Salomi Daftary

MA, CCC-SLP

Salomi Daftary is the founder and lead therapist at Spring Speech Language & Learning. Salomi is nationally certified through the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA), and licensed to practice in California through the Department of Health (DOH). She is also licensed in the states of Oregon and Washington where she provides tele-therapy services.

Born in a family of health care professionals, Salomi was motivated to choose a profession that will enable her to help others. She graduated with a Masters in Speech Language Pathology from Ohio University at the top of her class. During her career of over 15 years, Salomi has gained clinical experience working in a variety of settings including, public schools, outpatient clinics, rehab centers and private practices. Salomi has been committed to learning and continually honing her skills through continuing education courses that will help her serve her patients best.

Some of the key courses that have helped shape her clinical work include:

Hanen: It Takes Two to Talk
Hanen: More Than Words (Program for Autism)
PROMPT (PROMPTS for Restructuring Oral Musculature Phonetic Targets)
Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)
Kaufman Speech to Language Protocol (Apraxia Intervention)
Lidcombe Program for Childhood Stuttering
Social Thinking Curriculum (by Michelle Garcia Winner)
Wired for Reading - Introductory, Intermediate and Advanced courses (Orton-Gillingham based, multisensory, structured intervention to target phonological awareness, reading decoding, spelling, vocabulary, and comprehension).
Compton PESL Program for Accent Modification

Salomi has worked extensively with children on the autism spectrum, dyslexia, stuttering and auditory processing disorders. While her clinical experience is with populations ranging from toddlers to geriatrics, she is a strong believer in early intervention to tap into the neural plasticity of the brain. This is best done on a team, in collaboration with parents, teachers, and other professionals, through an individualized plan, tailored to meet the needs of each child.

Salomi lived and practiced as a speech language pathologist in the greater Seattle WA area for about 15 years. She was the former owner of Early Start Speech Therapy in Redmond, WA.

Salomi relocated to Belmont, CA with her techie husband and two children in the summer of 2019. She is excited to soak in the sunshine and explore all that the greater Bay Area has to offer!

Pam Leffler

MS, CCC-SLP

Pam has many years of experience working as a Speech Language Pathologist in various settings. Pam has worked in public and non-public schools, private practice, and most recently via teletherapy.

Pam has worked with children demonstrating a variety of speech and language as well as learning challenges, at different age levels (preschool through adolescence). She believes that communication is foundational to almost every aspect of an individual's life, and is passionate about helping children develop their speech and language skills so that they are able to express themselves to their best ability. Pam is committed to partnering with parents and caregivers so that skills learned during speech sessions can be implemented at home for greater progress.

Pam lives in the Bay Area with her husband and dog. She is happy that her college-age son and grown daughter are nearby. Pam enjoys reading, yoga, hiking, and walking the dog.

Dianna Garcia

MS, CCC-SLP

Dianna graduated from California State University Northridge with a Masters of Science in Speech and Language Pathology. During her clinical fellowship, she worked with the pediatric population, where she developed a passion for early intervention. Dianna is skilled in working with bilingual (Spanish/ English) and monolingual children with various disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), Cerebral Palsy, Downs Syndrome, articulation and phonological disorders, pragmatic, verbal fluency, and expressive/receptive language disorders. Dianna has clinical experience in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), voice, feeding, motor speech including childhood apraxia of speech and dysphagia. Dianna enjoys applying her passion for performing and fine arts in therapy and creating a language rich environment that supports each individual and their families.

When Dianna is not serving her clients, she can be found taking a dance class, volunteering, or spending time with her family.

Mirhiya Sampson

MS, CCC-SLP

Mirhiya has worked with children in early intervention, preschool, and public school, providing individual and group therapy both in person and via teletherapy. She understands speech and language norms in the classroom, academic demands, and the special education process in the public schools. Mirhiya received her bachelor’s degree from University of Oregon and her masters from Cal State East Bay University. She is certified through the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA) and holds a California state license.

Mirhiya enjoys working in a field that is so critical to successful development, but also fun. Particular goal areas of interest include early intervention, pragmatic skills, articulation and phonological disorders, and overall language development.

Mirhiya lives in San Carlos with her husband and three children. Mirhiya enjoys reading, walks with friends and her new rescue dog, annual trips to visit family in Minnesota, and playing Mahjongg.