A NYC Speech Therapist’s Personal Story & Life’s Mission to Create Voices and Empower Children
Today in this blog – I will tell a personal story about how I came to be a speech therapist and why I created Chatty Child Clinic.
I discuss what inspires me daily to empower the children in my care to be agents of change and successful communicators in their own lives.
I have been on a therapeutic and healing journey since I was born.
At birth I entered into this world three months premature.
I was given a 50/50 chance of survival.
Since that moment my mission in life has formed into being a neurodiversity warrior, advocate, and unwavering supporter.
My childhood was filled with surgeries, medical appointments, testing, therapies and specialized tutors throughout the day.
As a highly sensitive child I often engaged and thrived in environments that gave me access to the natural world.
I found healing and comfort in nature.
I befriended many people, animals and plants.
I thrived in spaces that allowed me to explore my creativity and empathetic approach to life and people.
My astute and caring parents searched for small independent, private schools that could support and nurture my unique learning needs.
The public school system at the time refused to educate and care for me!
This was before the times of the educational protections we benefit from now.
I slowly learned to navigate the world as a neurodivergent person and began to build a foundation for my own learning and healing journey.
As a teenager I attended a Quaker boarding high school which exposed me to a diverse community of curious learners.
As students we were all desiring to learn and open to experiencing many different perspectives and approaches to life.
Here I attended weekly meetings of inner reflection.
My love and passion for spirituality and personal healing was further ignited.
I continued my journey of higher education by completing a Master’s of Arts in Speech-Language Pathology at New York University.
After graduation I completed placements at premier adult and children’s hospitals throughout New York City. I specialized in medically complex cases and intensive rehabilitation programs for both children and adults.
I continued growing as a clinician and gained varied experiences working for home care agencies, specialized schools, sensory gyms, and private practices throughout the city.
In 2011, I founded and created Chatty Child Speech Therapy. I quickly added Occupational & Physical therapy to provide a holistic array of treatment offerings that are now available at Chatty Child Speech, Occupational and Physical Therapy.
I am proud of the special clinic I created for all different learners.
Under my care each child is celebrated for their own strengths.
Drawing from my own personal experiences as a neurodiverse learner I am able tap into each person’s interests, passions and strengths to create creative pathways to learning, healing and growing for each client in my care.
Does your child have a similar story ?
I can help.
I have navigated this path.
Reach out for guided support from a person who has been there.
Heather and Chatty Child’s creative team of speech and occupational therapists are here to support and guide you.
Chatty Child’s expert speech, language, feeding or occupational therapy may be the missing piece to the puzzle!
I invite you to come join my life’s mission of creating limitless possibilities.
Working with a speech-language pathologist or occupational therapist could be the support you’ve been looking for – don’t hesitate to reach out to our experienced team of speech-language pathologists and occupational therapists who can help create a tailored made program for your neuro-diverse child.
We offer personalized neurodivergent affirming, speech, language, feeding and occupational therapy therapy, as well as creative mindfulness classes for all ages and abilities.
In person and online options are available for all therapeutic sessions and classes.
Our speech and occupational therapists are here to support all your child’s therapeutic needs.
I invite you to schedule a tour – to discover the support waiting for your child – here at Chatty Child.
We are ready to help and support your child – grow and learn!
Let’s create excellent communicators, confident voices, calm minds, and limitless possibilities – together!
Begin Children’s Speech and Occupational Therapy for Learning Success:
At Chatty Child, we believe every child deserves to feel capable, confident at school, at home, and in the community. If your child is struggling here is how to get started:
- Contact us or call 347.491.4451 for a free 15-minute conversation to discuss the classroom challenges your child is facing and how speech therapy can help.
- Schedule a comprehensive evaluation that may include school observations to understand your child’s needs in their actual learning environment.
- Begin individualized therapy sessions with goals focused on the skills that support classroom success—from auditory processing to executive functioning to speaking confidence.
- Collaborate with your child’s therapeutic team through regular communication, team meetings, and shared strategies that create consistency across home and school.
Your child doesn’t need to struggle alone. With the right support, they can build the communication skills and confidence that makes learning joyful, friendships easier, and confidence possible.
Holistic Speech, Feeding & Occupational Therapy Services for Children in NYC
At Chatty Child, we support children as they develop the communication, cognitive, and social-emotional skills that help them thrive at home, in school, and in their community. Our approach looks at the whole child, recognizing that language development is deeply connected to learning, relationships, and self-confidence.
Our services include:
- Speech Therapy – Individualized, play-based support for language development, speech clarity, social communication, and everyday confidence.
- InterAct – A storytelling and play-centered program that strengthens language, imagination, and connection through shared narrative experiences.
- Mindfulness classes for all ages – support for emotional, sensory and self regulation, curated classes using mindfulness and meditation practices
- Occupational Therapy – Support for sensory processing, motor development, and independence in daily routines and self-care skills.
- hum studios – Mindfulness and compassion-based classes that foster emotional awareness, regulation, and accessibility for children of all ages.
