Southwest Texas State University

LTTS Owner

Donna knew that she would enter a profession that supported the community and provided assistance in some capacity to people, families, and communities in need.

From a young age, physical therapy was her calling, and early in her career she knew her destiny included owning a practice. She never could have imagined the amazing family that is Little Tesoros...

The University of Texas at Austin and Northern Illinois University

Since high school, Alyssa has had a passion for self-empowerment and self-advocacy. These passions, combined with her love of working with children, led her to the field of speech-language pathology.

Being a speech-language pathologist allows Alyssa to strengthen self-empowerment and self-advocacy skills within others through communication.

Alyssa...

The University of Texas at Austin and Texas Woman’s University at Houston

When Amanda was in middle school, one of her cousins had triplets. One of the girls was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and Amanda had the opportunity to attend several of her physical therapy sessions. She quickly realized that this was the passion she wanted to pursue.

Amanda is certified in Neurodevelopmental Treatment (NDT) and has a special...

Nova Southeastern University

Angela is a Spanish-bilingual speech language pathologist who loves incorporating sensory play and child led activities into her sessions. Angela has a strong passion in working with children with speech language delays/disorders and is a big proponent for parent training because she strongly believes in building relationships through speech language development.

Angela’s interests are...

Austin Community College

Audrey came home from work as a secretary one day and was greeted by her best friend, who was in school to be a Physical Therapist Assistant. Her friend said “I’ve found the perfect job for you! Get your degree to be an Occupational Therapy Assistant and you can play all day!”

That was over 25 years ago, and Audrey has been happily working (and playing) as an OTA ever since.

The University of Texas at San Antonio and Texas State University

Bradley had known that he wanted to be a physical therapist since high school, however, he initially wanted to work with athletes. During college, he shadowed at a pediatric physical therapy clinic which opened his eyes to a completely different field within physical therapy and he was immediately interested.

During physical therapy school, this interest...

Texas A&M University and The University of Texas at Austin

Chelsa became a speech pathologist because it combined her love of language and her passion for helping others. After working with adults in a long-term care facility, she transitioned to pediatric therapy.

She has been practicing at Little Tesoros Therapy Services since 2007. Chelsa has a specialized training in the area of feeding and swallowing....

The University of Texas at Austin

Christine grew up in Chicago, IL and moved to Texas to attend the University of Texas at Austin, where she received both her bachelor of arts and master’s degree in Speech Language Pathology.

Christine loves being a speech pathologist because she gets to eat, talk, and play with her patients every day!

She enjoys collaborating with parents and families to help their children reach...

University of California San Diego and University of Nevada Las Vegas

Danyle became interested in physical therapy after attending sessions for a knee injury as a teenager.

She developed her passion for working with children after visiting a special needs school program with her aunt who was a school nurse.

Danyle has experience in working with children with a variety of neurological, genetic, and developmental...

The University of Texas at Austin

Irma “DeeDee” Barrera has been a practicing speech language pathologist for over 25 years and has worked in many settings. She worked for the San Antonio, Laredo, Eanes, and Leander school districts, for the CEDEN Early Childhood Intervention program, for the Brackenridge Hospital out-patient clinic, and as a bilingual clinical supervisor for students in the graduate bilingual speech pathology...

University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston

Emily became an OT because she was interested in helping people overcome challenges to reach their best quality of life. She first discovered OT through shadowing at Little Tesoro’s as an undergraduate student. Since then, she has loved working with children to help them uncover and reach their full potential.

Emily has previous experience with sensory processing disorders,...

Stony Brook University and Iona College

Jamie Schmahl is one of our skilled physical therapists who specializes in the rehabilitation of children with neurological and orthopedic disorders. Jamie received her Doctorates in Physical Therapy in 2018, and a Bachelors in Biology in 2015.

Jamie’s love for pediatric physical therapy began on a mission trip to Tanzania, Africa where she and her peers evaluated and treated...

The University of Texas at Austin and Texas Woman’s University

Jessica became a pediatric physical therapist because it gives her the opportunity to improve the lives of children and support families of children with disabilities.

Jessica loves making sessions fun and engaging so that her patients enjoy therapy and gain confidence along with increased independence.

Jessica earned her bachelor’s degree in...

Austin Community College

In 1984 Joann’s son was born with Cerebral Palsy, Hydrocephalus and cortical blindness. He attended ECI programs for Occupational, Physical and Speech Therapy. It was there that Joann met a wonderful Occupational Therapist that she learned so much from and was mentored by.

Joann has had the joy of working for Little Tesoros since 2002.

Joann’s first passion is to work with the...

University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences at Austin, Texas

Jocelyn’s interest in pediatric physical therapy started in undergraduate school while she worked as a caregiver for a 9 year old girl with spastic quadriplegia cerebral palsy. She found passion in creating ways to include her in play activities with her siblings and in the community.

Jocelyn joined Little Tesoros in 2018 and has experience working with...

New York University

Julie became an OT because she was always interested in working with people. She discovered she loves helping people overcome obstacles and improve their lives. Julie has been an OT for over 30 years and has worked with all age groups in a variety of settings.

She has gravitated towards pediatrics and loves being able to work closely with families to help them along their journey.

She has...

