Who We Are
Dr. Sneha Gosalia, PT DPT CKTP CPMT is a pediatric physical therapist licensed in New York and Connecticut. She has worked in a variety of settings including hospitals, pediatric rehab centers, outpatient clinics, schools, daycare centers and early intervention in the homes since 2008. She received her Bachelor of Science degree from Stony Brook University and Doctorate degree in Physical Therapy from New York University.
Sneha has treated numerous children with gross motor delays due to congenital, developmental, neuromuscular, & skeletal conditions such as Torticollis, Down syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Scoliosis, Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Muscular Dystrophy, Juvenile Arthritis, Autism Spectrum disorders, Hemiplegia, Polymicrogyria, Tuberous Sclerosis, Noonan syndrome, and many other identified and unidentified conditions.
Sneha is a certified Kinesio Tape Practitioner & Pediatric Massage Therapist. She has been using Kinesio Tape in the treatment of children with alignment issues and neurological involvement. She incorporates massage into her therapy sessions to help with high muscle tone, low muscle tone, joint mobility and to help with babies that have difficulty gaining weight or have constipation. Sneha has extensive training in neurodevelopmental techniques, sensory integration, vestibular rehabilitation, pediatric yoga/pilates, kinesio tape, massage, developmental coordination disorder, and torticollis. She is also trained in Dr. Greenspan's DIR/Floor time approach, which helps a child improve their communication, curiousity, and creativity by meeting them at their developmental level.
Sneha is dedicated to providing individualized sessions to help improve a child's overall strength, endurance, balance, coordination, motor planning, body awareness and gross motor skills.
Danielle Diglio, MOT OTR/L is a pediatric occupational therapist licensed in New York and Connecticut. She has worked in various settings including outpatient clinics, homes, preschools and school districts since 2009. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Health Science and Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy from Quinnipiac University.
Danielle has treated children with a variety of disabilities including Autism spectrum disorder, Cerebral Palsy, Down syndrome, Fragile X syndrome, Hashimoto’s disease, Hemiplegia, Sensory Processing disorders and visual processing difficulties.
Danielle is trained in Therapeutic Listening and PuzzleArt Therapy™. She has extensive training in sensory integration, sensory motor, visual processing and graphomotor skills. Danielle works with families to put together a comprehensive sensory diet to help the child perform better in the home and community environment. She is also trained in Dr. Greenspan's DIR/Floor time approach, which helps a child improve their communication, curiousity, and creativity by meeting them at their developmental level.
Danielle’s mission is to provide personalized occupational therapy services to help unlock children’s hidden skills. She focuses on the child’s “occupation” of play to improve fine motor skills, sensory processing skills, motor planning, bilateral coordination difficulties, and graphomotor skills. Danielle uses Handwriting Without Tears® interventions as a multi sensory approach to improve handwriting skills for children of various ages. She also uses brain gym exercises to enhance a child's visual, auditory, and kinesthetic skills for easier and more optimal learning.
Lisa Haid, MA PT is a pediatric physical therapist licensed in New York and Connecticut. She received her physical therapy degree from Stony Brook University and her Masters Degree in Developmental Disabilities from New York University. Lisa has worked in a variety of settings including pediatric oncology and neurosurgery, acute care, cardiopulmonary care, adult and pediatric rehabilitation, sports medicine, and home care. While at NYU, Lisa designed and implemented a program in Women’s Health addressing the needs of pregnant and post-partum
women. Lisa has taken extensive coursework in sensory processing disorders, cranial sacral therapy, spinal mobilization and muscle energy techniques, torticollis, and pediatric yoga. She is a certified provider of the Interactive Metronome. Lisa currently works for The Association To Benefit Children in an inclusionary model pre-school program, as well in Early Intervention in both NY and CT. Lisa has treated children with a variety of motor delays including prematurity, cerebral palsy, torticollis, SMA and muscular dystrophy, Cerebral Palsy, and Autism Spectrum
Disorders.
Lisa provides a detailed assessment of your child, incorporating the knowledge of the neurological, musculoskeletal, and sensory systems, as well as gait, postural control and gross motor abilities. Treatment emphasis includes building muscle strength and endurance, improving balance, coordination and motor planning skills. The ultimate goal is to promote self-confidence in your child, and to ensure your child’s optimal physical performance during every day activities. Lisa is delighted to join Big Leaps Pediatric Physical Therapy Practice.
