I am a single father that struggled to find helpful resources for my 6 year old autistic son, Ayden, that is non-verbal. I leaned on my job's network and I had multiple peers singing the praises of Bright Stars for speech therapy. Due to the hurdles I have faced in the past, I was rather pessimistic at first and made some assumptions, that maybe this place would be like others with a long waitlist and would just forget about me. However, Kristen White reached out to me even though there was a waitlist and pulled some strings to assist me in getting care that I need because she saw how bad I was struggling. Her smile and calming tone gave me hope that there was a light at the end of the tunnel with getting my child the help he needs. After the evaluation, we did not have to wait too long before we are connected with Chelsea Miranda. She was an amazing start in my speech therapy journey and I thoroughly enjoyed working with her. My son, Ayden, would run to her in excitement and ready for the educational play. Although she informed me she was relatively new, I feel like her willingness to engage with my son every session and focusing on building a connection won me over with Bright Stars. Due to scheduling issues I am having at the moment, unfortunately we no longer could work with Chelsea. On the other hand, in life when one door closes another door opens, and I could not be more happy to start working with Dakota Noble. When I tell you, I was nearly emotional after our first few sessions because I felt like the insurance commercial, I am finally in good hands. The cool thing about Dakota is that she have a vast background working with autistic children and day one I could tell she was the one (therapist wise of course, don't want my girlfriend mad at me). The way Ayden runs to the center and grabs her hand and take her to the room for their session warms my heart. I am just an engineer that is still figuring out this fatherhood and child services for a special needs child out. Not only has Ayden been building a connection and growing, but she has been an outstanding mentor from a parenting perspective on figuring out how to navigate everything. She is so intelligent, patience, and kind. It is an interesting feeling to not only have your child feeling heard, understood, and seen, but a parent that is fighting to be the best parent they can be feeling the same way is unmatched. So I say all of this because I wanted to show my appreciation of the Bright Stars staff that includes the front desk that has worked with my chaotic schedule too, Candace Carson-Brunt and Carol Cabri. Thank you all and I appreciate you all from the bottom of my heart and I look forward to continuing to work with you all. read more

Bright Stars Pediatric Speech Therapy - Dakota, Ayden, and myself - Speech Therapists Near Me - San Jose, California

Bright Stars Speech Therapy has been a key part of my daughter's speech journey for the past 11 years (she was less than a year old when we started). Kristen and Dakota kept sessions fun and engaging while working on oral motor skills, articulation, and vocabulary. Their annual testing and plans were easy to share with her school team, which kept everyone focused on the same goals. As someone with Down Syndrome, speech will always be something my daughter has to work on, but I'm so proud of how articulate she is and that people can understand her. I'm very grateful for the support and partnership Bright Stars has provided and highly recommend them. read more

My son was 2 years old when he was first evaluated at Hamaguchi & Associates for minor articulation difficulties. They gave us great advice so we could investigate any potential medical causes for his speech issues (it did turn out our son needed ear tubes), and my son started speech therapy with Fiona when he was 3 years old. We worked with Fiona for 10 months in order to get my son caught up on his pronunciation. Fiona was able to work with my son in both Cantonese and English so we could make sure he was able to pronounce all the sounds he should be able to at his age and even a little beyond what is necessarily expected as I wanted him to ideally improve some extra sounds before ending therapy. We were given clear directions on what to practice at home. Fiona was always exceptionally lovely and patient with my son and he loved his therapy sessions with her. The waiting room is pleasant and there is Wi-Fi. There's plenty of parking too. I'm happy I found Hamaguchi & Associates and Fiona to help my son. read more

I highly recommend Hamaguchi to anyone seeking speech therapy for their child. My child has made incredible progress there. His speech therapist Lexie is more than fantastic! She is very professional, patient and truly understands how to connect with kids. The therapy sessions are fun and engaging, and my child always looks forward to them. The Administrative Assistant Carol, Office Manager Candace and the Director Kristen are also very friendly and supportive. Thank you all for helping my child grow! read more

