Our Mission
is to provide the highest quality, individualized speech-language therapy and educational advocacy services to individuals of all ages. We believe that everyone deserves access to services and tools that enable connection through communication, and we walk beside our clients to make sure their needs are met and their voices are heard.
Our Vision
At Ashford Speech and Advocacy P.C., we envision a future where individuals of all ages and their families have the knowledge, support, and resources to advocate for their educational and therapeutic needs. We are committed to being a part of “the village” of each of our families we serve through our individualized speech-language, advocacy, and AAC services. Through our pillars of Education, Advocacy, and Intervention, we strive to be a trusted resource for all stakeholders navigating the complexities of the IEP process and neurodiversity-affirming practices in the San Diego disability community and beyond.
Established June 2024
Thank you for taking the time to learn more about Ashford Speech and Advocacy P.C. We’re a small, therapist-owned private practice located in Vista, California. We serve clients of all ages through speech-language therapy, special-education advocacy and education, represented by the three doors you see above our name. These doors also represent that we are a mobile-practice, coming to our clients in their homes, or out in the community if they prefer.
We believe in making information about special education, educational rights and IEPs accessible to all families, which is why we strive to host IEP workshops for free every month. Accessibility to our community members who are Spanish speaking is also of great importance to us and we are proud to offer all services in Spanish as well as English.
We strive to deepen our connections to the network of support for disabled individuals in North County and supports organizations such as Autism Society of San Diego, the San Diego Regional Center and other local practices that provide OT, PT, Psychological and Behavioral Intervention services.
Ashford Speech and Advocacy P.C. is a values based practice and stands with families of mixed immigration status and supports our LGBTQIA neighbors through donations to local organizations such as HRCO, Sowing Seeds of Dignity and the North County LGBTQ Resource Center.
About Ashford Speech and Advocacy P.C.
Our Team
Colleen Stern Ashford
M.S. CCC-SLP
CEO and founder, Colleen Ashford, has nearly ten years of experience working with clients with speech-language disorders and other disabilities. Her career has spanned across the lifespan, with experiences in public schools, private clinics, and family homes, but began in her home state of Illinois, where she graduated with her Bachelors from the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana and with her Masters from Illinois State University.
Committed to strengths-based and neurodiversity affirming speech-language therapy, Colleen is continuously learning from the disability community. She investigates and then honors a client's unique sensory profile and makes sure AAC is introduced early when needed- not as a last resort. Colleen is an Apraxia Kids Certified SLP and Hanen More Than Words Certified SLP and speaks Spanish as her second language. She is committed to culturally responsive evaluation and therapy.
Colleen also takes on a limited number of special-education advocacy clients each school year. She is passionate about parents understanding of their educational rights in the IEP process, empowering them to participate meaningfully in meetings and collaborate with their school teams as much as possible.
Although she and her husband have resided in San Diego County for over 6 years, she is still discovering hidden gems! They enjoy slow easy walks through Guajome and Calavera with their dog Bruno they adopted from Frosted Faces Foundation- a senior dog rescue.
Aileen Gilbert M.S. CF-SLP
Aileen Gilbert is a Clinical Fellow Speech-Language Pathologist who is passionate about supporting young children and their families. She was born and raised in San Diego County and has always known she wanted to work with children. She brings empathy, warmth, and dedication to every family she has the privilege of working with.
She earned her undergraduate degree from California State University San Marcos and her master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Midwestern University. She takes a family-centered approach and believes that the most meaningful progress happens through strong collaboration with caregivers. She values building meaningful relationships with children and their families, as she believes these connections are key to supporting lasting progress. She finds it incredibly rewarding to help each child reach their fullest communication potential.
Outside of work, she enjoys exploring new coffee shops, spending quality time with her family, fiancé, and friends, going on relaxing walks, and shopping.
