About Daria
Daria Gates, M.A., CCC-SLP, TSSLD, ASDCS
Certified Speech-Language Pathologist
I grew up in East Northport, New York and knew from a young age that I wanted to work with children. I graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology from Ithaca College and received my Masters degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Queen's College. During my schooling, I had the opportunity to explore communication across the lifespan, working with children and adults in the school clinic, working at a Head Start pre-school, and working in an adult out-patient clinic. From there, I discovered that my passion was working with the little ones and supporting families in their communication journeys. I am trained and certified in a variety of approaches and value continuing education. I am also a certified autism specialist, and believe in a child-led and child-centered approach to supporting autistic children on their own individual paths towards communication.
During my time at The Gillen Brewer school, I had the privilege of working closely with teachers, occupational therapists, and psychologists in creating a holistic, diagnostic, and supportive learning environment for children ages 3-10. This collaboration and teamwork was invaluable, as I gained knowledge and skills in areas outside of, but entirely relevant to, my own field and communication lens. I also had the opportunity to train staff in my own areas of expertise, all of which I provide to families and caregivers of the children with whom I work: using basic sign to support language development, how to create and use Social Stories, use of visuals in language learning, play development and therapy, Hanen's Observe, Wait, and Listen approach, and generalizing use of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices to different environments.
My Philosophy
Children learn best when they are involved. Therapy should be fun, flexible, interactive, and meaningful; all of my work is based on the child's individual strengths, needs, and interests. My playful, creative, and silly personality shines through in my therapy and helps me quickly build therapeutic rapport with children and their families. With open communication and partnership with families, my goal is to create comfortable, creative, and supportive environments for each child to ensure that they can grow to their fullest potential and become the communicator they can and want to be. ​It is also my mission to ensure that every child feels safe and heard; in true neurodiversity affirming therapy, children can be their truest, most authentic selves, and that will always be a core value at Daria Gail Speech.
Third grade Daria predicting her future.