Speech-Language Pathologist Taylor Patterson joined the Children's TEAM family of providers in 2018. She credits her parents with instilling in her the importance of empathy in all her interactions. It is this characteristic that has guided Taylor’s firm belief in the importance of fostering communication skills that extend well beyond the doors of the therapy clinic. Similarly, much of Taylor’s education has reflected her passion for community engagement.

Taylor’s outreach to individuals with special needs began while she was still in high school. Through her volunteer efforts, she first saw the life-changing impact of therapy in fostering communication. Given this foundation, it was no surprise that Taylor dove into studying communication disorders as an undergraduate student at the University of Arkansas (2013-2016).

Engaged in the local Northwest Arkansas community, Taylor served as a group leader in Young Life Capernaum, a Christian youth group for teens with special needs. She also regularly served as a Miracle League mentor and coach. Through Taylor’s work as an aide for a teen with cerebral palsy, Taylor was inspired by the heart and mission of a local therapy provider, Children’s Therapy TEAM.

Taylor saw firsthand the critical role that Children’s Therapy TEAM played in the lives of many of the children she served in Northwest Arkansas. This experience led Taylor to dream of one day working as a speech-language pathologist (SLP) at Children’s Therapy TEAM. After completing her Master of Science in Communication Disorders (University of Texas at Dallas), Taylor’s dream became a reality. She accepted an offer and joined Children’s Therapy TEAM’s SLP Team.

As a clinical fellow, Taylor has had an impressive range of experiences in pediatrics. She has worked with children with autism spectrum disorders, pediatric traumatic brain injuries, emotional/behavioral disturbances, and other developmental disabilities. As an SLP assistant at The Texas Social Communication Connection in Dallas, Texas, she supported the development of social communication, emotional regulation, and play skills in children with autism spectrum disorders in both home health and mainstream classroom settings.

Through Taylor’s training with diverse populations of children and young adults, she has honed in on clinical skills targeting social communication, feeding, speech, language, and cognition. She is proficient with a variety of intervention models including SCERTS (Social Communication, Emotional Regulation, and Transactional Supports), DIR/Floortime (Developmental, Individual Difference, Relationship-Based), and sensory integration approaches.

While Taylor was raised in Texas, she now calls Northwest Arkansas home. She is a proud Razorback alumna (2016). She enjoys running, playing with her Goldendoodle dog, Bennett, and coffee.