We've been going to Hamaguchi for over a year and a half now and are so grateful for all the support our two kids have been receiving there. They have been attending individual and group sessions and have made so much progress. Richard, Sharon and Lexie are all so amazing and experienced in their field. They understand exactly what our kids need and what interventions and approach to take, all the while making therapy fun. Our youngest will be "graduating" soon and he's already saddened by the fact that he won't be working with Ms. Lexie for much longer. I assume the waitlist is still long because great therapists are hard to find how, but it's definitely worth the wait! Good luck! Also, many, many thanks to the exceptional office manager and assistants. Thank you so much for helping with all our scheduling needs too! read more

My son has been receiving services here for about 3 years. His preschool teachers noted a speech delay and highly recommended Hamaguchi for speech therapy. We started with Hamaguchi during the pandemic with telehealth services and have since transitioned to in-person. Both experiences were great. We have had the pleasure of working with a number of SLPs here, including Kristen White (the director). Everyone here is so caring and amazing at what they do. My son has made great progress over the years and we could not imagine having made it through this journey without the support and guidance of the Hamaguchi team. read more

My husband and I highly recommend Fiona Poon. We have been working with her for the last 7 months as our son's speech therapist and we have seen tremendous changes with our son. He has gone from not saying anything at 18 months to saying new words everyday. Fiona is very engaging and interactive with our son and she was able to get his attention from day one. We were very worried about our son's language delay and everyone has been very supportive. Would highly recommend Fiona to anyone looking for a wonderful speech therapist. read more

We worked with Kristen (the director), Fiona, and Sharon when our son was between 1.5yo and 2yo and having a speech delay. They were all very professional and helpful. With the strategies they taught us, my son started imitating what we said at home and making sounds for things he wanted. He also started saying words in sessions. Now he's almost 3yo and very talkative. Highly recommended! read more

Our family has been working with Hamaguchi & Associates for almost 3 years now. We've seen a lot of speech therapists in multiple countries, with different experience, skills, treatment methodologies. I was very confused in the very beginning with the way H&A work - 30/45min sessions? only private? But after seeing how effectively these minutes are spent, how much feedback you get about your kid - i was absolutely amazed. Its worth every dollar, and i know its the best i could do for my kid. Thank you Amber/Patti/Candace. read more

Hamaguchi & Associates has been the biggest blessing to our family! Everyone at the practice is so amazing! Our speech therapists Grace and Richard always go above and beyond. Kristen the director is also involved in overseeing sessions to help assess improvements and where they can take my son next. My son started at the practice with very few words and low engagement . Richard and Grace have turned that around and it's been less than a year . My son can now request things , sings many songs and loves to play so many people games . The best part about the practice is that your are able to join sessions yourself so you can get ideas of what to do at home or if your ever feeling stuck they give the best tips and tricks to help you as a parent . I highly recommend this practice. read more

We've had an incredible experience here. We came from recommendations from 2 behavior therapists and one highly satisfied customer who no longer requires therapy for her child. The other thing was that they are one of the few practices who will test 2.5 year olds. My child had the hardest time putting together his thoughts in a coherent way. He had his convenient and frequently used vocabulary that he used to answer questions. There was a lot of struggle engaging in interactive play. My son loves loves loves Ms. Kristen there. She has transformed his life where he enjoys to try harder and get better. Patti is all about early intervention, and I'm a firm believer of addressing issues beforehand than later on. 90% of the brain develops by age 7, if we can give our children the tools to work with challenges, then they realize that they have a true chance of actually succeeding and not just develop coping methods. I owe so much to this practice. It's a struggle to get in, but once you are, you can safely say I gave my child the best opportunity to be the best they can be. They do not over promise to under deliver. They set correct expectations and follow through. They don't over charge as their fees are pretty set. Their cancellation policy is pretty black and white also, doesn't work well with last minute sick kids though. But their argument to that makes sense, some great therapists have had to move due to the rising cost of living in the Bay Area. We experienced that first hand read more

