Meet the Buderim team
The Early Start Australia Buderim team provide occupational therapy, and speech pathology services on the Sunshine Coast to support children and families.
Mary Gornik
Practice Principal
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Applied Sciences (Speech Pathology)
- Graduate Diploma of Management
- Certificate IV in Business & Personal Coaching
Mary is a highly experienced speech pathologist, manager and coach/trainer with over 25 years of clinical, leadership and management experience.
Her professional experience encompasses a variety of settings including government, private, NFP, education, early childhood, peak body (Speech Pathology Australia) and community.
Mary commenced as a clinician in the education and public hospital sectors and has grown her knowledge and philosophy regarding impactful therapy with every additional training and qualification she has completed.
Moving into leadership positions across a variety of sectors has allowed Mary the opportunity to inspire and mentor her teams to facilitate best practice.
Her coaching qualification was completed 3 years ago and has been an invaluable skill set to have in all facets of her work.
She has also provided allied health coaching and training (Hanen and Circle of Security) through School Readiness Funding (VIC) and Kindy Uplift funding (QLD) to early childhood teachers and educators.
A major component of her approach is to encourage reflection to facilitate and embed learning and best practice.
Registration
- Registered as a Certified Practising Speech Pathologist with Speech Pathology Australia
- Eligible for membership with the International Coaching Federation
Recent professional development
- Hanen Learning Language & Loving It/Teacher Talk and ABC & Beyond trainer
- Circle of Security Parenting and Classroom Trainer
Areas of interest
- Leadership of allied health teams
- Key Worker Model
- Coaching/mentoring and supervision
- Professional development for early childhood educators and teachers
Lindsay Phillips
Team Leader & Senior Occupational Therapist
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Science, Occupational Therapy (Hons)
Lindsay is a passionate occupational therapist with over 20 years’ experience.
She has worked in both the United Kingdom and South Africa prior to immigrating to Australia in 2023 with her husband and two children.
Lindsay completed her Bachelor of Occupational Therapy at the University of Cape Town, South Africa.
She has vast experience in working with mental health, education and disability sectors but her passion and interests remain in early intervention, as she believes the earlier a child receives therapy, the better it is for the child’s development.
Lindsay has additional qualifications in sensory integration therapy, which was completed in the UK, and she works with this model of practice daily.
She is dedicated to supporting children to increase their skills and grow their independence through play-based activities and has a keen interest in overcoming visual perceptual difficulties.
Lindsay is passionate about helping others to be able to do the things they want to do to lead the lives they want to lead.
For children most of their learning is through the therapeutic use of play to learn new concepts and grow into the people they deserve to be!
She therefore feels it is important to use their interests, along with her own (which include arts and crafts and creativity) that therapy sessions can be tailored, motivational and fun.
Registration
- Registered as an Occupational Therapist with Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA)
- Medicare provider through Enhanced Primary Care
- Working with Children Check
Recent professional development
- Building Sensory-Motor skills Through Reflex Integration (2024)
- Grey Matter (How the brain works) (2020)
- Co-Ord Plus (2020)
- Reading Writing Connection (2020)
- Auditory Processing Disorder (2020)
- A perspective on ADHD (2020)
- Understanding Emotional Processing in Children (2019)
Areas of interest
- Motor skills and core development
- Visual perception
- Executive functioning
- Infants and prematurity
- Sensory processing
- Reflex integration
Vanessa Heaton
Team Leader and Senior Speech Language Pathologist
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Speech and Language Pathology
- Certified Autism Spectrum Disorder Clinical Specialist
- First aid and CPR
Meet Vanessa, a vibrant and dedicated speech pathologist with a passion for unlocking the power of communication. Known for her fun-loving personality, Vanessa seamlessly combines professionalism with a playful touch, creating an engaging environment for clients.
Vanessa holds a bachelor’s degree in Speech and Language Pathology from Manchester Metropolitan university in the UK.
Her professional background encompasses working with children, adolescents, and their families across various settings, including private practice and the NHS.
She has provided intervention and assessment in school, home, clinic, and natural environments.
Beyond individual sessions, Vanessa has led engaging group social skill sessions, contributed to Kindy uplift projects, and provided valuable parent training.
She has a keen interest in working with tweens and teenagers, recognising the unique challenges and opportunities this age group presents.
