5970 Centre St S, Unit 100 Calgary, AB, T2H0C2
Formerly known as SMILE Therapy for Kids Calgary
Help us fundraise for a medium Trexo Robot
Meet The Team
We have been coming here with our daughter for some time. She has grown and learned so much with the lovely therapists. All the staff have been amazing and friendly. - Angelica D. Oct 2023
Disability Parent, Executive Director, Founder
Julie Rubin
Julie and her husband Brian's lives took a dramatic turn when their three-month-old son, Kaleb, was diagnosed with the rare and severe condition known as Lissencephaly. This diagnosis sparked their journey to establish the Canadian Centre for Development...
Lead Physiotherapist and Clinical Director, CME
Svenje Duffield
Special Interests: Neonatal and Infants Assessments, 0-6 month early intervention, neuromotor development for kids of all ages, Cuevas Medek Exercise (CME), Scoliosis, Spinal Electrical Stimulation
Svenje (pronounced "Svenya") is a registered physiotherapist. In 2010, she completed her physiotherapy degree and went on to pursue a full dissertation Masters degree in wheelchair seating. As a clinic owner in South Africa, her focus was on treating infants and children with neurological conditions. During this time, she obtained certifications in NDT...
Pediatric Occupational Therapist
Lydia Heng
Special Interests: Sensory challenges, fine-motor delays, vestibular concerns, proprieceptive system
Lydia was born and raised in Calgary, AB and graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Kinesiology from the University of Calgary. She later called Ontario home when attending Queen's University in Kingston when completing her Masters of Science in Occupational Therapy. Her experience involves over 10 years working professionally with children in areas...
Speech Language Pathologist, Orofacial Myologist
Natalie Zacher
Special Interests: motor speech disorders, tongue ties (ToTs), feeding, orofacial myology, complex articulation disorders
Natalie was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta and earned her B.Sc. in Speech Pathology and Audiology from the University of Alberta in 1991 and her Master's degree in Communicative Disorders from the University of Western Ontario in 1993. She has worked with children in various settings from Headstart programs to community health centres to private practice. Natalie has worked with children of all ages and diagnoses and holds a special place in her heart for babies; she especially enjoys working with families to facilitate early communication and feeding skills. She enjoys collaborating with other professionals as each team member provides a critical piece to the rehabilitation process.
Natalie enjoys working with parents both 1:1 and through presentations. “Parents are a child’s best advocate so the more they know about how to help their child, the better chance their child has of success.” Committed to ongoing professional development, Natalie has most recently taken Beckman Oral Motor training, oral myology coursework and oral-motor placement therapy.
Paediatric Physiotherapist, CME
Jessica Vo
Special Interests: neurodevelopmental challenges, Cuevas Medek Exercise (CME), youth athletes, hand therapy, spinal electrical stimulation
Jessica graduated from the University of Alberta with a Master of Science in Physical Therapy. She has a special interest in helping children reach their full potential and has honed her skills in providing specialized care for the pediatric population. With experience in outpatient settings, she assesses and treats a wide range of pediatric conditions,
Occupational Therapist
Sydney Lafond
Special Interests: Integrating of music into therapy sessions
Sydney grew up in Okotoks, AB, and graduated with a
Bachelor of Music in Integrated Studies with a minor in
Psychology from the University of Calgary. She then
completed her Master of Science in Occupational Therapy at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. During her Master’s, Sydney traveled to Australia for her final placement, where she got to work with children with various disabilities within an interdisciplinary clinical setting. With her 3 years of experience working with individuals with disabilities, she has...
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Speech Language Pathologist
Shaun Pearson
Special interests: Alternative and Augmented Communication (AAC), Non-speaking kids
Shaun obtained his Masters degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from McGill University. He is passionate about helping his clients of all ages improve their communication skills. Shaun is a fun, energetic, and dedicated clinician, who loves to “think outside the box” during therapy to motivate his clients to communicate. Shaun has worked...
Paediatric Physiotherapist, DMI Level C
Dipika Shah
Special Interests: Neuromotor development, combining Dynamic Movement Intervention (DMI) with NDT and other physiotherapy strategies, Cystic Fibrosis, Airway Clearance Techniques
Dipika has a Master’s degree in Neuro-Pediatrics, completed her PhD in Pediatric Physiotherapy in 2018, was Assistant Professor and in charge of the Department of Pediatric Physiotherapy in Charusat University in India, and has worked with hundreds of children throughout her career. Over the years, she has taken part in numerous speaking...
