Kelsey Milne, M.S., CCC-SLP
Kelsey grew up in Vancouver, Washington. She earned a bachelor's degree in Speech and Hearing Sciences and a master's degree in Speech‐Language Pathology, both from the University of Washington. Very shortly after graduation, she began work as a speech‐language therapist at the Experimental Education Unit (EEU), an inclusive early learning center in Seattle, Washington and part of the University of Washington Haring Center for Inclusive Education. She has remained there in all the years since! At the EEU, Kelsey has worked in the Early Support for Infants and Toddlers program, for children under age 3 and their families, and in the school's preschool and kindergarten classrooms. She currently divides her time between the early support and kindergarten programs. In early support, her work focuses on family partnership and coaching to support children's communication development in meaningful daily routines. In kindergarten, she works with families, students, and a transdisciplinary team of teachers and therapists to support diverse language learning styles and communication modes, and to find ways toward classrooms that welcome all children and families.
Kelsey's interest in feeding and mealtime support was sparked by wonderfully enthusiastic mentors at the EEU and by many families who candidly shared the stresses of mealtime, and who supported their children toward mealtimes that felt calmer and more comfortable with great creativity. Over the years, she has come to love mealtimes that offer fascinating explorations of the human body, scientific topics of all kinds, and the many diverse ways of living and eating in our world; she has also come to appreciate the many complexities and challenges posed by the mealtime experience. She hopes that this book will spark interest in both the complexity and possibilities of mealtimes and will support people in finding the mealtimes that fit them best.
When she is away from the office and the computer, Kelsey loves wandering the windy beaches of the Northwest, finding a sunny corner for reading, riding her bike, and meandering walks and talks with her friends and family.