OUR TEAM
Functional Integrated Therapeutic Services
Our team is led by owner Mark Wilson, MOT, OTR/L who is licensed by the State of California in Occupational Therapy and has been a therapist in the San Diego area for over 20 years. He has a wealth of pediatric experience working with children with ASD, learning disabilities, and developmental delays. His work as a therapist is driven by his passion for success by combining sensory-based strategies with behavioral techniques in order to obtain maximum results. He also currently works with children at the San Diego Center for Children.
Co-Director, Sharon Criger – Physical Therapist
Sharon Criger is a pediatric physical therapist with over thirty years of experience. She earned her Bachelor’s of Science degree in Physical Therapy at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in 1985 and her doctorate in Physical Therapy from Boston University in 2009. Due to her husband’s career in the Navy, she has held licensure in Maryland, Rhode Island, and California. She is a contributing faculty member at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences, in San Marcos, CA. She has worked in public and private schools, home health and clinic settings. She is a strong advocate for early intervention and has devoted her career to improving the lives of children and young adults.
Yawi Griffini – PTA
Yawi Griffini is a Licensed Physical Therapist Assistance (PTA) with a BA in Communication Science from the Universidad Iberoamericana in Tijuana, Baja California. Yawi has been teaching Yoga with a therapeutic approach since 2013 through the practices of meditation, Pranayama, restorative yoga, Hatha Yoga and Yoga Nidra. In 2018 she completed a certification in TaiChi for healthcare, and ever since she has also been studying and practicing QiGong.
Yawi speaks English, Spanish and Italian, and works with her patients practicing a “vast and present” approach: purposeful in honoring each patient’s inherent dignity, aware that each day is different and tremendously valuable, and always willing to be surprised.
Listening to the birds, looking at the leaves as they playfully wave their descent from the trees to the earth, and feeling the wind on her face, are some of Yawi’s favorite moments in addition to reading in the company of her doggies and listening to classical music.
Tia Tan – Medical Office Manager
Tia Tan graduated from California State University of San Marcos with her degree in kinesiology emphasis in pre-physical therapy. She has years of experience as a medical and billing representative where she learned a lot of her skills such as excel, word, and insurance verifications. Tia is working on applying for graduate school for Occupational Therapy and loves to volunteer here after her work hours. She has always had a love for people and making sure that they get the best care possible. Tia wants everyone who visits a medical office to be able to say that we helped them and their child to get the care they deserve. In her free time, Tia likes to collect indoor plants and play with her dog Pepper.
F.I.T.S. proudly works with the following organizations :
Bertha Taylor – Applied Behavior Analyst
Bertha Taylor is a Board Certified Behavioral Analyst®. She graduated from Ball State University in Indiana with a masters in ABA and holds certificates of specialization in Autism and ABA.
Her expertise is working with children with a variety of neurotypical differences and a continuum of functioning levels. She has worked with multidisciplinary teams on assessments and implementation of behavioral intervention and skill acquisition programs.
She is passionate about improving the quality of life of her clients. She is highly skilled at working with families, educational institutions and organizations. She is also a parent trainer, special education advocate, and an international conference speaker who enjoys reading and traveling.
Jessica Rush, M.S., CCC-SLP
Jessica earned her Master of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders in 2003 from the MGH-Institute of Health Professions in Boston, Massachusetts, an affiliation of Massachusetts General Hospital. After earning her graduate degree, Jessica relocated to San Diego where she initially worked in the San Diego City Schools, primarily in a middle school setting. After working in the schools for nine years, Jessica wanted to broaden her expertise into a clinical environment and she transitioned into providing services at a pediatric out-patient clinic. She worked at the Crimson Center for Speech & Language for 11 years, six of which she was honored to serve as the Assistant Director. It is with great excitement that Jessica founded Communication Spectrums™ in 2020 in order to continue working with clients and their families in the San Diego area.
Jessica has experience working with children from early intervention (age 0-3) through young adulthood, as well as with adult clients seeking assistance with stuttering and accent modification. With nearly 20 years in the field treating a variety of communication disorders (including speech sound production, receptive/expressive language, pragmatics, and stuttering), experience in the school setting, clinical setting, as well as completing IEEs (Independent Educational Evaluations), Jessica is a well-rounded and experienced clinician.
Jessica is PROMPT© trained, certified in the Hanen-More Than Words® Program and is also a certified trainer in the Compton PESL method (Pronouncing English as a Second Language).
Julianne Hoffman, COTA
Julianne Hoffman attended Saint Mary’s college of California to receive her bachelor’s in psychology with an emphasis in child development. Since graduating in 2017 she has worked as a behavioral therapist, respite care provider, and developmental therapist. She went back to school and got her COTA license from Saint Catherine’s University. In her free time she runs a small woodworking business named Shadycreek Woodworking. With a strong passion for video games, anime, and comic books she never lacks common interests to bond with clients on.