Our Staff

Karen A. Francioso-Howe

For more than 25 years Karen A. Francioso-Howe has been opening the door to communication as a speech-language professional, mother and a person.

A speech-language pathologist who specializes in looking at the “whole” child or adolescent, Karen has clinical interests in oral-motor/phonological disorders, apraxia of speech, early childhood language disorders and autism.  She is continuing her education constantly and is awarded the Continuing Education Award from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.  Karen is certified in Hanen “It Takes Two to Talk” and in the process of “More than Words” from the Hanen Centre.  She continues to broaden her clinical knowledge to include Early Intervention, Pediatric Voice, Resonance and Airway Disorders, Attention Deficit Disorders and Executive Functioning and The Nancy Kaufman Speech to Language Protocol.

Before her years of private practice, Karen worked in educational setting through Spoke Collaborative in Foxboro and the Easton Public School.  She was also the Senior Speech-Language Pathologist at Braintree Pediatric Center where she started her clinical fellowship year many years ago.  Karen’s love for the field and children and adolescents have expanded to the community.  She has supervised Stonehill College students majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies and is the National Student Speech-Language Hearing Association (NSSLA) advisor. Karen and her staff supervise graduate speech-language pathology students in their outside clinical practicum at Bridgewater State University.  As a board member of the Easton Children’s Museum, Karen advocates for educational programs for children and is a resource for children with autism.  Through her sponsorship, the Easton Children’s Museum has a Family Autism Day where children and siblings diagnosed with Autism can attend the museum free of charge.  Karen is also on the board of the Crohns and Colitis Foundation and is sensitive to children with physical, developmental and medical needs.

Karen lives in Easton, MA with her family.  Her goal to open the doors to communication continues to expand whether it be her continuing education, community involvement or parent/physician education.  When parents choose this practice, they will receive individual services and education for their children/adolescent needs from caring professionals using a parent centered/ team approach.

“One of my greatest joys is being able to use my love of speech-language pathology to help children connect meaningfully with others.”

Ashley Burgess

Ashley Burgess received her Bachelor’s degree in Communication Disorders and Psychology from the University of Connecticut in 2011 and her Masters of Science degree in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences in 2014 from Boston University. She holds both a Massachusetts State license and Certificate of Clinical Competency from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

During her graduate studies, Ashley participated in a variety of clinical externships that allowed her to provide speech and language services to children in the early intervention population with receptive and expressive delays, autism spectrum disorders, and feeding and swallowing difficulties. In addition to this, she has experience with evaluating and treating other communication disorders including articulation and phonological disorders, stuttering, social-pragmatic deficits, and hearing impairments.

Ashley is a passionate therapist who enjoys working in a pediatrics and school setting. Currently, she holds a full time position in the school setting working with students with developmental delays, Down Syndrome, autism spectrum disorders, multiple disabilities, auditory processing disorders, and language-based learning disabilities. She particularly enjoys working with alternative and augmentative communication systems that best match the individual needs of each child. Serving as a member of a school team herself, Ashley understands the importance of school-based services; therefore, she works closely with her client’s families and educational teams to problem-solve, assess intervention strategies, and enhance communication success across all therapeutic settings.

Ashley attends continuing education workshops to further expand her skills and knowledge in the field of speech language pathology. She has an enthusiasm for helping children achieve their full potential, while providing their families with the necessary tools and education to maximize their progress beyond the therapy room. Ashley enjoys the opportunity to make a difference in each client’s life. Ashley enjoys creating unique, individualized treatment sessions that are tailored to fit each individual child’s needs and personality. Each aspect of therapy allows her to give personally of herself and she finds it rewarding to know that she has made a difference while having fun.

Heather K. Iglehart

For more than 18 years, Heather K. Iglehart has been working in the area of communication and swallowing disorders. She received her Bachelors degree in Elementary Education from the College of Saint Rose and her Masters of Arts in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences from Plattsburgh State University. She holds a Massachusetts State and Rhode Island State license, along with her Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech and Hearing Association. She has training in Alternative Behavior Analysis, It Takes Two to Talk – Hanen Program for Parents, and Childhood Apraxia of Speech.

Heather has experience working with all age groups from infants to geriatrics. She has worked in early internvetion, schools, skilled rehab, and hospital settings, including Hasbro Childrens Hospital. There she helped evaluate
children for the the team at the Child Development Center, along with treating and evaluating inpatients and outpatients for the Speech and Language Department.

Currently, Heather provides speech and language services to children in early intervention with receptive and expressive delays, autism spectrum disorders, feeding/swallowing difficulties, articulation/phonological disorders, and hearing impairments. She enjoys working with parents to help provide them with tools/ strategies to improve their child’s communication and/or feeding/swallowing abilities. Heather uses a total communication approach when working with children. She also uses sensory processing strategies during her treatments that she has learned from working with fellow occupational therapists over the years.

Tricia Shores

Tricia Shores began her career over 30 years ago as a SLP in the state of New York at a United Cerebral Palsy Center working with developmentally delayed preschoolers. She then moved to New England and has worked as a clinician in a variety of settings including hospitals, school systems, early intervention programs, collaborative and skilled nursing facilities.

Tricia enjoys her work as speech language pathologist. She has participated in trainings on PECS, Michelle Garcia Winner’s Social Thinking Curriculum, apraxia, swallowing disorders and autism. She is skilled in the use of low and high tech communication devices. She has trained students in the use of apps to communicate including ProLoquo 2 go and Tobii Dynovox. She recently attended a training in LAMP words for life. Tricia is a member of ASHA and licensed in Massachusetts.

Tricia currently lives in Stoughton with her husband and daughters. She enjoys travel, skiing, hiking and spending time with her family in NY.