Valerie Switzer is a speech language pathologist and joined Imagine in April 2010. Valerie earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Disorders at the University of Houston in 1996. She completed her Masters of Science in Speech Language Pathology at Texas Christian University in 1998 and began working for the public school district in Houston, Texas. Originally hailing from Buenos Aires, Argentina, she is fluent in Spanish.
Valerie has received training and certification in the following therapeutical areas: Beckman Oral Motor Evaluation and Therapy technique, Kaufman Apraxic techniques, Picture Exchange Communication System, the TEACCH program for autism, the MORE program, HANEN program, and therapeutic listening. As a school-based speech language pathologist, Valerie has also received training in narrative analysis/ literacy skills, establishing daily scheduling, functional living skills, IEP writing and implementation, conducted ARD committee meetings, assisted in creating ESL curriculum, and curriculum based teaching for early childhood. She has served as a translator and liaison for the CLD population and taught English to Spanish speaking parents about the special education process and how to best serve children with disabilities. She also has done speech, language, and hearing screenings for Head Start in Houston.
Valerie lives in Bentonville with her two children, Angela and Nicholas. They enjoy watching movies together and spending time with friends.