She uses strength-based and evidence-based approaches to ensure that every child, from the littlest ones to teenagers, reaches their full communication potential.
Registration
- Registered as a Speech and Language Pathologist with Speech Pathology Australia (SPA)
- Medicare provider through Enhanced Primary Care
- Working with Children Check
Recent professional development
- Lidcombe program for treatment of stuttering
- Selective mutism treatment approaches
- ADOS administration and scoring training
Areas of interest
- Social communication skills
- Phonology skills (speech sound clarity)
- Language skills
- Selective mutism
- Stuttering
Sally Platt
Senior Occupational Therapist
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Occupational Therapy
Sally is a passionate and experienced OT who loves meeting, building relationships and working with children and their families to help them overcome any difficulties or obstacles that they may be facing.
Sally completed her Bachelor of Occupational Therapy at the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal in Westville, South Africa.
She has experience working with children, adolescents and their families in school, home, and clinic settings.
Sally’s passion and interest lie in early intervention, and she believes the earlier a child receives therapy, the more positive their future outcomes.
She has completed her sensory integration training through the sensory integration Institute of South Africa as well as her DIR Floortime level 1 certificate course through Profectum.
Sally has completed professional training to school staff and local Kindergarten educators.
Sally is a caring, curious, and dynamic OT who has a love of learning from other professionals as well as from the children and the families that she treats.
She enjoys working collaboratively with children and their families as well as within a multi-disciplinary team.
She adopts a relationship-based approach in therapy and focuses on intervention of foundational skills which underlie functional difficulties.
Sally enjoys working with children and young people of a variety of ages and goals.
Registration
- Registered as an Occupational Therapist with Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA)
- Medicare provider through Enhanced Primary Care
- Working with Children Check
Recent professional development
- The SOS approach to feeding (2022)
- Regulation matters (2023)
- Toileting 101 (2022)
- The SpIRiT of paediatric therapy, clinical reasoning framework (2022)
- DIR Floortime Level 1 Certificate Course (2021)
Areas of interest
- Sensory processing
- Early intervention
- Motor skills
- Functional independence
Louise Skuthorpe
Senior Occupational Therapist
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (Honours)
Louise is a dedicated and fun occupational therapist, with a passion for helping children and adolescents achieve their fullest potential through hands-on, engaging therapy.
A graduate of the University of the Sunshine Coast, Louise brings extensive experience in working with children of all ages and a wide range of diagnoses.
She has a particular interest in supporting children through play-based therapy and assistive technology, using tailored, meaningful sessions that align with each child’s unique goals and strengths.
Known for her ability to connect with families, Louise creates a warm, friendly, and fun environment where children feel safe to grow and explore.
Her sessions are filled with warmth, laughter, and just the right amount of adventure—perfect for young ones who thrive in a playful atmosphere.
With teens, Louise balances her friendly approach with goal-focused support, helping them develop the confidence and skills they need as they work toward independence.
Louise’s approach combines evidence-based techniques with creativity, making therapy an enjoyable journey.
Outside of work, Louise loves spending time outdoors camping, making memories with her family, and dancing whenever she gets the chance!
Registration
- Registered as an Occupational Therapist with Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA)
- Medicare provider through Enhanced Primary Care
- Working with Children Check
Recent professional development
- Insights Training (2024)
- Self-Regulation: It’s a state of the mind (2023)
- Sense-Up: Meaningful Sensory Diets (2023)
- NDIS functional Capacity Writing (2023)
- Occupational Performance Coaching (2022)
- NDIS Assistive Technology Applications – OTA (2021)
- Learn to Play Introduction – Karen Stagnetti (2021)
- The Art of Therapy and Connection (2020)
- Introduction to Early Start Denver Model (2019)
- Traffic Jam in My Brain (2019)
Areas of interest
- Assistive technology
- Sensory integration
- Gross motor and fine motor skills
- Daily living skills and building independence
Kahla Biffanti
Occupational Therapist
On maternity leave in 2025
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Occupational Therapy
Dedicated, passionate and committed to holistic care as a paediatric occupational therapist with experience in addressing a spectrum of conditions, including ASD, ADHD, DCD, global developmental delay, intellectual impairment, and specific learning disorders.