Dr. Chris Kish, PT, DPT is a Physical Therapist licensed in Connecticut, with a Bachelor’s degree in Health Science and a Doctoral degree in Physical Therapy from Mercy College. Chris has a demonstrated history of skilled clinical experience in a variety of settings including outpatient orthopedics, the public-school system, and outpatient pediatrics since 2007. Chris has also traveled to Port de Paix, Haiti to provide pro-bono physical therapy to the pediatric and adult population with immense neurological and orthopedic conditions. Since beginning his career, Chris has successfully completed extensive continuing education courses in areas such as spinal rehabilitation, orthopedics, manual based therapy, school-based intervention and associated behavior of the school aged child.
Chris has treated a vast array of patients ranging from pediatrics, adolescents and adults to
athletes. Over the past few years, he has specialized in pediatrics treating conditions ranging
from gross motor developmental delays, to children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, to children
with unspecified and specified neurological syndromes such as Coffin-Lowry syndrome,
Williams syndrome, PACS-1 syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Traumatic Brain injuries, Hemiplegia and Orthopedic injuries to name a few.
Chris plans to continue his education by pursuing his Pediatric Specialist Certification and
continuing to drive the proverbial needle towards a health facing community. Believing that all
members of our community are valuable, and inclusion is a right, keeps Chris focused on
function and wellness, not only in the clinic, but in the community.
Ava Fracassini MOT OTR/L is a pediatric occupational therapist licensed in Connecticut. She has experience providing treatment in multiple settings including preschools and elementary schools as well as outpatient clinics. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy from Sacred Heart University.
Ava has treated children with developmental delays and various disabilities/ conditions including Autism spectrum disorder, Cerebral Palsy, Down syndrome, Hemiplegia, Sensory Processing disorders, motor planning difficulties and visual processing difficulties. Ava is dedicated to providing individualized family centered care to children and families. She enhances children’s learning abilities through the use of a multi-sensory approach during interventions. Ava also utilizes strength and coordination activities during sessions for increased fine motor skills.
Kelly Levy, M.S., CCC-SLP is a Speech Language Pathologist licensed in the states of CT and NY. She holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), a Professional Educator certificate from CT, and a Teacher of Students with Speech Language Disability (TSSLD) certificate from NY. Kelly received a Bachelor of Science degree in Speech Language Pathology and Audiology and a Master of Science degree in Speech Language Pathology from Ithaca College.
Kelly specializes in communication development and disorders in the pediatric population including developmental language delays, language disabilities, articulation errors, phonological disorders, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), auditory processing disorders, and other non specified language-based learning differences. Additionally, she has experience working with children with Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) and fluency, voice, and swallowing disorders. Kelly has provided communication services in a variety of settings, including clinics, homes, private and public schools (pre-k through high school), hospitals, and acute rehab facilities. She utilizes Augmentative and Alternative communication (AAC) and is trained in PROMPT therapy and Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS).
Kelly believes in motivational and functional therapy through the use of multisensory, play-based activities to meet each child’s diverse therapeutic needs and help them achieve their communication potential.
Rebecca Kass, M.S., CCC-SLP is a Speech-Language Pathologist licensed in the states of Connecticut and New York. She holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), a Professional Educator certificate from CT, and a Teacher of Students with Speech-Language Disability (TSSLD) certificate from NY. Rebecca achieved a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University at Buffalo and a Master of Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Nova Southeastern University.
Rebecca has experience working with clients ranging from infancy to geriatric populations. She has treated clients with developmental and acquired communication disorders, including expressive/receptive language, articulation/phonology errors, feeding and swallowing disorders, craniofacial abnormalities, Aphasia, Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI), fluency, Autism Spectrum Disorders, motor speech disorders, Down Syndrome, and Cerebral Palsy. Rebecca has provided communication services across multiple settings, including public and private schools (preschool through high school), hospitals, private clinics, and homes. She has expertise in conducting comprehensive evaluations to school-age populations incorporating standardized and informal assessment measures.
She prides herself on delivering communication services that support and educate the client and their families. It is her mission to enhance a client's quality of life, striving them to become lifetime communicators and contributors to society.
Fara Barreto, M.S. Ed., Special Education. Fara is a special education teacher in Connecticut, who has worked in a variety of settings providing early intervention in daycare and preschool centers, and in the home since 2007. Fara was in a supervisory role while working in early intervention and oversaw and assisted teachers in implementing education and support for children and families. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Connecticut and a Master’s degree in Special Education from Fairfield University.
Fara works with children with developmental delays and various disabilities including Autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome, ADHD, Emotional disturbance and Intellectual disabilities.
Fara is trained in Applied Behavior Analysis which focuses on studying behaviors and applying interventions to bring about meaningful and positive changes in behaviors. Her mission is to provide a kinesthetic, individualized approach while allowing the child to have fun and enjoy learning. She focuses on family engagement and family-school partnerships to support children’s behavioral, social-emotional, and academic functioning.