- Teletherapy – Flexible virtual speech and occupational therapy services available throughout New York State.
- Tutoring – Personalized academic support focused on reading, writing, comprehension, and critical thinking skills.
- Functional Nutrition – Developmental support strategies that use nutrition-informed approaches to support regulation, attention, and overall well-being.
- Consulting – Collaborative guidance for parents, caregivers, and educators to support consistency across home, school, and community environments.
- Group Programs – Small-group sessions that build communication, social interaction, and emotional skills through guided peer engagement.
Meet Heather Boerner, Trusted Pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist & Feeding Specialist in NYC
Heather Boerner, MA, CCC-SLP, is a licensed, nationally certified speech-language pathologist with over 23 years of experience supporting children through pediatric speech therapy in NYC. Her clinical work is shaped by training in mindfulness, a trauma-informed perspective, and her lived experience as a neurodiverse, differently-abled individual. These elements inform her deeply responsive, whole-child and neuro-affirming approaches to care.
Motivated by her personal journey, Heather founded Chatty Child Speech, Occupational & Physical Therapy, PLLC. The practice is built on creativity, collaboration, and individualized support. She works closely with schools through classroom observations and team meetings to ensure children receive consistent, coordinated care. Heather is also the author of Carrie the Colorful Chameleon, a children’s book created to encourage confidence, curiosity, and connection.
Heather and her team offer in-person therapy at the Tribeca clinic and virtual services throughout New York State. Together, they help children build the communication skills, confidence, and self-advocacy abilities they need to thrive in school and beyond.
Important Medical Disclaimer & Terms of Use of Chatty Child Speech, Occupational & Physical Therapy, PLLC’s Website, Creating Voices Blog, and all related content.
By accessing this website, Creating Voices blog and all related content you are agreeing to these terms and conditions of use. The contents in this medical disclaimer and terms of use can be modified or changed at any time. Chatty Child assumes no obligation to correct or update the website nor to resolve or clarify any inconsistent information that might be a part of the website. The information contained in this Chatty Child website and Creating Voices blog are for general and informal purposes only. Information discussed on this website and blog are not intended to and should not be used as substitute for medical or therapeutic advice, diagnosis or treatment. This website and blog does not constitute in any way a therapeutic relationship. Please contact our office or email us to be evaluated at our clinic for specific concerns or questions. All contents in this website and blog are for informal purposes only and copyrighted and created by Heather Lynn Boerner MA CCC/SLP © 2026 – all rights reserved. Written permission to copy and distribute any content is required
Please read our full medical disclaimer policy here:
Important Medical Disclaimer for Chatty Child’s website, Creating Voices Blog., and all related content:
Chatty Child’s website and related Creating Voices Blog is for general educational and informational purposes only. Information discussed in this website and blog is not intended and should not be considered, or used as a substitute for, medical or therapeutic advice, diagnosis or treatment.
This blog and website does not in any way constitute the practice of any medical, therapeutic or professional healthcare relationship, advice, diagnosis or treatment. This does not constitute a therapeutic relationship.
We cannot diagnose conditions, provide second opinions or make specific treatment recommendations through this blog or website. If you or any other person has a medical concern, you should consult with your health care provider or seek other professional medical or therapeutic treatment immediately. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking care because of something that you have read in this blog or website. If you are experiencing a medical emergency,please call 911 or call for emergency medical help on the nearest telephone immediately.. If you need professional therapeutic help please contact a licensed professional in your state, country or region. This blog and website is for educational purposes only and does not constitute in any way, shape or form a therapeutic relationship.
Health Related Content: This website and blog does not provide medical advice. The content is developed by Chatty Child, its partners, and outside sources. The content on this website including graphics, images, text and all other materials are provided for reference and educational purposes only. The content is not intended to be exhaustive, comprehensive or applicable to specific medical conditions.
This website is not an attempt to practice therapeutic care or provide specific therapeutic recommendations or advice and should not be used to diagnose, treat, replace or overrule a qualified health care profession’s care.
Users should not use this website as emergency care. The content on this website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical and therapeutic advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Always consult with a qualified and licensed professional and follow their advice without delay regardless of what is posed on this website.
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Chatty Child does not intentionally or knowingly collect personal information from children under age 18. If you are visiting the website or reading the blog and are under the age of 18 – please consult a parent or guardian for help in using this website.
Accuracy and Timeliness: Chatty Child disclaims any warranty concerning its accuracy, timeliness and completeness of content, and any other warranty, express or implied, including warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. Chatty Child also reserves the right to temporarily or permanently discontinue this website, any page or any functionality at any time and without any notice.
External Links: In order to provide website users with other visitors with what is believed to be helpful information, the Chatty Child website and blogs contain links to other websites that may contain related content. However, Chatty Child provides no authority over external organizations’ websites, and this policy does not apply to external sites that are provided as links. Pages of external websites might have different terms of use.
Chatty Child provides links to certain external websites as a convenience to visitors of its website; the existence of a link is not intended to be, and should not be taken as an endorsement by Chatty Child of any product or service that may be available through such external websites.
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