Kahla completed a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy at the James Cook University and has years of experience working with children, adolescents, young adults and their families in a variety of settings with diverse cultural backgrounds.
Kahla enjoys providing opportunity for play in all environments and strives to make ‘the just right challenge’ in each therapy session across a variety of locations including the clinic gym, therapy rooms, at home, at school/kindy and within the community.
You can find Kahla in individual sessions or small group programs that focus on prep readiness, social skills, regulation, and gross and fine motor skills.
Working closely with the client and their family, starting with the assessment process then evidence based early intervention approaches using a variety of frameworks including, pyramid of learning, DIR Floortime approach, sensory integration to meet their goals.
Kahla strives to advocate for our more vulnerable population and understanding the ‘why’ behind behaviour.
Registration
- Registered as an Occupational Therapist with Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA)
- Medicare provider through Enhanced Primary Care
- Working with Children Check
Recent professional development
- Interoception (2023)
- Sensamart Study Group with the Masters (2021-2022)
- Cognitive orientation to daily occupational performance (CO-OP) approach (2019-2020)
Areas of interest
- Sensory integration
- Learning difficulties and disorders such as dysgraphia, dyslexia and dyscalculia
- Gross and fine motor skills
- Neurodevelopmental and reflexes
- Motor and fine motor skills
- Attention and regulation goals
- Daily living skills and building independence
Zoe Lyttle
Occupational Therapist
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (Honours)
Zoe Lyttle completed a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy Honours at the University of the Sunshine Coast in 2021 and has experience working with children and families in the clinic, community and home environment.
Zoe has experience working with children with a range of different diagnosis and developmental delays.
Zoe has experience providing targeted assessment, ongoing therapy in the clinic, school, community and home environment, and with implementing group therapy programs such as prep readiness, Lego social/play skills, and feeding therapy groups, and executive functioning/social ‘cook and chat’ groups for teens
Zoe has also taken part in projects such as the Kindy uplift program which provides assessment and intervention programs to kindergartens in regional and rural communities.
Zoe is skilled at fostering a fun, warm and safe space for her children and families to be themselves and practice/learn new skills.
Zoe is a passionate OT who values making her clients feel heard, working as part of a multidisciplinary team and enjoys collaborating with stakeholders involved in her clients’ day-to-day lives and/or care to provide a holistic approach to therapy.
Zoe values the child, their unique strengths/interests and a family centred approach.
Registration
- Registered Occupational Therapist with Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA)
- Medicare provider through Enhanced Primary Care
- Working with Children Check
Professional development
- The Sensory Foundations to Learning – Sense Up (2022)
- Three steps to Improving Interoception: An Evidence-Based Approach – Kelly Mahler (2022)
- An Introduction to DIR and DIRFLOORTIME – The International Council on Development and Learning (2022)
- Treating Movement Challenges in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: NDT for ASD – Kim Barthel (2023)
- Learn to Play Introduction to Pretend Play, Assessment and Starting Therapy – Karen Stagnitti (2024)
- Sense Up Practical Workshop – Sensory Theory and Practice related to sensory motor and motor planning difficulties – Kerry Evetts (2024)
Areas of interest
- Early intervention
- Sensory challenges
- Challenging engagement styles
- Difficulties with cognitive/play skills
- Fine and gross motor skills
- Executive functioning difficulties
- Individual therapy
Ellie Hopgood
Speech Language Pathologist
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Speech Pathology (Honours)
Ellie completed a bachelor’s degree in Speech Pathology at the University of Queensland in 2020.
She has previously worked within both private practice and a hospital rehabilitation program. With experience delivering services across the clinic, school, and the home.
Her approach focuses on evidence based collaborative practice, tailored to suit the client’s needs.
With involvement of family and the multidisciplinary team to support client centred care and a comprehensive treatment approach.
She is passionate about helping her clients build skills and achieve those goals most important to their daily lives.
Building her clients communication, develop their confidence, and their ability to advocate for what they need.
Within therapy she brings a play-based approach and values the role of joy and fun as pre-requisites for learning.
Outside of work she enjoys swimming and spending time at the ocean or in the forest.
