Adam is our speech and language consultant. He joined our staff in the summer of 2005. He has ten years experience in the field of autism, with extensive training in both play-based and behavioral programs. Beside his work with children, Adam is an accomplished musician and songwriter.
Ashley joined the P.L.A.Y. Project staff as a Home Consultant in May of 2007. She earned a B.S. in Kinesiology from Michigan State University and a M.S. in Occupational Therapy from the University of Findlay. Ashley has worked with children on the autistic spectrum and other special needs for six years in both clinical and home settings with a focus on Sensory Integration. Ashley joined the team of P.L.A.Y. Project Supervisors in the summer of 2008 and has since presented at numerous P.L.A.Y. Project training workshops and webinars. In 2010, Ashley was invited to the Netherlands to speak to a group of professionals about the P.L.A.Y. Project Model as part of an intensive week-long training on Floortime Interventions. Ashley is an active supervisor in the P.L.A.Y. Project NIMH research grant and currently shares the role of Supervision Coordinator with Michelle Dailey.
Christy Coles works for a private agency called LEAP for Kids that provides early intervention and preschool related service to children with disabilities. Since coming to LEAP, she has become certified in DIR, being one of only three individuals in Monroe County (NY) with that distinction and the only certified Early Intervention Provider. Christy has extensive experience in leading teams of therapists to deliver high quality programming for children on the spectrum. Together with the owner of LEAP, she developed the DIR program delivered to Early Intervention and Preschool families within Monroe and Ontario Counties (NY). She currently spends her time managing and mentoring the staff at LEAP for Kids making them the most highly trained teams in the county.
An important aspect of her life is her family. She enjoys spending her free time with her husband and her two children.
With a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology, Diana has worked with individuals with autism for 29 years. She currently runs a private practice - Strategies for Behavior Management - and works as the Behavior Support Manager at Greene County Board of Developmental Disabilities in Xenia, OH. Diana specializes in working with individuals with disabilities/cognitive impairments experiencing behavior challenges. She has been a PLAY Project home consultant since 2005 and enjoys the "magic" of helping a child move up the developmental ladder.
Tara Howard is a developmental therapist in Illinois and was trained as a home consultant in 2006.
Mónica has participated in the P.L.A.Y Project both as a parent and a professional. She is Certified as a P.L.A.Y. Project Home Consultant, and is a DIR Certificate Candidate Level 2. She has a M.S. in Education from Mercy College in New York and has taught Kindergarten and First Grade in the NYC public school system. For the past several years, Mónica has been Program Director of the Relate & Grow program at Pro Health Care Services in Columbus, Ohio; providing training to parents of children on the autism spectrum and educational services. She currently serves as a P.L.A.Y. Project supervisor to newly trained home consultants.
Katie has worked in the field of autism for the last ten years. Her experiences include working as a Play Project home consultant at the University of Michigan; directing Cross Bridge Academy, a private school for children diagnosed with Autism; and counseling families at Judson Center’s Autism Connections. Katie also spends time supervising and training other therapists. She has given professional seminars and workshops at various public schools in Michigan as well as providing discussion and support groups for parents.
Amber, a P.L.A.Y. Project Home Consultant since January, 2005, graduated from Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Family Community Services and a Master’s degree in Social Work. She has previously worked with children on the autism spectrum in several settings including schools, group homes, a therapeutic horseback riding program and respite care.
Jo Raphael is a Clinical Social Worker in Atlanta, GA.
Founder of The PLAY Project, Dr. Solomon is the Medical Director of The P.L.A.Y. Project at The Ann Arbor Center for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. Board-certified in general pediatrics and developmental and behavioral pediatrics, Dr. Solomon has been diagnosing and treating children with autism for more than twenty years.
Dr. Rick lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan with his wife Linda. He has two adult children, and two grandchildren. In what little spare time he has, Dr. Solomon writes poetry and plays blues harmonica.
Mary joined the Play Project supervision team for new PLAY trainees in 2009. Mary has worked with children on the autism spectrum for the last 30 years. She worked as a special education teacher for 7 years, as a consultant for families in her role as a developmental specialist for children ages birth to 3 for 20 years, and as a consultant to families and to educational teams in her role as an early childhood intervention specialist for children age 3 to 6 for 3 years. Since receiving her PLAY training in 2006, the PLAY model has been an important part of her practice. Floortime principles became a solid part of her practice in the spring of 1998 after attending ICDL and Infancy and Early Childhood conferences. She received her master’s degree in special education in 1982 from the University of Cincinnati, and also received special training in management of challenging behaviors from the IABA summer institute in 2009.
Traci is a board certified Pediatrician and Child Neurologist with fellowship training in Pediatric Epilepsy. She has dedicated the last eight years of her professional career to helping families cope with challenges of autism and is a co-founder of The Bridge Center i Marshfield, Wisconsin. Dr. Swink is DIR® certified by the Interdisciplinary Council on Development and Learning (ICDL) and teaches at the ICDL Summer Institute.
Robin Crumb-Vettraino, OTR, graduated from Western Michigan University with a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy. She is a certified P.L.A.Y. (Play and Language for Autistic Youngsters) Project Consultant, and has also received certification to perform the Sensory Integration and Praxis Test (SIPT). As an occupational therapist Robin has obtained experience working with children with special needs in the clinic, at home, and in school. Robin also enjoys running social skill groups for children of all ages. She has had additional training in Brain Gym, Love and Logic, the use of visual strategies to support learning and development, Kay Toomey's S.O.S Approach to Feeding, Therapeutic Listening and Handwriting Without Tears.
Julie has worked as a PLAY Project Supervisor since 2007. Prior to that she worked as a PLAY Project Consultant at Children’s Therapy Corner, in Michigan. In addition to working with PLAY, Julie is a full time pediatric speech-language therapist and Director of Clinical Services at Children’s Therapy Corner, at their Traverse City location. She has been a pediatric speech-language pathologist for the last 19 years. Over that time her focus has been working with children with social communication and regulatory challenges and their families - particularly children with a diagnosis of ASD. Other areas of clinical focus include EI, Nonverbal Learning Disorder, Regulatory Disorders of Mood and Affect, Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury and AAC. Julie Graduated from Emerson University in Boston, MA with a Master’s in Communication Disorders. When not working she lives in Suttons Bay in the log home her parents built 20 years ago, with her Golden Retriever, Bello!
Ashley joined the P.L.A.Y. Project staff as a Home Consultant in May of 2007. She earned a B.S. in Kinesiology from Michigan State University and a M.S. in Occupational Therapy from the University of Findlay. Ashley has worked with children on the autistic spectrum and other special needs for six years in both clinical and home settings with a focus on Sensory Integration. Ashley joined the team of P.L.A.Y. Project Supervisors in the summer of 2008 and has since presented at numerous P.L.A.Y. Project training workshops and webinars. In 2010, Ashley was invited to the Netherlands to speak to a group of professionals about the P.L.A.Y. Project Model as part of an intensive week-long training on Floortime Interventions. Ashley is an active supervisor in the P.L.A.Y. Project NIMH research grant and currently shares the role of Supervision Coordinator with Michelle Dailey.
Michelle joined the PLAY Project staff in June, 2009. As the Associate Director of the PLAY Project, Michelle manages trainings and community workshops as well as marketing activities. Michelle also shares the role of Supervision Coordinator with Ashley Case. In 2010, Michelle began working with children on the autism spectrum as a play tutor. She received her BA in Communication Studies from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.
