WHO WE ARE
Meet
The Team
We are committed to helping children reach for the stars and achieve their full developmental potential. Our families are our #1 priority!
– LuAnn (Founder)
TEAM MEMBERS
LuAnn H. Lower
Speech-Language Pathologist, President
LuAnn H. Lower, M.A., CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist, PresidentBlast Off Children’s Therapy Services, Inc.
CA License # 13795
[email protected]
LuAnn realized her dream of opening a pediatric speech and language therapy clinic in July 2012 when she founded Blast Off Children’s Therapy Services. That dream was furthered when she added occupational therapy and physical therapy to the clinic so that the families she served could have the benefit and convenience of multiple therapies at one location. LuAnn loves watching the progress that is made when children, families and therapists all work together toward one goal!
LuAnn has been a certified speech-language pathologist since 1982. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in education in the area of speech and hearing from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and her master’s degree in speech pathology from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. She is a member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). Over the years, LuAnn has worked in a variety of environments including hospitals, developmental centers, preschools, and outpatient multidisciplinary clinics. LuAnn specializes in pediatric speech and language pathology and has significant experience in Early Intervention and in the diagnosis and treatment of the range of pediatric communication disorders. LuAnn’s experience includes working with children who have diagnoses of Autism Spectrum Disorder, Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Global Developmental Delay, Cleft Lip and Palate, Childhood Apraxia of Speech, Articulation Disorder, Phonology Disorder, Receptive and Expressive Language Impairment, Pragmatic Language Impairment, Voice Disorder, and Fluency Disorder. LuAnn also has experience in supervision of new speech pathologists and has a commitment to continuing education. She has introductory training in the PROMPT technique and DIR Floortime® and has completed advanced training in SCERTS®, an educational model addressing the key challenges facing children on the autism spectrum. In addition, she is certified by The Hanen Program® to teach the It Takes Two To Talk and More Than Words courses for parents. She is a recipient of the ASHA Award for Continuing Education (ACE).
Mary Torres
Front Office
Manager
Mary Torres
Front Office Manager
[email protected]
Mary was born and raised in San Diego, CA. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at University of California, Santa Cruz, where she lived for 5 years. Mary returned to San Diego in 2018 and started working with children pre-k to fourth grade as a teacher’s aide. She then began working with children aged from 3 to 16 with Autism Spectrum Disorder as a Registered Behavior Technician for two and a half years. She provided ABA therapy in-home, in-school and in clinic before beginning her new position at Blast Off in August 2022. Mary is interested in pursuing a Master’s in Psychology or Speech Language Pathology, but is most excited about working with children in the future. Mary is fluent in English and Spanish and currently learning Korean. She loves learning languages because she values connecting with others in the language they are most comfortable speaking. Mary is hoping to one day be able to learn even more languages!
Meghan Chow
Speech-Language
Pathologist
Meghan Chow, M.A., CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
CA License # 29126
[email protected]
Meghan is a therapist who is passionate about finding evidence-based strategies to meet each child’s strengths and needs. She is a current member of the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA). She received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, and minor in educational studies from the University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB), and her Master of Arts in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at San Diego State University (SDSU). Meghan is a former school-based speech language pathologist and has been working at Blastoff since 2019. Meghan has experience with a variety of ages and speech and language areas including expressive/receptive language disorders, articulation and phonological disorders, and voice and fluency disorders. She is passionate about serving neurodiverse children and their families and also facilitating social groups to children to encourage communicating and connecting with peers. Meghan’s trainings include DIR Floortime, early intervention strategies, Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cuing for children with apraxia, Alternative Augmentative Communication (AAC), and parent coaching. She is a Natural Language Acquisition (NLA) Trained clinician for working with children who communicate with delayed echolalia. Meghan enjoys working closely with family members and caregivers so that their children can grow in their speech and language skills in their everyday lives.
Casandra Schroader
Speech-Language
Pathologist
Casandra Schroader M.S., CCC-SLP
Speech-Language PathologistCA License #24878
[email protected]
Casandra graduated from the University of Kentucky with a Bachelor of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders & a Minor in Psychology in 2013. She then graduated from the University of Kentucky with a Master of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders in 2015. She is a member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). Casandra has many years of experience working with the pediatric population within multi-disciplinary outpatient clinics and strives to meet the dynamic needs of each client. She has experience working in Early Intervention and with clients between the ages of 3-14 years of age with diagnoses including but not limited to Autism, Down Syndrome, Apraxia of Speech, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Hearing Impairment. Further, her expertise includes promoting multilingual language development for bilingual families and treating motor-based speech disorders. Casandra has been formally trained in PROMPT, Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing (DTTC), the Kaufman method for treating Childhood Apraxia of Speech, DIR Floortime®, and Natural Language Acquisition. Therapeutic intervention strategies employed include the principles of motor learning, developing functional communication skills, and coaching the caregiver. Over the years, Casandra has held the title of Clinical Supervisor for multiple Speech Therapy Clinical Fellows and Speech Language Pathology Assistants. When not at the clinic, Casandra is working towards her Associate of Art in Spanish in hopes to better serve the Hispanic population.
