Kristen Rodrigues has been working as a Pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist for over 14 years. She is currently employed at William E. DeLuca Elementary school in the North Babylon School District, working primarily with students in the STRIVE Program (Structured Teaching Reinforced in a Visual Environment).
As an alumni of North Babylon, Kristen is truly grateful to be able to give back to her hometown community that prepared her so well for her academic journey.
When Kristen began working in North Babylon, her goal was to facilitate increased use and access to visual and augmentative supports to improve functional communication skills of students.
She feels that her greatest professional accomplishment is the organization of the installation and implementation of the school’s Playground Communication Boards.
With the installment of these boards, all students have access to communication in order to express their wants and needs when playing outside, by pointing to pictures on the boards related to outdoor activities.
Kristen created a training video with students that was shared with staff on how to appropriately use the communication boards. In addition, she has developed assistive and alternative methods of communication for students who require additional support when communication breakdowns occur.
By providing students with additional modes of communication, more independence is noted across educational environments, as well as an increase in social interaction between all students.
Kristen is considered a valued resource for both colleagues and parents. She has developed presentations for parents and staff within the district related to the carryover of learned speech-language skills, the relationship between communication and behaviors, as well as increasing knowledge of augmentative communication awareness.
Kristen is a PTA member, SEPTA member, and volunteers as a mentor for children in the district. She is an advocate for students with disabilities and her compassion for her students is always evident.
Prior to returning to her alma mater of North Babylon, Kristen learned about various therapeutic strategies for working with children with Autism and with children with multiple disabilities at Eastern Suffolk Boces and United Cerebral Palsy.
She completed her clinical fellowship year at the Children’s Learning Center at United Cerebral Palsy of Nassau County. Kristen was drawn to helping children with multiple disabilities overcome communication delays to effectively express themselves.
Through the course of her professional career, she further developed her skill set learning about the many different facets in the diverse world of Speech-Language Pathology, including assessment and evaluation in the areas of receptive/expressive language, articulation/phonology, augmentative and alternative communication, and pragmatics.
She has experience treating children from Early Intervention to 21 years of age in a variety of settings.
Kristen’s mission has been to focus on the individual needs of her students to make progress toward functional communication and improved self-advocacy skills by building a connection.
She encourages the facilitation of a total communication approach with her students, acknowledging all forms of communication to improve overall social and language skills.
She believes that the field of Speech-Language Pathology is ever-evolving, and strives to incorporate evidence-based practice techniques into her therapy sessions.
In addition, she aims to assist each student in realizing his or her maximum potential, aligned with North Babylon’s core beliefs. Kristen feels that she continues to learn every day from her students, who encourage her to be the best clinician she can be.
Kristen received her MA in Speech-Language Pathology from St. John’s University, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude.
She is a member of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association. Kristen lives in Kings Park with her husband Frank and their three sons, Frankie, Cristiano, and Antonio.
