WELCOME TO
Innovate Speech provides the highest level of care to children in need of Speech Therapy. Our highly experienced staff create individualized treatment plans to address a broad spectrum of language and communication areas to meet the needs of children and their families in Orange County, California.
Our Team
Kendra Fernandez, M.S., CCC-SLP
Kendra Fernandez is an experienced pediatric Speech Language Pathologist with a keen interest in early intervention, specifically in play, functional communication and parent education. She completed her Masters of Science at Purdue University and has over10 years of experience working with children that have a diagnosis of Autism, Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, oral motor disorder, language delay, and articulation disorders. She has worked alongside and collaborated with Occupational Therapists, Physical Therapists, Behavior Specialists, and Marriage Family Therapists which affords her a unique perspective when treating patients. Kendra promotes the notion of treating "the whole child" with a heavy emphasis on providing a natural play environment for language opportunities.
Leslie Walker, M.C.D., CCC-SLP
Leslie is a licensed SLP with experience working with individuals across the lifespan. She received her B.A. in English followed by her Masters of Communication Disorders degree from the University of South Carolina. She has nearly 5 years of experience working with children with speech/language disorders secondary to diagnosis of Autism, Childhood Apraxia, Down syndrome and Cerebral Palsy. Leslie is passionate about building trusting relationships with clients and families and collaborating with allied professionals to provide optimal support for every child. In her free time, she enjoys reading, baking, and learning new skills.
Emma Martinez, B.A., SLPA
Emma is a licensed Speech-Language Pathology Assistant. She graduated from Orange Coast College’s SLPA program in 2019. She continued on to California State University Fullerton where she got her Bachelors in Communication Sciences and Disorders in 2021. She has experience in working with children that have a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder, Down Syndrome, chromosomal abnormalities, childhood apraxia, fluency disorders, articulation disorders, and language delay. She is familiar with multidisciplinary settings and has collaborated with Behavioral Specialists, Occupational Therapists, and Physical Therapists.
Soleil Black, M.S., CF-SLP
Soleil Black is a Clinical Fellow Speech-Language Pathologist. She received her Bachelor of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders in 2021 at San Francisco State University. In 2023, she received her Master of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Chapman University. During her clinical training, Soleil worked with children with developmental delays, pragmatic disorders, language delays, articulation disorders, childhood apraxia, neurodegenerative diseases, hearing impairment, Autism, Down syndrome, and implemented an Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) camp. Soleil is passionate about AAC, naturalistic language intervention approaches, and being current with the latest evidence-based techniques. Soleil enjoys collaborating with families to understand their needs and provide individualized treatment.