Washington County Early Intervention Staff Profiles

Kate Sielski graduated from Gannon University with a Master's Degree in Occupational Therapy. She then worked with children in various settings, such as schools, early intervention and outpatient therapy. In 2006, Kate moved to southwestern Pennsylvania and continued to work with children in the early intervention setting. She attends continuing education classes focusing on sensory integration and oral motor/feeding in young children. Her years of experience treating children with sensory integration disorders allows Kate to develop individual treatment plans to fit each child's needs and strengths. Kate enjoys seeing the great strides children make once they have begun to receive services.

Amanda Cario-Coffman obtained a Bachelor's Degree in Criminology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1998 and a Master's Degree in Communication Disorders from California University of Pennsylvania in 2004. She has worked as a Speech Pathologist for Pathways of SW Pa's Early Intervention Program since March of 2008. Prior to working in EI, Amanda worked with adults in a skilled nursing/long term acute care setting for 4 years. Amanda is certified in VitalStim Therapy and Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS). She has worked with children with various diagnoses including Apraxia, Autism and Down syndrome.

Tracy DiSalvo started her position as an Early Interventionist in Sept of 2004. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Special Education from West Virginia University. She then continued her education and received her Master's Degree in Early Intervention from the University of Pittsburgh. Tracy has experience working with children with a variety of disabilities, developmental delays, and diagnoses. Her greatest passion in working with children and their families is watching that child grow and achieve their developmental milestones.

Beth Dady has been with the Early Intervention Program since 2002 but has worked with children for over 10 years. She earned a Bachelor's Degree from Penn State University in Human Development and Family Studies, in the area of Children, Youth and Family Services. She has had experience working with children who have a variety of developmental delays and diagnosed conditions such as Autism Spectrum Disorder and Down Syndrome. Beth believes working with children in Early Intervention is one of the most rewarding careers you could have. "Every day you get to play a part in the lives of children and help them to make progress in their development."

Jolynn Villena has worked in the Early Intervention Department with Pathways as a Special Instructor/Developmental Specialist since June, 1991. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Education with dual certification in Special and Elementary Education from Slippery Rock University. Jolynn has completed coursework with Penn State University and is in the process of becoming board certified as an Associate Behavior Analyst. Jolynn was a Volunteer in the Peace Corps for three years in the country of Ecuador where she was responsible for starting a classroom program for children with Cerebral Palsy, and where she also met her husband and learned to speak Spanish. "This job has been the most rewarding employment of my life. I am able to provide support and education for families during a very critical period of time and at the same time learn something new each and every day from both families and co-workers!"

Lisa Capozzoli, MA,CCC-SLP has been with Pathways since September 2007. She earned a Bachelor's Degree in Speech and Hearing Sciences from Thiel College in Greenville, PA and a Master's Degree in Speech Language Pathology from The University of Akron in Akron, OH. Lisa has worked with children with a variety of diagnoses, including developmental delay, autism spectrum disorder, and other syndromes that cause individuals to have speech and feeding difficulties. She has experience working in early intervention and school settings. Lisa feels that the early intervention model is the best services delivery model for young children because it sees the child as a part of his or her family system and gets the entire family involved in the development of the child.

Lindsay Grasha, Early Interventionist, has been with Pathways of Southwestern Pennsylvania since October 2007. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary and Early Childhood Education , which was obtained from California University of Pennsylvania. As a former elementary teacher, Lindsay is knowledgeable of the skills needed by school aged children; now she works toward laying the foundation for school success for the children in the Early Intervention Program. Lindsay loves that each child's program is individualized to meet their varying needs, and enjoys the reward of watching their progress from the beginning to the end of their short time with Pathways of SW Pa.