Our Staff – Jersey City

Sonia received her Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Puerto Rico, Medical Science campus, where she specialized in Occupational Therapy. Sonia completed further studies in public administration at Rutgers University in New Jersey. She established her career in New Jersey in 1976, working at Elizabeth General Hospital (now Trinitas Hospital) in Elizabeth, NJ. In 1990, Sonia developed and established the Occupational Therapy Division at the Jersey City Medical Center. She developed a thriving pediatric practice for Stulowitz & Gargiulo contracting with Jersey City Public Schools and New Jersey Early Intervention Systems, supervising Occupational and Physical Therapists.

Sonia founded Sensory Kids & Social Minds, LLC in 2006 to fulfill her personal mission to empower children and young adults by helping them integrate social, emotional, and cognitive development mastery. In April 2018, she has continued her quest to serve children and their families by founding Miss Sonia’s House, Inc. Miss Sonia’s House is a non-profit organization whose mission is to help children and families access quality services when their families are underinsured or uninsured. 

Vanessa Vega is the proud daughter of Owner/Director, Sonia Zayas, and coordinates therapists among the charter schools where the clinic provide OT, SLP, and ABA services. She has two glorious daughters, Paloma and Magnolia. She has called Jersey City her home for the past 35 years. Vanessa completed her undergraduate degree in Sociology and Gender Studies at Dartmouth College, before graduating Magna Cum Laude. She has worked with children since she graduated– as Program Director for a pediatric gymnastics franchise, in after-school programs, and internationally, providing midwifery services in Cameroon, Africa, and working with pediatric burn survivors in China.

Upon completing her clinical degree in OT at Tufts University, where she completed rotations in neurology, pediatrics, and mental health for both inpatient and community-based settings. She began her career in Massachusetts Early Intervention, where she received the Eunice B. Shishmanian Fellowship for her dedication to working with children under age 3 from the MA Department of Public Health. She completed her MPH at Tufts Medical School in the following years, and began her Doctorate in Education (with a focus on Curriculum Leadership) at Northeastern University, where she ultimately taught online courses to undergraduates.

Before moving to NJ to work at her mother’s practice, she completed a year-long LEND Fellowship (Leadership in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disorders) at Children’s Hospital Boston. During this time, she gained expertise in the early detection and interdisciplinary treatment of neurodevelopmental and related disabilities/disorders such as Autism Spectrum Disorders. She is currently a doctoral student in Combined School and Clinical Psychology at Kean University. She loves cooking and travel with her husband, Jeff, and adventures with their kids, who have proven to be an adventure within themselves.

Christina Zimmerman MS, OTR/L
Senior Occupational Therapist

Christina received her Master’s in Occupational Therapy from Seton Hall University in 2017. She knew she wanted to pursue occupational therapy from a young age. Her brother, John, has Osteogenesis Imperfecta (brittle bone disease) and has received occupational therapy services throughout his lifetime, which is what sparked Christina’s interest and inspired her to pursue such a meaningful career. While she was in her Master’s program, she completed her 3 month full-time internship with Sensory Kids and enjoyed it so much she decided to come back! When she is not working in the clinic, you can find her at a Broadway show, doing a puzzle, doing technical work in community theater, reading, and spending time with her two nephews. In the summers, she spends her time working as a Program Director at Woodmont Day Camp.

Certifications: DIR Proficient Level Trained, Interactive Metronome Certified

Alyssa Molina MS, OTR/L
Senior Occupational Therapist

Alyssa received her Master’s in Occupational Therapy from Seton Hall  University in 2020. She has always been passionate about working with children, and is happy to join the Sensory Kids & Social Minds. As part of her capstone for her Master’s program, she completed her  full-time internship with Sensory Kids & Social Minds’ Jersey City Clinic, during which her interest for working in pediatrics grew stronger. In fact, she enjoyed it so much that she knew working with children was the path she wanted to pursue in her OT career. She has experience working with children between 7 months and 13 years of age with a variety of diagnoses including autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, Fragile X, sensory processing disorders, and learning disabilities. When she’s not at work, Alyssa enjoys spending time with her family and friends, traveling, going to the beach and eating pasta.

Certifications: Interactive Metronome Certified, DIR Floortime Basic Level Trained, Handwriting Without Tears – K-2 Trained

Nicole Ailey MS, OTR/L
Senior Occupational Therapist 

Nicole received her Bachelor of Science at James Madison University with a major in Health Science Pre OT and minor in Special Education. She received her Master’s in Occupational Therapy at Wesley College (now Delaware State University) in May 2020. She wanted to pursue occupational therapy after participating in Special Olympics in high school and then working as a paraprofessional at an elementary school while in college, after discovering how much fun children can have while developing life skills. Her fieldwork and previous occupational therapy position consisted of sensory gyms working with children with Autism, Down Syndrome, ADHD, Cerebral Palsy and developmental delays.  With her school and clinic experience, she enjoys making sessions fun using the child’s interests and engaging using a relationship-based approach. In her free time, she enjoys skiing, cooking new recipes, traveling to new cities, exercising on her Peloton and spending time with family and friends.

