ABOUT US

HISTORY

Speech Center has been dedicated to helping children find their voice for over 30 years, working with families from all over Southern Arizona. We are a privately owned speech pathology practice, established in 1993 by Sherril Howard, M.S., CCC-SLP and Diane Hansen, M.A., CCC-SLP. In the last 10 years, Diane has become the sole owner of Speech Center, focusing exclusively on pediatrics and helping children and their families find answers, reach milestones, and accomplish their communication goals.

Our licensed speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are highly qualified in the assessment and treatment of speech, voice, and language for children of all ages, from infants to 18 years old.  The children in our care are exposed to language and communication in a healthy, low-stress way that considers the "whole child." Not only do we support the child's growth, but we encourage the family's ability to communicate together. Using these evidence-based methods, we have gotten excellent results with our clients for over three decades. We carefully select SLPs that hold the same values, creating continuity of care for parents and their children.

Diane Hansen, M.A., CCC-SLP

Diane Hansen founded Speech Center of Southern Arizona in 1993 with her friend and business partner Sherril Howard, M.S. CCC-SLP.

Diane received her Masters in Speech Language Pathology from Washington State University  in 1984. She received her Bachelors from the University of Washington in Seattle. She completed her Clinical Fellowship Year in Alaska. Diane is a member of both the American and Arizona Speech and Hearing Associations. Until 1988, Diane practiced in Seattle and Alaska, working with children and adults in hospitals, schools, and child development clinics. She has also served as Communication and Speech Pathology adjunct faculty at the University of Alaska, Washington State University, and University of Arizona. Prior to establishing Speech Center of Southern Arizona, Diane worked with University of Arizona Medical Center providing inpatient and outpatient care for infants, children, and adults.

Diane is recognized for her exceptional skills in working with young children and with the family as a whole. In 1992, Diane and Sherril Howard published "Facilitating Early Language," a guide for parents. Diane has over 22 years of expertise treating pediatric Vocal Cord Dysfunction through working closely with Ear Nose and Throat physicians and voice therapist Sherril Howard.

Christine Butalla, M.S., CCC-SLP

Christine has been at Speech Center since 2012. She graduated from the University of Arizona with her Masters of Science in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences in 2011. She completed her Clinical Fellowship year with Panacea Therapeutics, providing services for people of all ages.

Christine has a breadth of experience in the Speech and Language discipline. In addition to practicing as one of our associates, she also works with adults providing speech, language and swallowing rehabilitation. While obtaining her degree in speech-language pathology, Christine completed her clinical research thesis in Childhood Apraxia of Speech, informing our team of the most current techniques involved in treating this challenging speech disorder.

Prior to completing her degree, Christine was a Speech-Language Pathology Assistant and worked with Special Education students within the public school system. Here, she gained valuable experience in the field and background in therapy procedures, treatments, and interventions for school age children. Christine's willingness to go the distance for each patient, whether that means research on a case or extended work with parents, is one of the many reasons we love having her at Speech Center.

Whitney de Haseth, M.S., CCC-SLP

Whitney received her Master of Science degree in Communication Disorders and Sciences from Eastern Illinois University in 2008. In Illinois Whitney served children for seven years with a wide range of developmental abilities in a variety of settings. She then spent four years in England working in a clinic setting.

Whitney has skills in the development, training, and use of augmentative alternative communication (AAC) devices as well as creating therapy programs for children with language, cognitive, and physical disabilities. Whitney is interested in building functional communication skills for children with complex communication disorders and ADHD. In addition to working with development of early language skills and speech articulation disorders, she works with children with autism and other medical diagnoses, such as cerebral palsy, spina bifida, and Down Syndrome. Whitney brings a well-rounded approach to treatment informed by diverse clinical experiences.

A mother of two small children, Whitney brings compassion and insight when counseling parents and children. We appreciate the intelligent and informed approach Whitney brings to Speech Center.

In 2024 Whitney became a clinical consultant at Speech Center, helping us build support for all of our therapists to provide the best possible care. 

Kelci Frisby, M.S., CCC-SLP

Kelci completed her Masters degree in the University of Arizona's Speech and Hearing program in 2020. She then worked in Tucson Unified School district as an SLP, giving her a very wide range of experience across ages and diagnoses. Most recently, Kelci has worked in charter schools in Tucson, providing speech treatment and evaluations.

Kelci has particular interest in working with alternative communication (AAC) devices, working with children on the Autism spectrum, and has a good working knowledge of American Sign Language.

We are thrilled that Kelci has worked with such a variety of children and continues to build her skills and experiences alongside the SLPs at Speech Center. 

Nichole Romeo, M.S., CCC-SLP

After graduating from Long Island University in 2019 with a Masters degree in Speech and Language Pathology, Nichole worked in a traumatic brain injury clinic in New York before moving to Tucson. Here, she has worked in the private practice clinical setting, giving her experience across the spectrum of speech and language disorders.

While pediatrics has been Nichole’s focus, she has also had valuable experience working with adults in swallowing, communication and cognition. Before gaining her Masters degree, Nichole worked in the Arizona Early Intervention Program as an SLPA and in the New York public schools as a Graduate Clinician.

With experiences in a variety of settings and skills to address a wide range of conditions across pediatrics, Nichole is a valued part of our team.