Paediatric Physiotherapist, DMI Level A
Kanika Sabhani
Special Interests: Neuromotor development, Dynamic Movement Intervention (DMI), Acupuncture, Concussions
Kanika was raised in Edmonton and has had a passion for physiotherapy from a young age. She has mild CP and has spent several years in physiotherapy as a child working on improving her own walking. This cemented her interest in physiotherapy and she decided to travel to the land down under to pursue her Doctorate of Physiotherapy from...
Pediatric Physiotherapist, CME
Jet Davies
Special Interests: Working with children of all ages and abilities, neurodevelopmental delays, young athletes, Cuevas Medek Exercise (CME)
Jet graduated from Queen’s University with a Master of Science in Physical Therapy. Her journey into pediatric care began during her undergraduate years when she played varsity soccer for the University of Regina. Her love for the game and her natural ability to connect with children became evident as she started coaching youth soccer camps in her community. She has...
Paediatric Physiotherapist, CME
Danielle Mitchell
Special Interests: Neuromotor development, Cuevas Medek Exercise (CME)
Danielle is passionate about helping families achieve their goals. She works to help children obtain optimal development through movement. She currently holds a Master’s degree in Physiotherapy and a Bachelor’s degree in Human Kinetics. Danielle has experience working with children of all ages and backgrounds. She completed a pediatric...
Speech-Language Pathologist, AAC
Jenny Guth
Special Interests: Augmented and Alternative Communication, Autism, Ages 2+
Hello, I'm Jenny Guth, a seasoned Speech-Language Pathologist with over 16 years of experience in the field. I believe that communication is about recognizing the inherent value in every individual's thoughts and ideas, ensuring they're heard and understood.
I absolutely love what I do, and it’s a privilege to embark on this communication journey alongside those I support. I am highly skilled in treating most speech and language disorders, with additional training and a passion for augmentative alternative communication (AAC), autism spectrum disorder, and literacy. Through my work, I aim to empower individuals to communicate effectively and confidently, regardless of their unique challenges.
Registered Massage Therapist, Liddle Kidz Certified
Patricia Milburn-Barile
Special Interests: Working with children of all ages and abilities, infant massage, TMJ massage, massage for digestion/constipation, side-lying massage, pre/post-natal massage
Patricia has been practicing massage for over two decades and has grown her toolbox of techniques to accommodate any client, big or small, no matter their concerns. Some techniques and experience that we’re especially excited for her to bring to our clinic are her Liddle Kidz Pediatric Massage certification, trigger point therapy, neuromuscular facilitation techniques,
Lead Therapy Assistant
Breanna Hutley
Special Interests: Working with children of all ages and abilities, primitive reflexes, bringing an artisitc spin to therapy
Breanna was born and raised in Calgary, AB. She has a Rehabilitation Therapy Assistant diploma from SAIT and has a passion for working with children with disabilities. She has worked with children since 2020 and is excited to learn and grow. She is compassionate, kind and patient with people in all walks of life...
Paediatric Occupational Therapist
Lindsay Delima
Special Interests: Neurodiverse children, youth, oral-motor challenges
Lindsay Delima is a passionate and dedicated pediatric occupational therapist with a wealth of experience spanning over seven years. Her expertise includes the SOS Approach to Feeding, which focuses on the sensory aspects of feeding difficulties and supports children in developing a positive relationship with food. She is also trained in the Beckman Oral Motor protocol, providing specialized interventions for oral motor challenges that impact speech, feeding, and overall oral function.
Speech Language Pathologist, Orofacial Myologist
Sue-Len Chow
Special interests: Orofacial Myologoy (function of the mouth and face muscles in communication & feeding), oral-motor challenges, working with children of all ages
Sue-Len was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta. She obtained her Masters degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of Alberta. She has over 10 years of experience working with children of all ages with a variety of developmental disabilities. She has worked with families and children in their homes, schools, and briefly in...
Did you know?
The Canadian Centre for Development operated as SMILE Therapy for Kids up until August 2023.
Same operators, same clients, same services, same philosophy; just a new name. :)