Pediatric Occupational, Physical, Speech Therapy & Dyslexia in Gilbert, AZ

What We Do!

Pediatric Occupational Therapists (OT) and Speech Therapists (ST) help children to restore or develop their functional performance in a variety of areas. For children, these areas include play, self-help skills, school performance, functional communication, and social skills. At Way to Grow, LLC, we provide individualized, play-based and child-centered OT and ST services. Our treatment sessions are provided in a clinic setting with sensory gyms, featuring a wide variety of equipment, toys and activities to motivate, encourage and provide each child with a just-right challenge to foster maximum skill development. Your child will love to grow and learn with us in our fun, safe and supportive environment!

Areas of Focus

• Fine and gross motor skills
• Upper body strength and coordination
• Postural stability and balance
• Motor planning
• Visual motor skills
• Visual perception
• Eye-hand coordination
• Activities of Daily living (dressing, grooming, bathing, etc.)
• Attention difficulties
• Sensory processing difficulties (tactile, auditory, visual, vestibular and proprioception)
• Executive function, time management and organization
• Handwriting difficulties

• Feeding issues
• Upper and lower extremity strength
• Balance and coordination
• Trunk strengthening for postural control and stability
• Communication
• Speech Difficulties
• Apraxia
• Phonemic Awareness
• Pragmatics
• Working Memory
• Reading Comprehension
• Written Expression

Diagnosis Treated

• Developmental Delays
• Autism Spectrum Disorders
• Dyspraxia or motor incoordination
• Sensory Processing Disorder
• ADHD
• Anxiety
• Cerebral Palsy
• Spina Bifida

• Down's Syndrome
• Erb's Palsy
• Childhood Apraxia of Speech
• Articulation Difficulties
• Stuttering
• Phonological Disorders
• Expressive and Receptive Language Disorders

Who We Are!

Way to Grow, LLC is a therapist owned and operated pediatric therapy clinic serving children and their families in the Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa and Tempe areas of Metro-Phoenix, Arizona. Occupational and Speech Therapy services are available from infancy to young adulthood. Currently, we provide outpatient, clinic-based services at 2715 S. Alma School Rd., Suite #3.

Occupational Therapy Team

Heather, B.S. OTR/L, Owner

Heather

B.S. OTR/L, Owner

Heather Baumgartner is the founder and owner of Way to Grow, LLC. She graduated from the University of North Dakota in 1995, with a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy. Through the years and scope of practice, she has had a wide range of experience in pediatrics through home health, clinic based, hospital, and school settings. Heather specializes in the treatment of pediatric clients (birth to 18 yrs.) with emphasis on SPD (Sensory Processing Disorders), SI (Sensory Integration), NDT (Neurodevelopmental Theory) and Motor Learning theories. She also has an abundance of experience with childhood development as a SAHM for 10 years while her 4 girls were young and attending elementary school. Heather has also dedicated many hours of study and continuing education to keep up with the latest information on SPD research, autism and pediatric information by attending conferences, completing continuing education courses, participating in mentorship programs and independent study. Heather is certified in the “Handwriting Without Tears” program, the “Integrated Listening Program” (iLs), is certified as a provider for the S.O.S feeding program (Sequential Oral Sensory Feeding Program) through Dr. Kay Toomey, and completed formal training in the “Bal-A-Vis-X” program in 2016. She also had the honor and privilege to become an Advanced Level 1 Mentored Clinician in SPD through the mentorship/training program at the STAR Center (Sensory Treatment and Research Center) in Denver, Colorado in 2015. Heather is currently a member of both state (ArizOTA) and national (AOTA) OT associations.

When she’s not working, Heather enjoys time with her husband (Jimmy), and their family either at the gym or going on vacations where there’s warm water and sandy beaches! She also has 2 boxers, and has a love for decorating, creating jewelry and shopping with her 4 daughters!

