Meet Our Team
Erica Lester, M.S., CCC-SLP
Owner, Speech-Language Pathologist
Erica opened Talk Time in 2012, with a mission to offer collaborative and compassionate speech, language, and feeding therapy to families in her community. Erica can attest to the sentiment that “If you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life,” and her passion for helping others communicate is evident to every child, parent, and colleague that she works with.
Erica believes children make the most progress when everyone is working collaboratively to support their goals. Erica and her team work closely with other professionals–including a local physical therapist and occupational therapist–to ensure they are addressing the whole child. Treating the whole child means not just addressing speech and language skills in her sessions, but also promoting sensory and motor development.
Erica earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Indiana University-Bloomington and her master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Seton Hall University. Prior to opening Talk Time, Erica gained experience within private schools, public schools, early intervention programs, and private practice settings. Her special interests include working with autistic children, supporting and addressing sensory-related behaviors, and working with children who have learning differences, language delays, auditory processing difficulties, and speech disorders.
In addition, Erica has taught as an adjunct professor for the Department of Speech-Language Pathology at Seton Hall University in South Orange, NJ. She developed and instructed an introductory course to communication disorders for prospective speech pathology graduate students where she formulated and integrated curriculum as well as mentored and advised undergraduate learners.
Erica values the relationships in her life; she has two lovely children and a wonderful husband. She enjoys spending time with her family being active outdoors, eating at their favorite restaurants, and traveling to new places. She also serves as a co-leader for her daughter's Girl Scout troop. And appreciates each beautiful day that life has to offer!
Advanced Trainings, Licenses, and Certifications:
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National Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)
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Licensed Speech-Language Pathologist, State of New Jersey
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Certified Speech-Language Specialist, State of New Jersey Department of Education
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Certified Speech-Language Pathologist Service Provider for Early Intervention, New Jersey Early Intervention System (NJEIS)
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Certified Provider of the Hanen Centre® Program, It Takes Two to Talk®.
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Skilled in Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) and adaptive communication switches
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Training in Principles of Motor Learning and Childhood Apraxia of Speech
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Knowledgeable in PROMPT
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Trained in Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA)
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Certificate of Recognition for the 2017-2018 Governor’s Educator of the Year Program for the Oak View Elementary School in the Bloomfield Public School district
Linda Morrissey, M.S., CCC-SLP
Feeding & Swallowing Specialist,
Speech-Language Pathologist
Linda is a pediatric feeding therapist with over 14 years of experience. She specializes in the evaluation and treatment of pediatric feeding and swallowing disorders, including: food refusal, oral aversion, bottle feeding difficulties, delayed development of feeding skills, and oral motor dysfunction. She works with infants, toddlers, and children with feeding difficulties related to a variety of medical and developmental diagnoses, such as hypotonia, prematurity, genetic syndromes, craniofacial abnormalities, sensory processing disorder, autism spectrum disorder, myofunctional disorder, and gastroesophageal reflux.
Linda enjoys helping families achieve their feeding goals while minimizing stress at mealtimes, and feels that it is incredibly rewarding to see the positive impact therapy can have on the whole family. She is dedicated to promoting positive feeding experiences for families and setting a strong foundation for long-term feeding behaviors. Linda is uniquely qualified to provide comprehensive clinical feeding evaluations, which can determine areas of sensory or motor difficulty, and develop individualized treatment plans to address each child’s specific needs. Her therapy methods are family-centered and she is passionate about helping children transition new feeding skills into the home environment.
Linda graduated magna cum laude from Loyola College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology and went on to earn her Master of Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Seton Hall University. She has since gained extensive experience in feeding and swallowing evaluation and treatment from a variety of medical and clinical settings, including outpatient clinics, inpatient hospital units (NICU, PICU), a NICU follow-up program, early intervention, private practice, and home health. Linda has worked closely with multidisciplinary teams of physical therapists, occupational therapists, developmental pediatricians, gastroenterologists, pediatric surgeons, pediatric neurologists, pediatric psychologists, social workers, and behavioral therapists. Her passion for collaborative care is a benefit to her clients.
Linda has 4 young children, giving her a sympathetic understanding of how stressful developmental challenges can be for a family. She loves spending time with her family, going to the beach, engaging in sporting events, running, reading, and eating at different restaurants.