Registration
- Certified Practicing Speech Pathology Australia Membership
- Medicare Provider
- Working with Children Check and NDIS Workers Check
Professional development
- Hanen More Than Words (2021)
- Hanen Talkability (2022)
- Sequential Oral Sensory (SOS) Approach to Feeding (2022)
- Assessment and Treatment of Selective Mutism (2021)
- Introduction to AUSLAN level 1 (2021)
Areas of interest
- Articulation and phonology
- Early intervention (speech and language development)
- Selective mutism
- Social communication skills
- Feeding (picky eating and PFD)
Annalee Dwyer
Speech Language Pathologist
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Speech Pathology
Annalee completed a bachelor’s degree of Speech Pathology at James Cook University, Townsville in 2019.
She has experience working with individuals through the lifespan, delivering both individual and group therapy.
Annalee has worked for a non-for-profit organisation and a private clinic.
Annalee has experience servicing rural communities and is currently delivering outreach services to the Gympie area.
She has also completed assessments and delivered programs in Kindergartens for uplift projects.
Annalee enjoys working with children in the clinic, school and home environments and collaborating closely with families and a multidisciplinary team.
Annalee has had experience supporting children’s communication skills with a range of developmental delays, disorders and diagnoses.
She’s passionate about fun and family centred therapy, particularly working in the paediatric space with specific interest in early language development and late talkers.
Registration
- Certified Practising Speech Pathology Australia membership
- Medicare provider
- Working with Children Check and NDIS workers check
Professional development
- Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)
- Prompts for Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic Targets (PROMPT)
- Key Word Sign Introductory and Words in Daily Life
- Sounds-Write Literacy Program
- Hanen It Takes Two to Talk
- Sequential Oral Sensory (SOS) Approach to Feeding
- Learn to Play
- An introduction to DIR and DIR Floortime
Areas of interest
- Early Intervention and late talkers
- Expressive language development
- Feeding and mealtimes
- Alternative and augmentative communication (AAC)
Sara Van Hooydonk
Speech Language Pathologist
Sara is a dedicated and enthusiastic speech pathologist.
A recent graduate of Charles Sturt University in Melbourne, Sara is passionate about creating a supportive, engaging, and empowering environment for children to develop their communication skills.
She believes in the power of building trust and rapport with each child to foster a positive therapeutic relationship, ensuring that therapy feels both fun and meaningful.
With a strong belief in the value of naturalistic intervention, Sara enjoys working in kindergartens and schools, where she can support children in their everyday environments.
Additionally, Sara is passionate about engaging all family members and professionals involved in a child’s therapy journey, helping to expand their knowledge and equipping them with practical skills they can apply in their daily routines.
Sara’s key areas of interest include early language facilitation, Gestalt Language Processing (GLP), Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), speech sound disorders and literacy.
She is particularly focused on supporting autistic children who process language in a different way, helping them make sense of and express their thoughts through individualised therapy techniques, including the integration of AAC strategies.
Outside of her professional life, Sara enjoys yoga and spending time at the beach, where she finds peace and inspiration.
Mel Storey
Allied Health Assistant
Qualifications
- Diploma in children’s services
- First aid/CPR
Mel joined Early Start Australia as an Allied Health Assistant after a background in early childhood and teacher aide throughout schools in regional and south east Queensland.
She completed a diploma of children services in the Central Coast NSW, finding her passion specialising in special education, supporting students with their learning goals, language, social skills and emotional regulation.
Mel’s calm, nurturing approach sees her strive on building positive relationships with children and their families to ensure they feel safe, secure and supported.
Registration
- Early childhood educator
- Working with children check
- National Police Clearance
Areas of interest
- Sensory processing
- Play skills
- Language skills
Bec Lawford
Lead Administrator
Bec is Buderim’s lead administrator and the energetic and bubbly heart of the clinic.
Passionate about supporting diverse communities, particularly in working with children and individuals with special needs.
With a strong background in administration, Bec excels at coordinating day-to-day operations, managing teams, and ensuring efficient workflows.
Having both personal and professional expertise in navigating NDIS processes, Bec is a key support for families, ensuring they feel understood and valued.
Her family-centred approach and positive attitude make her a go-to person for assistance, whether it’s managing clinic operations, streamlining processes, or providing a listening ear.
Dedicated, approachable, and always happy to help, Bec plays an integral role in creating a supportive and welcoming environment for clients and staff alike.