Ali OTD, OTR/L

Ali

Team Lead, OTD, OTR/L

Ali joined the Way to Grow team in June of 2023 as an Occupational Therapist. After growing up in Chandler, Ali graduated with her bachelor’s degree in Child Development (BS) from Texas Christian University in 2017. She then returned home to earn her doctorate in Occupational Therapy (OTD) in 2021 from Northern Arizona University. Ali has prior experience working at a pediatric clinic, specializing in sensory integration. She has additional training in feeding therapy, emotional regulation, and mental health, along with being a TBRI (Trust-Based Relational Intervention) Practitioner, for working with children and families impacted by trauma. In her free time, Ali enjoys spending time with friends and family outdoors, trying a new restaurant, or on the couch with the latest show or book!

Kaylee MOT, OTR/L

Kaylee

MOT, OTR/L

Kaylee joined the Way to Grow team in May 2022 as an occupational therapist. Originally from Southern California, Kaylee attended Colorado State University to pursue her master’s degree. After completing her coursework in 2016 she began practicing in variety of pediatric settings, working with kiddos ranging in age from birth to 21. Kaylee has additional training in sensory integration, NDT, feeding, and emotional regulation among other areas. She is passionate about working with all children and their families, helping them discover tools to thrive. When she is not working Kaylee enjoys spending time with her family, being outdoors, or finding a new coffee shop.

Lynsie COTA/L

Lynsie

COTA/L

Lynsie joined the Way to Grow team in August 2022 as a Licensed Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant. Lynsie graduated with her degree from Pima Medical Institute in 2015 and began practicing at a Sensory Integration clinic shortly after. She has worked with children ages 2-21, with hands-on training and experience in sensory integration and feeding therapy. Lynsie has worked with a variety of different diagnoses and is passionate about helping children and families gain the tools they need to support all aspects of daily life. She has completed a variety of continuing education courses including “Implementing Sensory Integration into Practice”, “The Get Permission Approach to Anxious Eaters/Anxious Mealtimes” and “Assessment and Treatment of the Baby via NDT”.

In her free time, Lynsie enjoys being outdoors through hiking and paddle-boarding, as well as crafting and spending time with her friends and family.

Jenna OTD, OTR/L

Jenna

OTD, OTR/L

Jenna joined the Way to Grow team in October of 2023 as an Occupational Therapist. Jenna is originally from Johannesburg, South Africa, but moved to Arizona from Louisville, Kentucky in 2018. She graduated from the University of Louisville with her bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science. Jenna earned her doctorate in Occupational Therapy (OTD) from A.T. Still University in 2021. Jenna has prior experience specializing in sensory integration therapy at an outpatient pediatric clinic. She has additional experience in feeding therapy for children of all ages including supporting oral motor skill development in infants.

Jenna welcomed her first son, Cape, in the summer of 2023 with her husband, Nathan, and has been loving seeing the world through his eyes. She enjoys spending time with friends and family as well as traveling to new places!

Narae BA, COTA/L

Narae

BA, COTA/L

Narae joined the Way of Grow team in April 2024 as a Licensed Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant. Narae is originally from Seoul, South Korea, but moved to Phoenix from Seattle, Washington in 2022. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Washington in 2015. Narae has prior experience in specializing in sensory integration, emotional regulation, feeding, and trauma for children from age 2 to 18 years old at an outpatient pediatric clinic. She is dedicated to serving children and families to be successful in functional aspects of life to promote their independence in the most meaningful way. Narae recently began to pursue further study with NAU’s Doctorate of Occupational Therapy program to serve the pediatric population with evidence-based and quality therapy services.

In her free time, Narae values spending quality time with her family and friends, enjoys making and drinking coffee, going on a nature walk, traveling the world and different states, painting, and creating social media content on fine motor activities for children through an OT lens.

Breanna MOT, OTR/L

Breanna

MOT, OTR/L

Breanna joined the Way to Grow therapy team in August of 2024 as an Occupational Therapist. Breanna received her Bachelor’s in Biology from the University of Pittsburgh in 2019, and her Master’s of Occupational Therapy from the University of Washington in 2021. Breanna has spent the past five years living in Seattle Washington before moving to Arizona in July of 2024. Breanna has prior experience in outpatient pediatrics addressing challenges in sensory integration, emotional regulation, reflex integration, fine and gross motor skills development, self care, and social skills. In her free time, Breanna loves hiking and traveling, playing with her Mini Australian Shepard, and baking sourdough bread.

