Therapists

Marilyn Bird M.S. SLP

        Marilyn is the original founder of the clinic. She has been working in the field since 1976 and has loved every minute of it. It is her goal to see each child as an individual and to use an eclectic approach to therapy. She continues to attend courses and is especially interested in the brain’s relationship to speech and language issues. Marilyn has earned the Autism Spectrum Disorder Clinical Specialist certification. She has worked with a large variety of issues, supports developing Speech™ and language in multiple environments, therefore, families are an integral part of therapy.

Anu Dalmia M.S. CCC-SLP, Lic

        Anu is co-owner of BirdKernDalmia. Anu earned her Master’s degree in Speech Language Pathology from T. N Nair hospital in Mumbai, India in 2000. Anu is licensed in the state of California and ASHA certified (American Speech Language And Hearing Association). Anu has been working for over 18 years. Anu has earned the Autism Spectrum Disorder Clinical Specialist Certification.

        She has vast professional experience serving the pediatric and adult populations in different settings. She has worked in hospitals, home health, public schools, and is proud to be have this multidisciplinary clinic. Her expertise is in the areas of Apraxia, Autism, ADHD, Language Disorders, Fluency/ Stuttering, Articulation /Phonology and Social Skills. She is PROMPT trained. She successfully runs several social skills groups for students of different ages. She leads communication disorders workshops at private schools, churches and mother’s groups. She mentors other clinicians. She actively provides consultation at various schools, and attends IEP meetings as needed. She is a team player, passionate about her work, and dedicated to all the families she works with. She believes in making a difference in their lives and strives hard toward the goal.

        Besides clinic, Anu loves spending time with her family and friends, enjoys dancing, cooking, watching T.V., hiking, and volunteering.

Allison M.S. OTR/L

        Allison has been an Occupational Therapist for 16 years. She received her undergraduate degree in Occupational Therapy from the University of North Dakota, and her Masters degree in Occupational Therapy from San Jose State University. She began her career in adult mental health, but discovered her passion was in pediatrics. She has experience in both school and clinic based practice. She is certified to administer the Sensory Integration and Praxis Test, a tool used to assess sensory motor function in young children, and has extensive experience working with children with varying degrees of sensory processing challenges. She also has training in the SOS Approach to Feeding, Craniosacral Therapy, DIR Floortime, Myofascial Release, as well as Visual Vestibular Rehab. Allison believes in the power of play above all else, and that giving children the opportunity to move and explore their world through play is the best way to build not only their skills, but their confidence and sense of self.

Julie G. McAfee M.A. CCC-SLP

        Julie McAfee is a speech-language pathologist with experience serving a wide variety of pediatric and adult populations. She has worked in schools, hospitals, clinics, home-health, and teletherapy environments. Julie joined the team at Bird-Kern-Dalmia in 2011 where she has advanced her therapy skills in the areas of articulation and phonology, receptive and expressive language, social pragmatic language, and early intervention. Julie wants every student to feel respected and capable. She is passionate about helping her students achieve their highest possible level of communicative ability.

        Julie earned her Master’s Degree in Speech-Language Pathology from California State University Fresno in 1991. She is a member of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA), and holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence and a California state license. She has earned the ASHA Award for Continuing Education and is PROMPT trained. Julie is author of the highly-regarded textbook, Assessment in Speech-Language Pathology: A Resource Manual.

        Outside of the clinic, Julie enjoys traveling, cooking, playing the flute, serving as a community volunteer, and, above all, spending time with her family and friends.

Mary Waltz M.S. CCC-SLP

       Mary is a Speech Language Pathologist with both school-based and clinic-based experience, first in Southern California and now in the Campbell/San Jose area. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in Communicative Disorders at California State University, Fullerton. Mary holds the Certificate of Clinical Competency with the American Speech Hearing and Language Association (AHSA), the California Clinical Rehabilitation Services Credential, and is also licensed by the State of California. She works for a local school district, where she runs the Preschool Speech and Language Program. She has also had many years experience working part time in private speech therapy clinics with children from toddlers to high schoolers.

