Dr. Olson Giles is a dually licensed Speech-Language Pathologist  and Board Certified Behavior Analyst, who is certified by the American Speech and Hearing Association and BACB. Dr. Olson Giles is the CEO and Clinic Director of Speech Therapy Group and The Verbal ABA Clinic. Dr. Olson Giles received her Bachelor of Sciences in Communication Disorders as well as her Masters in Speech Language Pathology from University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1999 and 2001. She also received her Masters of Education in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and Autism from Endicott College in 2017, where she completed her PhD in ABA in 2020. Dr. Olson Giles is licensed in MA and NH. She founded The Verbal ABA Clinic in 2019,  co-founded Speech Therapy Group in 2004 and co-founded MassTex Imaging in 2006. All are private practices focusing in the areas of either Speech Therapy diagnostics and treatment or Applied Behavior Analysis. She has training, which involves extensive evaluation and treatment of swallowing disorders pediatric through geriatric, completing over 6000 swallow studies, as well as over 2500 Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing. Dr. Olson Giles’ main concentrations and licenses involve:

• Applied Behavioral Analysis
• Voice disorders
• Videostroboscopy with ENT physicians
• LSVT LOUD certified
• Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) certified
• Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) and Speech Generating Devices (SGD)
• Autism with application through Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA),
• Motor speech disorders
• Social skill training
• Functional communication
• Language & cognitive-linguistic therapy
• Pediatrics through Geriatrics
• Prompt Level 1 Trained

Meet Our Speech Therapists

With great joy, Speech Therapy Group welcomed Melanie Jung Hitchens to the team in August of 2018. Melanie is a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist who got her Bachelor of Science from Ball State University in Muncie, IN and a Masters in Science from Baldwin Wallace University in Berea, OH. Her widespread background comes from working at different internships and former employment opportunities such as Hamilton Southeastern Schools, an autism school, outpatient facilities, and the Cleveland VA hospital.  Through these experiences, Melanie has accumulated an extensive variety of knowledge and skills like understanding pediatric speech delays and disabilities, and adult patients who present a variety of disorders. Melanie’s main concentrations and licenses involve:

• Pediatrics
• Autism
• Aphasia
• Apraxia
• Stuttering
• LSVT LOUD certified
• Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) and Speech Generating Devices (SGD)

Get to know me!

“I enjoy baking cookies and cakes. Since I recently moved to the New England area I have enjoyed exploring new areas.”  – Melanie Jung Hitchens

Speech Therapy Group was excited to welcome back Thalia at the beginning of 2019 as a clinical fellow after completing her graduate school internship with us in the summer of 2018. She graduated undergrad from Pace University in New York City with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Sciences and Disorders. She also graduated from Worcester State University with a Master of Science degree in Speech Language Pathology.  Thalia has also completed previous graduate placement where she has gained experience with pediatrics focusing on articulation and language, ASD, behavior, voice, swallowing, and feeding. Thalia’s main concentrations and licenses involve:

• Pediatrics
• Articulation
• Feeding
• Swallowing
• Voice
• Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) and Speech Generating Devices (SGD)

Get to know me!

“When I am not at the clinic, I enjoy lifting at the gym, reading, watching movies and football, and spending time with my family.” – Thalia Sosa Greene

Speech Therapy Group was delighted to welcome back Kelly in 2020 as a clinical fellow after completing her graduate school internship with us in the fall of 2018. Kelly received her Masters degree in Communication Disorders from NYU in 2020. Kelly has also completed previous graduate placements where she gained broad range of skills including expressive/receptive language, AAC, apraxia of speech, aphasia, articulation, social pragmatics, counseling, fluency and family education for populations including ASD.

Kelly’s main concentrations and licenses involve:

• Functional Communication Training
• Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) and Speech Generating Devices (SGD)
• Apraxia
• Language
• Pediatric Neurodevelopmental Disabilities

Speech Therapy Group was delighted to welcome Sarah as a clinical fellow after completing her Master’s degree in July of 2021 at Sacred Heart University.  She Masters degree in Speech Pathology in spring 2021 and her Bachelor’s Degree in 2019 from Sacred Heart University. Sarah has also completed previous graduate placements where she gained a broad range of skills including pediatric through adult speech and language disorders, expressive/receptive language, aphasia, articulation, social pragmatics, fluency disorders and family education for populations including ASD and Down’s Syndrome.