Speech and Language Team

Erin Team Lead, M.A. CCC-SLP

Erin

Team Lead, M.A. CCC-SLP

Erin joined the Way to Grow team in January 2021 as a Speech Language Pathologist. Erin earned her bachelor's degrees in Speech Language and Hearing Sciences (BS) and Creative Writing Poetry (BA) at Arizona State University in 2015. Erin earned her masters in Communication Disorders (MA) at New Mexico State University in 2017. Through her 3+ years experience in clinic based pediatric therapy, Erin has gained experience in evaluating and treating a wide range of disorders and diagnoses. Erin is passionate about early intervention and play based therapy, as well as feeding therapy and articulation therapy. Erin is hoping to further her career by looking into orofacial myology to further her experience with treating and evaluating tongue thrust.

Erin was born and raised in Arizona. In her free time, Erin enjoys reading, writing, cross stitch, gardening, and playing with her dogs. She is very proud that she has had the opportunity to travel to 13 different countries.

Kayleigh M.S. CCC-SLP & Creative Coordinator

Kayleigh

M.S. CCC-SLP

Kayleigh joined the Way to Grow team in June 2021 as a Speech Language Pathologist. Kayleigh earned her bachelor’s degree in Communication Disorders (BS) at University of Nebraska Kearney in 2015. She earned her Masters in Speech Language Pathology (MS) at Midwestern University – Glendale in 2018. Through multiple years of experience in clinic based pediatric therapy, she is experienced in evaluating and treating pediatric speech and language disorders and diagnoses. Kayleigh is passionate about alternative and augmentative communication, social communication, sensory integration in speech and language intervention, play based therapy and feeding therapy.

In her free time, Kayleigh enjoys swimming, running and hiking with her husband, son and dog.

Afton SLPA

Afton

SLPA

Afton joined the Way to Grow team in July 2024 as a Speech-Language Pathologist Assistant. She graduated with her bachelor’s degree in Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education (BS) in May of 2024, and received her Speech-Language Pathologist Assistant license in the state of Arizona in 2024. Afton is passionate about working with children and loves seeing them build confidence in themselves through play-based therapy. She is excited to be a part of an amazing team and making connections to the kids and families at Way to Grow. In her free time, Afton enjoys traveling, cooking, exploring Arizona and spending time with her friends and family!

Ashton MS, CCC-SLP

Ashton

M.S. CCC-SLP

Ashton joined the Way to Grow team in October 2024 as a Speech-Language Pathologist. She graduated from the University of Alabama (Roll Tide!), earning a Bachelor's of Arts in Communicative Disorders in 2018 and a Master's of Science in Speech-Language Pathology in 2020. Ashton moved to Arizona after finishing graduate school and worked in an elementary school setting for two years. She has research and clinical experience in the area of pre-linguistic skills in young children with Autism. Ashton is passionate about play-based therapy, caregiver coaching, and early intervention. Outside of the clinic, you can find her traveling with her husband, hiking at South Mountain, reading Harry Potter (again), enjoying a chocolate chip cookie, volunteering with refugees, or playing Bananagrams.

Alana, SLPA

Alana

SLPA

Alana joined the Way to Grow team in November 2024 as a Speech-Language Pathologist Assistant. She graduated from Arizona State University in 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in Family and Human Development (B.S.) and a minor in Speech and Hearing Sciences. Through her SLPA internship, she gained experience working with high school students with SLD, Autism, Intellectual Disability, and Down Syndrome. Alana is passionate about helping children reach their communication goals and gain life skills. She is looking forward to getting to know all the lovely children and families at Way to Grow!

Alana is originally from Houston, Texas and moved to Arizona in 2019 to attend ASU. In her spare time, she enjoys knitting, sailing, playing disc golf, trying new crafts, and playing card games with her friends and family. Alana also loves animals and has two dogs and one cat.