       Mary’s clinical experience includes working with clients in the areas of articulation/phonology, including apraxia, language development (receptive and expressive), inferencing and problem solving, pragmatic language and social skills. Mary also has experience and enjoys working with children, teenagers, and adults in the areas of fluency (stuttering) and accent modification.

Helena Tam M.S.

        Helena is a speech-language pathologist who has experience working in a clinic-based setting. She received her Master’s Degree in Speech-Language Pathology from San Jose State University. Helena holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech and Hearing Association and is licensed by the State of California. She is PROMPT trained. Her experience includes working with clients in the areas of articulation, ASD, Down Syndrome, apraxia, language delays, AAC, fluency, pragmatic language and social skills. Helena has experience and loves working with clients of all ages and believes that everyone should have a voice, no matter what mode of communication.

     Outside of the clinic, Helena enjoys spending time in the beautiful outdoors, spending time with friends and family, eating good food, and serving at her church.

Sanaz Tehrani M.S. SLP

Sanaz has worked with children for 25 years in childcare, social services, special education, and speech therapy. Prior to becoming an SLP, she worked at a language- processing company which created multi-sensory speech, language, and math programs for those with diagnoses such as dyslexia and ASD. She has done speech and language therapy with bilingual toddlers in private practice, as well in elementary, middle, and high schools across the Bay Area. Sanaz also has experience with adults in private practice, rehab and hospital settings.

Sanaz is interested in multilingualism and equity. She has worked in different counties with economically, ethnically, and linguistically diverse students. She has experience with a wide array of communicative disorders, delays, and diagnoses which impact communication (apraxia, ataxia, cerebral palsy, down syndrome, global delay, fetal alcohol syndrome, stroke, multiple sclerosis to name a few). Sanaz has a specialization in Autism Spectrum Disorders from SFSU. Other areas of training include literacy and social thinking curriculum.

In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her toddler, activism, family get-togethers, restorative yoga, pilates, and interior design.

Fang Bao, M.S. CF-SLP

Fang has worked with children for 23 years in schools and non-profit organizations. Prior to becoming an SLP, she worked at a high-tech company for building Chinese language and communication databases as a linguist. She has been a Mandarin teacher in the Netherlands and across the Bay Area for many years. Fang has experience with children in public school and in private clinics settings, from toddlers to middle school students.

Fang received three Masters from China, the Netherlands and the States. She received her Master’s Degree in Chinese language from Sichuan University, the second Master’s Degree in Linguistics from Leiden University and the third one in Communication Disorder from Baylor University. Fang is a passionate bilingual clinician working with a linguistic and cultural diverse community. Her experience includes working with clients in the areas of articulation, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Down Syndrome, Angelman Syndrome, language delays, AAC, fluency, pragmatic language and social skills. Her training includes child development and arts.

In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her family, painting, hiking and photography.

Stephanie DeGroote MOT, OTR/L

        Stephanie sparked her interest in serving the pediatric population while working towards her Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology at Sonoma State University. This led her to volunteer with an adaptive physical education program, and a conductive education program for children with cerebral palsy and other motor disabilities. Stephanie went on to complete her Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy at Samuel Merritt University in 2023. During her fieldwork, Stephanie worked in inpatient mental health and school-based occupational therapy settings. She has experience in analyzing and teaching movement, not only as an occupational therapist but from her years of education in dance and choreographing for the stage. Stephanie has a unique understanding of sensory processing as she experiences sensory processing differences. She has come full circle from therapy client to clinician, having received both speech and occupational therapies as a child. Stephanie has experience in trauma-informed care, has received training in Ayres Sensory Integration, and seeks to provide and promote a neuroaffirmative approach to care.

        In her free time, Stephanie enjoys dance, theatre, watching scary movies, and spending time with her three-legged cat, Mishka.