About

New Leaf Speech Therapy is a small business with one dedicated speech therapist;
Arianna Puls
AKA "Teacher Yanna" (yawn-uh)

Quick facts about Teacher Yanna

✽ Masters Degree in Speech & Hearing Sciences from Portland State
✽ Certified by American Speech and Hearing Association (CCC)
 ✽ Oregon Speech Language Pathology License (SLP)
✽ ASHA Award for Continuing Education (ACE award)
✽ GOLD WINNER of 2024 Best of Rose City Award
✽ Bachelors in Applied Linguistics and Speech & Hearing Sciences
✽ Respite Resource Parent who cares for children experiencing foster care
✽ Member of Screen-Time Action Network Early Childhood Workgroup
✽ Advocate for better/balanced screen use for people with young children
✽ Interest in Infant & Toddler Mental Health

Teacher Yanna's Positionality/Identity

✽ Culturally responsive and self-reflective
✽ Born/raised in Portland, OR
✽ White Able-bodied Female
✽ Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
✽ Respite family for Resource/Foster Parents
✽ Zillennial digital native
✽ English-Speaking United States citizen
✽ Work background: high school dance/colorguard coach, teacher of English as another language, barista, personal support worker, early intervention speech pathologist, private practice speech pathologist
✽ I enjoy: Walking/hiking with my dog, swimming, springboard diving, spending time with friends/family, doing projects

Experience in Treating & Assessing

Children 0-18 years old with communication specific difficulties: Expressive & Receptive Language, Fluency/Stuttering, Articulation, Apraxia of Speech

Clients with other commonly co-occurring diagnoses: Autism Spectrum Disorders, Down Syndrome, Deaf/Hard of Hearing, Cleft Lip & Palate, ADD/ADHD, Anxiety, Trauma, Sensory Processing, Oromyofunctional Disorders, Tongue Tie, Picky Eating, etc

For more questions about these diagnoses go to Resources or Contact me

Testimonials/Endorsements

✽ Leave a review ✽

"Thank you so much for all that you do. You have done such an amazing job as Ben's speech pathologist. You have been so patient and supportive and caring and knowledgeable and more than we could have possibly asked for in this time. We are so lucky to have you as a part of our lives."
 - Ben's family (Ben- age 3)


"I've waited so long for Sage to communicate that she wanted to be picked up. We couldn't have gotten to this moment without your help and support"
 -Sage's mom (Sage- age 1)


"I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart spending time with Clayton and I and improving our situation. As I mentioned I couldn't have done it without you. You were very helpful, learned a lot through the process. Thank you so much for going through the journey with us."
 -Clayton's foster mom (Clayton- age 2)


"Thank you! You are making a huge, and intangible improvement in the quality of Joey's communication. Even the quality of his life and opportunities down the road! We really appreciate you!"
 -Joey's dad (Joey- age 5)


"The love. The Kindness. The patience and nurturing you've showed Clementine and myself these past couple of years will stay in my heart forever. How lucky Clementine is to have you teach her the beginning of communication. You are so knowledgeable. You have such a Beautiful understanding of your expertise.
- Clementine's mom (Clementine - age 3)


"Thank you for being my teacher and I love my teacher. Thank you for teaching me so much about words. I will miss you"
 - Anne (age 2 & 1/2)


"Thank you for helping me learn how to say my words. It was fun!
 - Cameron (age 6)


"I love you teacher. Kisses. I hope you come morning and nights. Two kisses. I love you teacher forever and my whole day."
 -Destiny (age 3 & 1/2)


"Thank you for being my therapist. I had so much fun. You help me a lot. I will miss you!

-Angelo (age 10)

Why Parent Coaching

1) I believe in connecting/building relationships. Creating a team of support and love around your child.
2) To save you money in the long run. Children will progress fastest if caregivers are willing to sit in, learn, and apply coached skills instead of "drop off" therapy.
3) I want you to have the skills you need to help your child take the next step to grow/thrive

OHP

*Pending. In the meantime, join our low-cost support group

1) Many Speech Pathologists struggle to accept OHP due to long phone wait times and difficulty with reimbursement.
2) I strive to provide affordable access to therapy for families in need

Why don't you accept insurance?

Insurance is a great benefit and (if you have access to it) I understand wanting to use it. 

1) No Child Left Behind: Some children are struggling but according to insurance- "not enough" to use insurance or qualify for "Medical Necessity". With Private Pay, I'm able to support children that typically fall between the cracks of the system.

2) Group Therapy: Insurance rarely to never covers therapy in play groups. We know practicing play skills and social skills are beneficial. We need to support carry-over of skills in real-life opportunities and support teachable moments together.

3) No surprises: Through Private Pay, we are able to start services immediately and there will be no pauses in services due to formalities or denials.

4) Hold time: Insurance providers are notorious for keeping providers and families on hold. In the time that one therapist might be managing insurance claims, I'm bettering myself as a therapist through continuing education, engaging in self-care to provide compassionate services to families, and bettering my client care by giving each family individualized attention.

5) Cost & Equality: Private insurance companies are expensive! In the USA, it often creates a reliance on working full-time which can often be difficult when balancing a family. I support public insurance companies through my low cost private pay services. Oregon Health Plan (OHP) can give access to medical care without driving the cost of services up for families.

6) Privacy: The average insurance claim passes through many people on it's way to being approved. With Private Pay, it's just me  : )