Office Administration Team

Nikkie Practice Manager

Nikkie

Practice Manager

Nikkie joined the amazing Way to Grow team in July 2021 as the Practice Manager. She made the decision to start a career in the medical field in 2005 and has developed an extensive background in many aspects of patient care ever since. She started her journey as a Medical Assistant and Phlebotomist and worked her way up to Management in 2007. She opened and managed multiple Urgent Care facilities in her hometown in California before moving to Arizona. Nikkie is excited to be a part of this exceptional group of individuals who love what they do, and she is eager to help ensure that everyone's experience at Way to Grow is a positive and rewarding one.

In her spare time, Nikkie enjoys spending time with her family and friends, watching her kids play sports and going to the gym.

Stephanie Billing Specialist

Stephanie

Billing Specialist

Stephanie joined the way to grow team in November of 2018. Originally from Providence, Rhode Island, she moved to Chandler, Arizona in 1991, at the age of 7, and has made it her home ever since. In 2013, she started her medical billing career journey and 7 years later, she still enjoys behind the scenes work. When she is not at work, Stephanie enjoys spending time with her six kids (four girls and two boys) and her three dogs.

Taylor Receptionist

Taylor

Patient Care Coordinator

Taylor joined the Way to Grow team in November 2023. She moved to Arizona in 2019 to finish school with her degree in Occupational Health Sciences. Taylor has always had a passion for the medical field. After Covid, she realized that her passion was definitely for helping people in any way possible, so when the opportunity came up to join the Way to Grow team and help build the Patient Care Coordinator role, she couldn't turn it down! The best part of her day is seeing all the kids and hearing their great stories or simply just a little wave to say hi! She is always willing to go the extra mile to help the parents and give them the best experience possible.

In her spare time, Taylor enjoys being with her friends, baking, and snuggling her dog!

Jamie Receptionist

Jamie

Receptionist

Jamie joined the Way to Grow team in October 2023! She is one of the receptionists here at the clinic and works eagerly to accommodate our families here at WTG. She is always ready to help patients and parents with any problems they have. She loves to connect with the patients and enjoys making mundane tasks fun! She is currently attending Grand Canyon University and is studying Business Marketing.

Jamie is the daughter of Heather Baumgartner, so she has grown up with this business and seen it grow, and now is honored to be working alongside the WTG team. In her free time, she loves to travel any and everywhere! Her whole family lives in Minnesota so that is her favorite spot to go! She also enjoys hiking and being outside with her sweet dog named Cowboy!

Lauren Receptionist

Lauren

Receptionist

Lauren joined the Way to Grow team in June 2024. Lauren moved to Arizona from Oceanside, California in 2005 when she started high school. She has always loved working with children and has a passion for helping children succeed to their fullest potential. She has learned so much in the last few years working with therapists for her son, which is when her passion started to grow, and she wanted to help other families, parents and children through the process.

Lauren enjoys spending time with her husband and her 2 children. In her spare time, she loves to cook, spend time with friends and go on adventures with her family.

Kudos

Here's what families are saying about Way to Grow

"My kids have grown exponentially with the help of these ladies!!! They are warm, inviting and extremely good at what they do! The office/paperwork side of the business is very responsive and super professional! I would highly recommend Way to Grow!!!"

-Laura M.


"The staff is warm, loving, knowledgeable and simply amazing. We are so lucky to have WTG in our lives. WTG has been a "game changer" for our son. I am so thankful for all they have done for our son and family.

-Megan B.

Pediatric Occupational, Feeding, Speech Therapy & Dyslexia Services in Gilbert, AZ, Phoenix,Tempe, Chandler, Mesa,Gilbert, Ahwatukee, Mesa, Scottsdale, Glendale, Peoria, Paradise Valley, Maricopa, Casa Grande, SanTan Valley, Queen Creek, Phoenix Metro area, East Valley

We Accept

Blue Cross
Classwallet
Contact Information

2715 S. Alma School Rd., Suite #3
Chandler AZ 85286

Phone: 480-508-5252
Email: reception@waytogrowaz.com

Chandler Chamber

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