Texas A&M University and University of Texas Health Science Center

Karen developed a love of children with special needs at a young age by being around her cousin. She has always loved being active, learning about science and helping others so it was a natural fit. Once she was able to help with an adapted PE class in college, she was hooked!

Karen has been a pediatric PT for over 17 years in multiple settings. As a...

The University of Texas at Austin and Texas State University

Physical therapy allows Kelli to help people get back to what they love to do without pain or restriction. Pediatrics is especially fulfilling because it allows her to help teach new skills in a fun environment with an exciting population.

Kelli has worked at Little Tesoros since 2008 and has certifications in Pediatric Neurodevelopmental Treatment (NDT) and...

Texas A&M University and Texas State University

Inspired by several close family members working in the healthcare field, Kendall knew from an early age that she wanted to help others the way they were. Once she discovered the field of speech-language pathology, she was immediately hooked.

Kendall is Hanen certified (It Takes Two to Talk & More Than Words). Kendall has additional training in PECS.

She is...

The University of Texas at Austin and Texas State University

When Lauren was in high school and trying to decide a career path, she observed both physical and speech therapists here at LTTS. She was so impressed by the love and support they gave the patient and his family, while providing the highest quality of care.

During college, she joined the LTTS family as a clinical therapy tech and worked her way through school...

Southwest Texas State University

Laurie was introduced to the field of physical therapy in seventh grade when her sister was recovering from knee surgery. While in PT school, she had an opportunity to treat a child, and immediately found her love for pediatric physical therapy.

Laurie is NDT certified and is also certified to teach infant massage. She has particular interest in torticollis, myofascial release,...

Auburn University and The University of St. Augustine

Michelle was inspired to pursue physical therapy at the age of 13, following in the footsteps of her dad, who has a caring heart and a passion for serving children with special needs. During college, Michelle spent a gap year in Uganda, working with a physical therapist at an orphanage for kids of all abilities, confirming her passion.

Michelle started as a rehab tech...

The University of Texas Health and Science Center San Antonio

Maricarmen (Mari) became a pediatric occupational therapist because she loves that she can help children reach their full potential through play. She is the oldest child out of four, so teaching others how to overcome obstacles in their daily life is innate to her.

For Mari, the best part about being an occupational therapist is working along with children and...

Idaho State University

Marissa received her master's in Speech language Pathology from Idaho State University, where she worked as a research assistant in both the Infant Phonology and Language Development labs. She completed her master's thesis on the effects of opiates on the central and peripheral nervous systems and the resulting communication deficits.

Being a pediatric SLP allows Marissa to combine her love of...

The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston

Mary Kay knew she wanted to be an Occupational Therapist when she was a teenager volunteering at a hospital and saw an Occupational Therapist working with a person to regain function after having a stroke.

She has always enjoyed working with children with neurological issues, orthopedic issues, developmental delay and feeding issues.

She is certified in Vital...

The University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio

Melissa had the pleasure of shadowing an LTTS OT and PT while in high school, deciding between a career in the education or medical fields. She saw how beautifully OT blends the teaching and caregiver worlds, making the easy decision to pursue OT.

She is certified in Therapeutic Listening and as an ADHD-Rehab Service Provider. She has taken trainings related to...

University of Puget Sound

Melissa has been a pediatric occupational therapist for over 15 years and still loves the remarkable children she serves and their families. Her objective is to ensure patients are having such a good time that they don't realize they are actually working toward achieving functional goals that will increase their participation in activities across a variety of environments including their home, school,...

The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston

Mindy first started at Little Tesoros as a rehab tech and then came back to us after she had finished her master’s degree in Occupational Therapy and we are thrilled to have her return. She has a passion for children and wanted to work in the medical field where she could interact with families on a personal level.

She loves her job because she is able to work closely...

State University of New York Albany and San Francisco State University

After spending nearly seven years in the business sector, Nadine decided to change her career and became a speech language pathologist.

She has had the opportunity to work with a variety of children in school and private practice settings. Although she enjoys working with all children, she holds a special place in heart for children who are 2-5 years...

Texas State, Texas A&M University and University of Texas Medical Branch

Ryan has been working as pediatric physical therapist since 2003 and during that time has experience in early Childhood Intervention as well as home health and public school based services.

He is currently the Motor Therapists Supervisor for Bluebonnet Trails ECI as well as working for Little Tesoros part time.

Ryan has 5 children...

Texas Christian University and Virginia Commonwealth University

Sarah became an OT because she is passionate about wanting children with challenges to feel loved and known as they work to develop their skills. She desires to care for families as they support their children. She has a special interest in working with children with ASD, sensory processing challenges and general developmental delays.

She has completed...

Clarion University of Pennsylvania

Sheila became an SLP because she was drawn to how it allowed her to help people and solve problems using creativity. She chose to work in pediatrics because she enjoys coming up with fun ways to help children learn and achieve their goals.

She has experience working with all age groups. Sheila has an interest in helping children acquire functional communication skills using...

The University of Texas at El Paso and Washington State University

Stephanie chose to become a speech language pathologist because she believes that every child should have the opportunity to communicate to their fullest potential.

She loves establishing a collaborative relationship with families so they may work together to achieve a child’s communication goals.

Stephanie is Hanen certified and has extensive...