Advanced Trainings, Licenses, and Certifications:
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National Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)
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Licensed Speech-Language Pathologist, State of New Jersey
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Certified Speech-Language Specialist, State of New Jersey Department of Education
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Certified Speech-Language Pathologist Service Provider for Early Intervention, New Jersey Early Intervention System (NJEIS)
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Infant Feeding Specialist with Advanced Training in: Orofacial Myology, NOMAS (Neonatal Oral-Motor Assessment Scale), TOTs (Tethered Oral Tissues), SOS Approach to Feeding, Oral Defensiveness and Aversion, Positive Mealtime Behavior, Sensory vs. Behavioral Feeding Difficulties, Infants with Craniofacial Differences, Clinical Practice in NICU/NICU Swallowing and Feeding, Managing Complex Feeding and Swallowing Problems in Children, Intervention for the High-Risk Infant, Managing Dysphagia in the Schools
Jessica Intromasso, M.S., CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
Jessica Intromasso received both her Bachelor's degree in Health Sciences and her Master's degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Monmouth University. Jessica is a certified, licensed speech-language pathologist and is also certified by the state of New Jersey's Early Intervention System. Jessica developed and led Monmouth University’s first pre-school-aged social skills and communication group therapy sessions, which is where her joy for working with children escalated. For the last 4 years, Jessica has worked in a variety of settings, including public and special education schools, outpatient clinics, private practices, and sub-acute rehabilitation facilities. She specializes in expressive/receptive language, social language, alternative augmentative communication, and dysphagia. Jessica loves working with family members, teachers, other professionals, and supporting staff to ensure progress and growth with her clients. There is nothing she loves more than to see her clients excel!
Advanced Trainings, Licenses, and Certifications:
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Nationally certified member – Certificate of Clinical Competence, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)
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Licensed Speech-Language Pathologist, State of New Jersey
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Certified Speech-Language Specialist, State of New Jersey Department of Education
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Certified Speech-Language Pathologist Service Provider for Early Intervention, New Jersey Early Intervention System (NJEIS)
Dana DiPaola, M.S., CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
Dana DiPaola is a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist specializing in pediatric speech and language disorders. Dana graduated from Loyola College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology. She received her Master of Science degree from Seton Hall University. Dana is accredited by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). She is also licensed in the state of New Jersey and is a certified Speech-Language Specialist for the Department of Education in the state of New Jersey.
Dana is a highly qualified clinician and has extensive experience working with children with a variety of speech and language disorders.
Dana specializes in treating apraxia of speech, autism spectrum disorder, receptive and expressive language delays, attention deficits, auditory processing disorder, pragmatic disorders as well as articulation and phonological disorders. Dana’s clinical experience is a result from working in public and private schools, outpatient settings, private practice, and early intervention. Dana offers a highly personalized and engaging approach to therapy. She strives to create a therapy plan that is appropriate for each child to reach their maximum potential. Dana enjoys working collaboratively with parents, other therapists, and physicians to ensure appropriate carryover of goals into all settings. When not working, Dana enjoys spending time with her husband and her four children.
Advanced Trainings, Licenses, and Certifications:
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Nationally certified member – Certificate of Clinical Competence, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)
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Licensed Speech-Language Pathologist, State of New Jersey
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Certified Speech-Language Specialist, State of New Jersey Department of Education
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Certified Speech-Language Pathologist Service Provider for Early Intervention, New Jersey Early Intervention System (NJEIS)
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Received training in PECS, PROMPT, Kaufman for Childhood Apraxia of Speech, Applied Behavioral Analysis, and various Oral-Motor programs
Alana Pines, M.S., CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
Alana received her bachelor’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Indiana University- Bloomington and her master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Touro College. Alana holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. She is a licensed speech-language pathologist and a certified speech-language specialist for the Department of Education in the state of New Jersey.
Alana has had the opportunity to work professionally with children of various ages ranging from early intervention to teenagers in diverse settings, including public schools, private schools, clinics, and homes. Through these experiences and continuing education courses, Alana has sharpened her clinical skills across a variety of her interest areas.
These include helping children with social communication disorders, receptive and expressive language disorders, speech sounds, Augmentative and Alternative communication needs and Childhood Apraxia of Speech. She has worked with individuals with various speech and language needs as well as cognitive, emotional and social-pragmatic needs resulting from diagnoses including Autism Spectrum, Cerebral Palsy, specific syndromes, developmental disabilities and learning disorders. Alana values the importance of collaborating with families and other professionals in order to provide a team-based therapy approach and promote generalization. She strives to create a fun and nurturing environment that builds upon each child’s strengths and interests.
Advanced Trainings, Licenses, and Certifications:
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National Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)
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Licensed Speech-Language Pathologist, State of New Jersey & New York
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Certified Speech-Language Specialist, State of New Jersey Department of Education
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Received training in PROMPT Technique and Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing (DTTC)