Sarah’s main concentrations involve:

• Pediatric through Adult Speech and Language Disorders
• Stuttering
• Social Skills
• Language
• Pediatric Neurodevelopmental Disabilities

Speech Therapy Group enthusiastically welcomed Kimberly Coleman-Pegg to the team in December of 2021. Kimberly is a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist who received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Voice Performance from Tulane University, her Master of Music in Voice Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Mississippi, and her Master of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Northeastern University. Kimberly comes with experience from a variety of internship and employment settings, including but not limited to, long-term acute care hospital with a specialty in trachs/vents, skilled nursing facilities, short-term rehabilitation, elementary through high school settings, and private voice studios and clinics. More recently, Kimberly has taken great joy in supervising graduate students during their clinical placements to facilitate positive, hands-on learning opportunities. In addition, Kimberly is an active researcher and published author in the areas of voice and swallowing with concern to patients’ quality of life. Through these experiences, Kimberly has gained an extensive array of knowledge and skills that inform her understanding and treatment of voice and swallowing disorders in adults and children, as well as adult patients seeking support for cognition, articulation, and speech disorders. Kimberly’s main concentrations and licenses  include the following:

• Voice
• Singing Voice Rehabilitation
• Velopharyngeal Insufficiency
• Functional swallowing disorders
• Adult and geriatric cognitive rehabilitation
• Oral functioning & swallowing disorders.
• Dementia
• Cognition, post-stroke & brain injury
• Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) certified
• LSVT LOUD certified
• Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) and Speech Generating Devices (SGD)

Get to know me!

“I love spending time with my family and dogs. When I’m not with them, I’m enjoying singing (professionally and for fun) or playing the piano at home.” – Kimberly Coleman-Pegg

Kayla Marcinczyk Droogan was welcomed to the Speech Therapy Group team in September 2022. Kayla received her Bachelor’s Degree in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences from The University of Connecticut in 2017. She then earned her Master’s Degree from Northeastern University in Speech-Language Pathology in 2019. During graduate school, Kayla developed her clinical skills in a variety of settings including a middle school, a community hospital, and a voice-specialized clinic in Boston. Following the completion of her clinical fellowship, Kayla worked in a variety of medical settings as a speech-language pathologist. Through these experiences, Kayla has developed a wide array of knowledge in evaluating and treating communication disorders across the lifespan. Kayla implements a patient-centered care model in order to increase patient motivation and optimize communication outcomes during therapy sessions.

Kayla’s clinical interests include:

• Voice Disorders
• Laryngeal Hypersensitivity/Inducible Laryngeal Obstruction
• SPEAK OUT!© provider and LSVT certified provider for voice/Parkinson’s patients
• Dysphagia
• Cognitive-Communication Disorders
• Aphasia
• Acquired Apraxia of Speech
• Social Pragmatics
• Expressive and receptive language disorders in school-aged children

Speech Therapy Group was delighted to welcome Emily as a clinical fellow after completing her Master’s degree in May of 2022 at Sacred Heart University.  She has a Masters degree in Speech Pathology in spring 2022 and her Bachelor’s Degree in 2020 from Sacred Heart University. Emily has also completed previous graduate placements where she gained a broad range of skills including pediatric through adult speech and language disorders, expressive/receptive language, apraxia, articulation, social pragmatics, fluency disorders.

Emily’s main concentrations involve:

• Pediatric through Adult Speech and Language Disorders
• Articulation and phonological disorders
• Language
• Social Skills/communication
• Pediatric Neurodevelopmental Disabilities

Speech Therapy Group is delighted to welcome back Meghan as a clinical fellow after completing her graduate school internship with us in the fall of 2022. Meghan received her Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology with a concentration in voice disorders at MGH Institute of Health Professions in 2023, and her Bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance from Northwestern University in 2020. Meghan has also completed graduate placements where she gained a broad range of skills, including voice, swallowing, counseling, professional voice care, expressive/receptive language, aphasia, Parkinson’s, and ASD. 

