to children with medical complexities, oral-motor delays, and picky eating behaviors. Known for her warm and collaborative approach, Alyssa is committed to empowering parents and caregivers with the tools and confidence to support their child’s development at home and beyond.
Noelle Haight OT
Natalie completed her undergraduate degree at the University of the Pacific in 2017 and started working as an SLPA for a school for five years. She completed her graduate degree through CA State University Northridge’s online program in 2022. In Natalie's spare time, she loves to sleep! It’s her favorite hobby! She loves animals and actually thought she would go into a career working with animals. Natalie found the world of speech pathology by accident when taking a couple of communication disorders classes at her local community college for extra units. She found the material to be really interesting and stuck with it!
Abigail Nye B.A. SLPA
Abigail graduated from CSU, Sacramento in 2022 with a Bachelor's degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders and a minor in Education. She was accepted into their SLPA program where she worked in a pediatric clinic and school setting to receive her clinical hours. Abigail is hoping to pursue a Master’s Degree to become a SLP in the next year. She has experience working with ages 0-13 years old in the clinic, in-home, and school setting. Abigail has a passion for working with children who have neurodevelopmental disorders. She loves to help and watch clients/families reach their goals in language and communication as they grow. Her clients call her Miss. Abby:) In her free time, she enjoys spending time with my family and friends, working out, binge-watching TV shows, and doing anything that is outdoors.
Corie Volmer M.A. CCC-SLP/Clinic Director
Corie is a certified member of the American Speech Language and Hearing Association (ASHA) and holds a license to practice speech language pathology in the state of California. She graduated with her MA from Chico State University in 2002. Corie has over 20 years of experience with the school-aged population. Corie enjoys the challenges and rewards of working with children to improve their ability to communicate and to form meaningful connections between language and the world around them. She believes that some of the best learning young children can do is hands-on "work" that they perceive as "play" and feels strongly that a family's role in supporting carryover of learned skills is crucial in a child's speech and language therapy progress. During her time off, Corie enjoys spending time with her husband and two children, working in the garden, reading, and creating in her craft room.
Megan Timmins
M.S. CF-SLP
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Megan graduated with her Master’s degree from Augustana College in Illinois. Prior to graduate school, Megan worked as an SLPA in the kindergarten SDC and intensive day classes with children ranging from 4-6 years old. She has experience in working with children ranging in ages (3-18) but has a passion for early intervention. In her spare time, she enjoys hanging out with family and friends, finding new coffee shops or restaurants and hanging by the beach as long as the weather is cool enough.
Diana graduated with her Master’s degree from Teachers College at Columbia University in 2018 and is a certified member of the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association (ASHA). Diana is a Mandarin-English bilingual therapist. She was born and raised in New York City and just moved to California in September 2023! Before moving, Diana worked in an elementary school serving preschool and school-aged children for 4 years with a predominantly bilingual population. Prior to working in the schools, she served in-home early intervention clients and is so excited to join the team to continue serving early intervention clients at home and the clients at the clinic. In her spare time, Diana enjoys spending time with friends and family, traveling, reading, and cooking! She’s a huge foodie and loves to try new things!
Hannah Russ B.A. SLPA
Hannah earned her B.A. in Communication Sciences and Disorders from California State University, Chico. She then was accepted into a post-baccalaureate program where she obtained her Speech-Language Pathology Assistant license. Hannah has a background in ABA behavior therapy and enjoys working with children in early intervention as well as ages 3-8 years of age. She especially enjoys working with little ones on expanding language. Before finding Building Blocks, Hannah worked in the school setting with students of all ages and backgrounds (preschool through 12th grade). Hannah hopes to return to school in the future to pursue her Masters in Speech-Language Pathology. In her free time, she enjoys spending time out at the barn with her horse or spending time with friends and family.
Sophi Hinks
M.S CCC-SLP
Sophi graduated with a M.S. in speech-language pathology from Univ. of New Mexico and a B.A. in communicative disorders from CSU Northridge. She also worked 5+ years as a behavioral aide and few years as an inclusion educator. Through her experiences, Sophi gained specialized interest in affirming practices, AAC, early intervention, and pediatric feeding. Currently she serves on a professional advisory board for a nonprofit’s early childhood inclusion initiative. In her spare time, Sophi is passionate about holistic wellness and hiking with her husband & son.
Teagan Cammarano M.S. CCC-SLP
Teagan received her Bachelor's degree in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology at the University of Nevada, Reno, and her Master's degree at the University of Saint Augustine for Health Sciences. Teagan has experience working with various age groups (preschool through 12th grade) across all educational backgrounds (mild-moderate and moderate-severe, as well as NPS students). She primarily has experience working with children on the Autism spectrum. Teagan's passions include traveling, home improvement, and her dog; a bull terrier named Rowdy.
Ashley Ferreira
COTA
Kailee Bergstrom B.A. SLPA
​Kailee earned her B.A. in Communication Sciences and Disorders at California State University, Chico. She then continued her education and earned her license as a Speech Language Pathology Assistant through a post-baccalaureate program at Chico State. Kailee enjoys working with kids of all ages on a wide variety of goals through play-based activities. She is passionate about building their communication skills by creating strong relationships with her clients and their families. In her free time, Kailee enjoys spending time with her husband, listening to Taylor Swift, and exploring new areas in the Sacramento area as she recently just moved here.
Rhonda Sattherthwaite M.S. CCC-SLP
Rhonda graduated with a Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology
from University of Central Arkansas in 1993. With 32 years of experience,
she has seen children and adults in a wide range of settings. However, she
is passionate about children, particularly the 0-3 years population. She
enjoys treating the “whole child” including lots of sensory activities and
movement as well. She is Hanen certified, trained in SOS approach to
feeding, PROMPT level 1 trained, and has experience with AAC, sign
language, and various reading programs. She is a member of ASHA
(American Speech, Language, and Hearing Association). She has 2 grown
children and enjoys cooking, swimming, and dancing.
Angela Ezzi
B.S. SLPA
Angela received a B.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders from California State University, Sacramento, and attended a post-baccalaureate program to earn her license as a Speech-Language Pathology Assistant. She worked at two elementary schools to complete her clinical hours. Angela hopes to attend graduate school to pursue a Master’s Degree in Speech-Language Pathology. She has experience providing speech and language services in schools with children ages 1-12, as well as working with patients recovering from traumatic brain injuries in cognitive communication labs during college. She also gained experience through shadowing at UC Davis Hospital. Angela enjoys working with both school-aged children and adults. In her free time, Angela enjoys spending time with friends and family, going to concerts, working out, and crafting!
Administration
Claudia Sorenson
Claudia has been with Building Blocks for many years and is invaluable to the team! She is a mother of five children that keep her busy with softball, swim, and other sports! She speaks fluent Spanish. She has years of experience managing offices and has taken classes in administration.
Bryce MacMillan
Bryce recently graduated from Sacramento State with her Bachelor's degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders and is excited to be returning this Fall to begin her Master's in Speech-Language Pathology. Outside of school and work, Bryce loves spending time outdoors, getting lost in a good book, and being with her friends and family. You can also find her giving back to the community through volunteering at GiGi's Playhouse, UC Davis Medical Center, and her local church! Bryce is passionate about helping others find their voice and is thrilled to be gaining hands-on experience at Building Blocks as she works toward her goal of becoming a Speech-Language Pathologist.