My son has been receiving speech therapy services for about 3 months now and I have to say from the first call to the first appointment, I was very impressed. We were able to get started with services right away. I am thrilled with the progress he has already made. He loves all the staff and Hamaguchi has made it a very positive experience. read more

I have been taking my son here for many years after he received a diagnosis for autism. I can't speak highly enough about the care and attention the therapists have provided for my son. Patti Hamaguchi and her staff supplied me with many resources to help me understand my son's diagnosis. I was extremely overwhelmed initially after the diagnosis, but I left after my first meeting with a sense of hope. I am now able to have a conversation with my son about his day using the many tools both he and I have learned at this practice. Thank you! read more

I was referred to Hamaguchi & Associates through another speech practice my daughter went to and that's when I was told that perhaps my daughter had Apraxia and this was one of the best places I could go to who have well trained staff and are extremely nice. I had no clue that Kristen was the Director of the practice and she was the one who got on a call with me to understand my daughter and the journey we had gone through. Long story short- One of the finest therapist my daughter works with is Kristen- (yes she is the director and a therapist). She is amazing and I cannot thank her enough to show me some light. My daughter never uttered a word except for noises. She is now talking and putting words together and using a chat tool that helps her voice her opinions. Thank you so much for letting me learn and guiding me and helping Amaira along the way. YOU AND YOUR TEAM ARE TRULY THE BEST! read more

My son has been going to Hamaguchi for 12 years and my daughter for 1-2 years. Both just graduated. The therapists at Hamaguchi including its founder Patti Hamaguchi are simply the best. We have seen many speech therapists over the years (including private, through schools etc, ones that come to your home for convenience) but the staff at Hamaguchi are head and shoulders above the rest. They have a detailed plan each week and are completely organized. They do an eval every fall to develop goals to work toward. The time is well spent and even a 45 min session is jam packed. The therapists write up notes and provide homework. Although they stick to a schedule, it does not feel rushed. The very best part is that Patti hires kind, wonderful people who treat the children w/ genuine care and concern. They do not appear to be just doing a job as they go above and beyond each session. This clinic has been so impactful and made such a difference in our family. I love the staff and Patti so much and even was sad for my kids to graduate. Such a warm and loving place and 100% worth the money. Highly recommend read more

Patti Hamaguchi and her team are professional and highly respected amongst the developmental pediatric community. While I was initially surprised by the cost for an evaluation, I felt their expertise is highly valued, and evaluations are extremely time-intensive but yield highly valuable insights -- which I failed to appreciate before. I regret having been turned off by the cost initially, and having delayed getting these evaluations and treatments earlier. Early intervention is key, and I would gladly have gone back and started earlier. I also didn't know that "out of network" meant that you can still seek insurance reimbursement, and that the out of network reimbursement can be pretty good. read more

A very money minded practice. Tries to extract money, by exaggerating the treatment needs. We felt the therapists over stated what was needed, and tried to lock us in in for a long time (12 months). We were so happy we took a second opinion. Will not want to work with such medical practice again. read more

My wife and I brought our daughter here to receive a speech and language evaluation when she was 2.5. This was our first child and we were nervous about the results. We had a negative experience at another practice and were a bit anxious about hearing what someone else might say about our child's speech delay. The assessment process was extremely thorough and worth every cent. Unlike other practices, this assessment was performed across a few sessions, so we felt like they really took a good look at our daughter on different days. The report was very well-detailed and covered every concern we had while providing feedback. When I went to the review, the information was presented in a way that made us feel like they really cared about our child. We immediately decided to start services and we are thrilled we did. Our daughter has made excellent progress and really enjoys coming here for therapy. Our daughter is now 3.5 and asks my wife every day when she will get to go and play at Hamaguchi. My only regret is that we didn't come here sooner. I highly recommend coming to Hamaguchi if you want a practice where the speech therapists really invest their everything into their sessions. read more