VANA ASHDJIAN M.A. CCC-SLP
Introducing Vana Ashdjian M.A. CCC-SLP, lead SLP and owner of Nest Speech and Language Therapy.
Vana began working with children with special needs long before she was a Speech Language Pathologist. She began her journey starting out as a behavior therapist working with children with Autism and special needs. Now, she applies her experiences and knowledge about behaviors to her clinical practice as an SLP. She graduated from CSULA with a Masters Degree in Communication Disorders. Her clinical background emphasizes on early intervention and Autism Spectrum Disorders. Vana is also a Certified Autism Specialist.
Some personal fun facts about Vana:
-She’ll order a cheeseburger at pretty munch any restaurant.
-She wishes it was summer all year long. -She is the in-house tech support for her whole family.
Vana is a mommy of two littles, Jacob (5) and Zara (2) and wife to Raffi who has endlessly supported her endeavors through grad school and now in her private practice. Vana has her hands full with her two kiddos and her private practice but she continues to do everything with the utmost passion!
Favorite quote: “We should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once.” -Friedrich NietzscheSchool Psychologists. This experience taught Vana a holistic approach to diagnostics and further sharpened her diagnostic and therapeutic skills.
Vana also has clinical experience working with adults with swallowing and cognitive disorders in the hospital setting.
Her experience working as a behavior therapist and as an early intervention Speech Language Pathologist helped her to have a keen understanding of Autism Spectrum Disorders and she ultimately found a passion for early identification, diagnostics, and parent education.
Our team specializes in providing individualized speech therapy for the early intervention population.
LIANNA MARKARIAN, B.A. SLP-A
Lianna is a licensed Speech Language Pathology Assistant (SLP-A) who is bilingual in Armenian and English. She has been a SLP-A for 5 years with extensive work experience in early intervention and children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Lianna has prior experience as a behavior interventionist which allows her to support our students needs.
Lianna is a mom of two boys. In her spare time she loves to travel and cook. Her passion for her work is contagious and our children truly enjoy their time with her!
Favorite quote: “Play is our brain’s favorite way of learning” - Diane Ackerman
EMMA BUNNY, M.A. CF-SLP
Emma is a licensed Clinical Fellow, SLP who is bilingual in English and Armenian. She graduated from CSUN with a Master’s in Communication Disorders and Sciences in December, 2020. She has experience as a behavioral therapist working with children with autism and other special needs. Having that background of knowledge has helped her in her career as an SLP. Emma also has experience working with young children providing early intervention services as well as organizing social skills groups with teens that have pragmatic needs. She also has clinical skills in the area of fluency (stuttering) where she implemented the Lidcombe program for young children with fluency disorders.
In her spare time, Emma loves to try new baking recipes, cuddle with her cats, and hang out with her husband.
Fun fact: yes, her last name is really Bunny! 🐰 it means “brown” in Arabic.
Favorite quote: “Don’t shine so others can see you. Shine so that through you, others can see Him.” - C.S. Lewis ✨
LITA MOONKIAN, M.S. CCC-SLP
Lita is a licensed SLP who is multilingual in English, Armenian, Spanish, and American Sign Language. She began her journey as a Behavioral Therapist after she earned her bachelor’s degree. She has a B.S. in cell and molecular biology from CSUN and an M.S. in Communication Disorders from CSUN with honors. She has been involved in the field for 5 years now.
Lita has a puppy named Willow who she is obsessed with. She also loves to travel and hike. She was thinking about becoming an interpreter for the Deaf before discovering communication disorders.
Favorite quote: “What and if are two words as non-threatening as words can be, but put them together, side by side, and they have the power to haunt you for the rest of your life” - Letters to Juliet