Connections Made To Last
EduTherapy Connection was born out of a need to serve and do more,
"Helping Adults and Children To Connect with the world through exceptional, compassionate, and hands-on interdisciplinary services of speech + occupational therapy."
For us, it was important to help families that look like us SEE professionals who look like them. Currently, 61% of intermediate black households do not revive specialized services such as speech + occupational therapy, and if left unattended studies have shown a significant decrease in the education, quality of life, and communication capabilities, in the lives of children and adults.
Our focus and vision are to directly impact the lives of those who otherwise would not receive care/therapy. "We help ALL families form the connections between speech and learning, the road to recovery can be difficult and long, this is why we stress the importance of having a strong support system; family, caregivers, and teachers are amongst our greatest advocates for the overall the success of our clients.
Our services extend into the home, workplace, and classrooms, of our clients and strategic partners, with opportunities to connect both in-person and teletherapy across the nation. From our house to yours, let's connect the gap between communication, healthy independence and educational speech + occupational therapy.
About
Dr. Brenda Montalvo, DOTR/AAC
Dr. Montalvo earned her Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas, and her Doctor of Occupational Therapy from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. She is originally from the Roanoke, Virginia and moved to North Carolina with her husband and children after several years of military service.
Dr. Montalvo is a North Carolina, licensed occupational therapist and has been nationally registered with the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) for twenty-six years. She has considerable experience in working as part of a multidisciplinary team, coordinating with administers, teachers, students, geriatrics, adults, young adults, and other support professionals on supervision of education and health care of students and patients. She has specialized training in Handwriting Without Tear, LAMP (AAC), sensory processing/integration, wellness and pain management. Dr. Montalvo also initiated and managed a pain management clinic, without narcotics, at the Veterans Administration Medical Center. For the past 7 years, Dr. Montalvo has enjoyed serving the children of military families on Ft. Bragg as an occupational therapist.
Although she has clinical experience with both adults and pediatrics, working with children is her passion. Enabling children and their families is her ultimate goal. She enjoys watching students learn, progress, and increase strength so that they can join their peers in childhood and school activities. She uses technology and research to assess and assist children grow their abilities. She has experience working with various pediatric diagnoses such as autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, sensory processing disorder, cerebral palsy, intellectual disabilities, fine motor disorders and other developmental delays.
Outside of work, Dr. Montalvo enjoys spending time with her friends and family. She also enjoys learning about and using natural medicine and health supplements, to increase her knowledge of holistic care. Dr. Montalvo enjoys traveling with family and friends and learning about new places and cultures.
"Helping Adults and Children To Connect with the world through exceptional, compassionate, and hands-on interdisciplinary services of speech + occupational therapy."
About
Nicole Benson, M.A, CCC-SLP
Ms. Benson is a native of Charleston, SC (Charlestonian) and moved to North Carolina about seven years ago. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of South Carolina in English with a minor in Secondary education and her Master of Arts degree from South Carolina State University in Speech-Language Pathology. Ms. Benson also holds an Education Specialist degree in special education from Liberty University. She is licensed by the board of North Carolina and has her Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) from the American Speech Language and Hearing Association (ASHA).
Ms. Benson has 24 years of experience working in a variety of settings to include home health, daycares/preschools, skilled nursing facilities, rehabilitation clinics and schools. Although she has worked in numerous settings, she enjoys working in the schools with children the most. Ms. Benson is skilled at providing for pediatrics diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Syndrome, Down Syndrome, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, as well as articulation/phonology disorders, receptive and expressive language delays and disorders, fluency disorders, social/pragmatic language disorders and childhood apraxia of speech. She has also received specialized training in the Beckman Oral Motor Assessment and Intervention, LAMP (AAC) and basic sign language. Throughout Ms. Benson’s career, she has had the opportunity to collaborate on multidisciplinary teams consisting of doctors, administrators, parents, educators, occupational therapists, physical therapists, behavioral therapists, social workers and psychologists.
Ms. Benson has a passion for working with young children and had the privilege of working with military families, providing services to their children overseas. She has lived and worked in La Maddalena, Italy, Yongsan, Korea and Okinawa, Japan over a 10-year period. She enjoyed working with the families, providing strategies and activities to facilitate speech and language development at home. Ms. Benson will continue to provide the same types of service to children in order to ensure the success in communicating with others in their environment.
Ms. Benson currently lives in Apex with her 7-year-old, American Cocker Spaniel, Sassy. Outside of working with children, she enjoys taking long walks around the lake with Sassy, reading, journaling, shopping, traveling and spending time with family and friends.
