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Our Team
Melissa Donovan, M.S., CCC-SLP, ATP
Owner, Speech-Language Pathologist
AAC Specialist & Assistive Technology Practitioner
With 15 years of experience as a speech therapist, Melissa has dedicated her career to helping clients with complex communication needs fully engage in life through the use of tailored AAC systems. She has served clients from 3 to 21 years of age with a variety of diagnoses including Cerebral Palsy, Autism, CHARGE Syndrome, Angelman’s Syndrome, Cortical Visual Impairment, and more.
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Melissa founded Garden State AAC Specialists to specialize in helping individuals with complex communication needs. She is passionate about providing those who are unable to speak with an alternative way to communicate and offering high-quality trainings to help families and schools implement life-changing AAC systems during everyday activities. Melissa is an expert in both high-tech and low-tech AAC interventions, and she is experienced in working with individuals who communicate through a variety of modalities like touch, pointing, switch scanning, and using eye gaze technology. Her vast training and experience with communication devices from Talk to Me Technologies, Tobii Dynavox, and Prentke Romich - as well as iPad communication applications like TouchChat and Proloquo2go - enables her to determine the ideal communication system for every individual.
Melissa received her Bachelor of Science in Special Education from Seton Hall University, and she earned her Master of Science in Speech Language Pathology from Seton Hall University two years later. She then went on to get her Certificate in Assistive Technology from Stockton College in 2013 and became an Assistive Technology Practitioner through RESNA in 2016. In order to further support individuals with communication and visual impairments, Melissa also earned a micro-credential from Perkins School for the Blind in the area of Cortical Vision Impairment in 2017. She is certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and licensed to practice throughout the state of New Jersey.
Melissa is married to her college sweetheart, and she is the proud mom of three children and two rescue dogs. She enjoys spending time outside, reading books, and in the fall volunteering with her local field hockey league!
Advanced Trainings & Certifications
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Assistive Technology Practitioner through RESNA
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Micro-credential in Cortical Vision Impairment from Perkins School for the Blind
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NJ Speech and Hearing Association AAC Committee Member
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ASHA AAC Sig 12 Member
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Assistive Technology International Association Annual Conference Attendee
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PODD Introductory Level Trained
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Advanced Training in Literacy & AAC Interventions
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AAC Systems: Tobii Dynavox, PRC, Proloquo2go, TouchChat, Ablenet, LAMP
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AAC Access methods: touch tablets, switches, eye gaze, head pointers
Casey Bevacqua, M.A., CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
AAC Specialist
Casey is an ASHA-certified, NJ-licensed speech-language pathologist with a decade of experience working with children, even before officially entering the field. Her clinical background spans infants & toddlers through adolescents & young adults across school settings, NJ Early Intervention, and outpatient clinics.
Casey developed a strong foundation in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) during her graduate studies at Kean University and has continued to expand her expertise ever since. She brings diverse experience in assessing and treating children with a wide range of communication needs, for example those associated with Autism, ADHD, apraxia/other speech sound disorders, and genetic syndromes. One of the highlights of her school-based career was being mentored by Melissa Donovan, who helped shape her approach to delivering high-quality, person-centered AAC intervention. This encouraged and inspired her to continue learning about AAC, completing Stockton University’s AAC Course program.
Having experienced both the personal and professional sides of service delivery, Casey’s favorite part of being on the Garden State AAC Specialists team is the collaboration. She loves bringing educators, families, and clinicians together to support each child’s communication journey. She has seen firsthand how access to appropriate AAC tools fosters independence, confidence, and meaningful language development. Presuming competence isn’t just a philosophy for Casey; it’s the core of every evaluation, every session, and every decision she makes.
Outside of the world of speech-language pathology, you can usually find Casey with her nose in a good book, enjoying musical performances of any kind, on an indoor cycling bike, or experimenting in the kitchen with her husband.