Jessica Uvero
Occupational
Therapist
Jessica Uvero, M.S., OTR/L
Occupational Therapist
CA License #21101
[email protected]
Jessica has been working as an Occupational Therapist since 2018. She has practiced throughout the U.S including Arizona, New York, and California. She obtained a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from San Francisco State University in San Francisco, California in 2013. She received her Masters of Science in Occupational Therapy from A.T. Still University in Mesa, Arizona in 2018. Jessica has worked in various pediatric settings including an inpatient behavioral hospital for adolescents 8 to 17 years old, the public school setting for Pre-K to 5th grade, and in-home early intervention for newborns to 3 years of age. Jessica has worked with children with developmental and intellectual delays, Autism, and sensory processing disorders. This includes intervention focused on self-regulation, self-help, visual motor, and fine motor skills to gain independence in daily tasks/routines. Jessica is a member of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). She is interested in obtaining certifications in the future geared toward helping children with feeding challenges related to sensory processing issues.
Jessica’s favorite thing about working in pediatrics is the creativity piece behind therapy. She strongly believes that a collaborative approach with family and other providers is essential to a child’s success in achieving their goals!
Samantha Polak
Occupational
Therapist
Samantha Polak, M.S., OTR/L
Occupational Therapist
CA License #21013
[email protected]
Samantha grew up in a small beach town on the beautiful Jersey Shore. Before relocating to San Diego 2 years ago, Sam received her Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Science- Kinesiology & Applied Physiology and her minor in Disability Studies from University of Delaware. During her time there, she had the wonderful opportunity to study abroad in South Africa, where she gained countless clinical experiences with diverse populations. After graduation, Sam went on to work as a paraprofessional in an elementary school working with young children with various skills and abilities. There, she fell in love with Occupational Therapy and the distinct value OT can have for children and their families. Sam went on to receive her Master of Science degree in Occupational Therapy from University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Sam completed her pediatric affiliation with Children’s Specialized Hospital, a renowned children’s hospital in New Jersey. During her time there, she gained clinical experiences working in the pediatric outpatient and long term care settings. In addition, Sam has clinical experience working as an OT for charter schools in the San Diego area. Her areas of expertise include, but are not limited to, the evaluation and treatment of children with gross and fine motor incoordination, sensory processing disorders, prematurity, traumatic brain injuries, autism spectrum disorders, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorders, Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, and developmental delays.
Sam’s passion has always been pediatrics and helping every child reach their full potential through the use of occupation-based treatments that are purposeful and meaningful to each child’s unique needs and preferences. She has a strong desire to enhance independence and quality of life of children and their families through providing the highest quality family-centered care.
Alyssa Kinnear
Physical
Therapist
Alyssa Kinnear, PT, DPT, PCS
Physical Therapist
CA License #34749
[email protected]
Alyssa has been a licensed physical therapist since 2008 and recently became a Board-Certified Clinical Specialist in Pediatric Physical Therapy. She graduated from UC San Diego with a degree in Dance and went on to obtain her Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) at University of Southern California. Alyssa has experience working in private practice with pediatric and orthopedic patients ranging from infants to geriatrics, home care providing Early Intervention services to the 0-3 year population, and school districts with preschool through high school students. She performs gross motor and orthotic evaluations, consultations and treatments and has provided trainings for school staff and parents regarding lifting/handling techniques, equipment, and motor development. Alyssa’s experience includes working with a variety of neurologic, genetic, and orthopedic diagnoses including Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, Rett Syndrome, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Torticollis, Muscle Diseases, Hypotonia, Traumatic Brain Injuries as well as children with vision and hearing impairments.
Alyssa has received further training including adaptive yoga for children, infant massage, pediatric vestibular rehabilitation, sensory integration, and neurodevelopmental treatments. She is also a professional dancer and dance teacher. Alyssa enjoys working in a team environment and regularly collaborates with Speech Language Pathologists, Occupational Therapists, and Behavioral Therapists. She believes families are an integral part of the team to maximize a child’s level of function and independence.