Meghan’s main concentrations involve:

• Voice disorders
• Professional Voice management
• Swallowing
• Aphasia
• Expressive/Receptive language
• Articulation

Caroline is so excited to join the Speech Therapy Group team as a clinical fellow! She graduated from Marymount Manhattan College with a BFA in Musical Theatre before completing her master’s degree at the MGH Institute of Health Professions with a concentration in Voice Disorders. Caroline has learned valuable skills through her graduate placement at Boston Medical Center treating adult and pediatric patients with various voice and swallowing disorders and transgender voice. She recently presented her master’s thesis work on the Rehabilitation Treatment Specification System for Voice Therapy at the 2023 ASHA Convention in Boston.

Speech Therapy Group was delighted to welcome David as a clinical fellow in June of 2024 after completing his graduate school internship with us in the summer of 2023. David earned a Bachelor of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Emerson College in Boston, MA in 2022, and a Master of Science in Speech Language Pathology from Regis College in Weston, MA in 2024. David has also completed previous graduate placements where he gained a broad range of skills in areas such as pediatric and adult feeding/swallowing, aphasia, dysarthria, expressive/receptive language, ASD, articulation, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), social pragmatics and functional communication. 

David’s main concentrations include:

• Pediatric through Adult Speech and Language Disorders
• Feeding and Swallowing
• Social Pragmatics
• Autism
• Functional Communication
• Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)

Get to know me!

“I am a huge fan of all things Star Wars. I also enjoy watching sports, especially football, and spending time with my friends, family, and my dog Brady.” – David F

Dani is very excited to join the Speech Therapy Group team as a clinical fellow! She received a Bachelor of Science from the University of Nevada, Reno, and a master’s degree from Emerson College in Boston. Through graduate internships, Dani has gained experience with a diverse range of client populations including an outpatient hospital setting specializing in voice, private practice, an elementary school, and a school for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

Dani’s clinical interests include:

• Voice and Upper Airway Disorders
• Gender Affirming Voice and Communication
• Fluency
• Expressive/Receptive Language

Get to know me!

“I love musical theater, dogs, reading, hiking, and game nights.” -Dani Jasper

It is with great joy, Speech Therapy Group welcomes Alex Houlden to the team as a clinical fellow. Alex received her master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of New Hampshire in September 2024, and her bachelor’s degree in communication sciences and Disorders from the University of New Hampshire in December 2022. Alex has also completed graduate placements where she gained a broad range of skills including articulation/phonological disorders, expressive/receptive language, AAC, and ASD.

Alex’s main concentrations involve:

• Pediatrics
• Language
• Articulation
• Autism
• Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) and Speech Generating Devices (SGD)

Get to know me!

“I enjoy exercising, cooking/baking, walking my dog, and spending time with my friends and family!”  – Alex Houlden

It is with great excitement, that Speech Therapy Group welcomes Johanna Aylard to the team as a clinical fellow. Johanna received her master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of New Hampshire in Spring 2024, and her bachelor’s degree in communication sciences and Disorders. Johanna has also completed graduate placements where she gained a range of skills from pediatric through adult speech and language disorders.

Johanna’s main concentrations involve:

• Pediatrics
• Language
• Articulation/Phonological disorders
• Autism
• Functional Communication

Meet Our Board Certified Behavior Analysts

The Verbal ABA Clinic at Speech Therapy Group recently welcomed Michelle Leigh as a BCBA. She has extensive training in direct care with individuals with developmental disabilities and Autism. Michelle joined our team in March of 2021.  She has a strong foundation in behavior analysis. She received her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees from Endicott College.

Michelle’s main concentrations involve:

• Verbal Behavior
• Functional Communication Training
• Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) with Functional Analysis (FA)
• Problem Behavior
• Toileting
• Parent Training

Ariel graduated with a Bachelors of Arts in Psychology and a minor in Spanish from the University of New Hampshire. She received her Masters of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis from Northeastern and became certified as a BCBA in 2015. Ariel has experience working in sub-separate special education programs specifically for children with autism and other developmental disabilities within public schools, clinic based ABA services, and home based services. 

Her main concentrations include:

• Functional communication training; specifically PECS
• Early intervention; support in the early years after diagnosis and transition to after 3 services
• Toilet training
• Verbal behavior

The Verbal ABA Clinic employs and supervises Registered Behavior Technicians and Behavior Technicians as direct care staff, for our clients with Autism.  All levels of technicians are supervised by Board Certified Behavior Analysts.