I am NDT Trained in the areas of pediatrics and adult physical disabilities related to neurological dysfunction.Ĭlient and family centered activities are always a part of my treatment interventions to help improve independence and quality of life for my patients. I am privileged to have worked primarily within the area of pediatrics the majority of my career, serving children and young adults with diagnoses related to cerebral palsy, spina bifida, muscular dystrophy, congenital musculo-skeletal disorders, acquired brain injuries, autoimmune disorders, autism, Down Syndrome, and spinal cord injuries. Hello, my name is Blake Pickering and I am thrilled to be working for Synergy Healthcare here in Northern Idaho. I like spending time outdoors, hiking, gardening, and fishing, and in recent years my wife and I have become novice birders. I enjoy spending time with my family, including my grandchildren. I graduated from Portland State University with a Master’s degree in 1991, with a focus on Speech and Hearing Sciences. I have spent 35 years working as a school-based Speech Language Pathologist treating students from 3 to 21 years. I am also passionate about parent coaching and mentoring, providing tools for the day to day. It is truly a joy to work with children and to see them develop skills that will benefit them in the years ahead. My philosophy of practice is child-centered, multi-disciplinary, and focused on developing the skills needed for functional daily living and child interests. My practice is wide ranging, but has primarily focused on children with needs in language and literacy, social communication, executive function, augmentative and alternative communication, fluency, and speech sound disorders. I’m a Speech Language Pathologist and hold a Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).