Amanda Alvarez, Director
Mandy is a speech-language pathologist with nearly two decades of experience. She founded Integrated Children’s Therapy in 2007, with the goal of highlighting the integral role of social and emotional skills on overall development. She is now known for creating a unique therapy approach that cultivates those skills in children who have struggled to relate to others and form friendships. She is also respected throughout the community for her ability to build strong teams of professionals across disciplines, who work together for the ultimate benefit of each child.
In 2018, Mandy was awarded the title of “Miami-Dade Outstanding Professional” by the University of Miami-Nova Southeastern University Center for Autism and Related Disorders (UM-NSU CARD) — a nod to her unique skill set as a therapist, effective leadership, and spirit of collaboration.
In addition to running ICT, Mandy serves as Chairperson on the board of directors of the Stay Aksel Strong Foundation, an organization dedicated to helping children and families impacted by rare and deadly diseases. She also develops and teaches speech-language classes at The Laura Cushman Academy, and is recognized by local schools as an expert and dynamic public speaker on topics including bullying, social conflict, and understanding and managing classroom behaviors.
Mandy’s international endeavors include traveling to Mexico to train speech therapists and develop home programs for families, and working with many international families in Miami to develop programs to be followed by professionals in their home countries.
Mandy received a dual bachelor’s degree in psychology and Spanish from Xavier University. She went on to earn a master’s degree in communication sciences and disorders from Nova Southeastern University, where she served as President of the school’s National Student Speech-Language Hearing Association. She has extensive training in the DIR Floortime® approach and is trained in PROMPT, Social Thinking®, Therapeutic Listening, Fast ForWard, Sequential Oral Sensory Feeding, and the AEIOU Systematic Approach to Feeding. She has also trained in NDT (Neuro-Developmental Treatment) and TAMO (Movement Organization Therapy).
Mandy is the mother of two young boys, which she prides as her most rewarding accomplishment.