Certifications: Interactive Metronome Certified, DIR Floortime Basic Level Trained, Handwriting Without Tears – K-2 Trained, NDT Infant Handling Trained

Julie Suh, MS, OTR/L
Occupational Therapist

Kerri Gannon MA, CCC-SLP
Assistant Clinic Director
Director of Speech-Language Pathology Services
Coordinator of School Based Services

 Kerri graduated from SUNY Cortland where she was an Honor Society student, President of the Speech-Language Club, and an All-American Track and Field Sprinter. She brings us over 10 years experience with working with children and young adults on the Autism Spectrum. Kerri’s passions include helping children and adults find a functional and fulfilling way to communicate and socialize! She supervises the Speech-Language department where she is dedicated to helping new therapists grow, sharing her ideas and using her leadership skills to further grow the staff and students that she loves. When she is not at work, you can find her exploring Jersey City, attending a yoga class, or spending time with her family upstate. She is honored to be part of an amazing team, whose number one goal is to help your child grow!

Certifications: DIR Floortime Proficient Level Trained, American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA) Certified

Nicole Lupo MA, CCC-SLP
Senior Speech Language Pathologist

Nicole received her Bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences with a concentration in Communication Disorders from Stockton University and her Master of Arts degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Iona College. Her clinical experiences include evaluation and intervention for individuals from infancy to adulthood with a variety of disorders including Autism Spectrum Disorder, Down Syndrome, Childhood Apraxia of Speech, fluency disorders, articulation and phonological disorders, speech and language delays, pragmatic disorders, feeding disorders, and Attention Deficit/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Nicole’s knowledge of augmentative communication, PROMPT, and play-based therapy help meet the unique needs of the children she services. She is also trained in the natural language acquisition (NLA) approach, which is used to support children who use echolalia (gestalt language processing) to communicate. Nicole is also a certified yoga instructor and enjoys integrating yoga into her therapy sessions. In her free time, she enjoys exercising, practicing yoga, and reading!

Certifications: PROMPT Trained, NLA Trained, DIR Floortime Basic Certificate

Katie Sullivan MS, CCC-SLP
Senior Speech Language Pathologist

Katie graduated from Loyola University Maryland where she completed both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Speech-Language Pathology. She has experience working with infants and toddlers in early intervention as well as working with children ages 3-21 with autism spectrum disorder in a school setting. She has knowledge of various Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices. Katie is trained in level 1 Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) as well as DIR Floortime certified. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, running, and going to the beach.

Katie Forbes MA, CCC-SLP
Senior Speech Language Pathologist

Katie obtained her Bachelor’s degree from Loyola University Maryland and Master’s degree from Hofstra University, both in Speech Language Pathology. During her graduate program, she completed externships working with students in public middle and high schools as well as in a skilled nursing facility serving adults with cognitive and feeding/swallowing disorders. Katie has experience working in various school settings, including New York City schools with students aged K-12 and a specialized school for children with traumatic brain injury (TBI). During her time working with the TBI population, her passion for working with children with complex communicative needs was solidified. Katie is experienced in working with a variety of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) programs including Proloquo2Go, TD Snap, and LAMP. She finds joy supporting her clients in becoming effective communicators while taking into account each child’s strengths, challenges, and individual differences. Trans-disciplinary collaboration and communication with parents and caregivers are key components of Katie’s practice in order to enable each child to reach their full potential. She is also trained in the natural language acquisition (NLA) approach, which is used to support children who use echolalia (gestalt language processing) to communicate. Outside of the clinic, Katie serves as a board member for Camp Ma-He-Tu, a non-profit sleepaway camp in Bear Mountain, NY, which she also attended as a child and served as a staff member, and enjoys hiking, cooking, and exploring all that Jersey City has to offer.

Certifications: DIR Floortime Basic Certificate, PROMPT Trained, NLA & NLA+AAC Trained

Kira Garofano MS, CCC-SLP
Speech Language Pathologist

Christina Aurilla MS, CCC-SLP
Speech Language Pathologist

Mical Gomez, MS, CF-SLP
Speech Language Pathologist

Isabella Beninate, MS, CF-SLP
Speech Language Pathologist

Jennifer graduated with a Master’s of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and Autism from the Sage Colleges in New York. After that, she became a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). She has over ten years of experience in ABA working with children and adolescents. Jennifer has experience with the Early Start Denver Model and attended the advanced workshop in San Diego. When she is not leading our behavior team, she enjoys spending time her husband and their two dogs and exploring the lovely state of New Jersey. 

Certifications: Advanced Trained in Early Start Denver Model

Jennifer Grajales, COTA, RBT
Registered Behavior Assistant/Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant

Jenn received her Associate’s Degree of Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant from Eastwick College in 2018. She became interested in Occupational Therapy over 5 years ago when she worked as a physical therapy aide with a 10 year old girl that was involved in a motor vehicle accident. This girl’s view on life inspired her to work in a pediatric setting. She is also a Registered Behavior Technician and works as both a COTA and RBT, making her a team player! Additionally, she co-leads the Drop-Off program. She has a beautiful, vivacious 8 year old daughter named Eliana, she is in 3rd grade and is currently involved in soccer. When she is not working, she enjoys quality time with her child, working out, reading documentaries, going to museums and dancing. 

Christina Vega

Chrissy is one of our assistants here at Sensory Kids. She also helps with our Summer Intensives Program. Her past experiences include The Little Gym, Learning Community Charter School, Advocational School, and Think Tank Tutoring. When Chrissy is not at Sensory Kids, she is dancing at The Kennedy Dancer, teaching a special needs Tae Kwon Do class, or spending time with her nieces and family.