Our Team.
At Communication Horizons, our team is made up of dedicated professionals who support individuals of all ages with complex communication needs. We take a collaborative, strengths-based approach—partnering closely with families and caregivers to support communication that is meaningful, functional, and authentic to each individual.
Cynthia Heryanto, M.S. CCC-SLP is a licensed and certified speech language pathologist (SLP) through the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA) and the state of California. She specializes in the evaluation and treatment of children and adults with complex communication needs related to a variety of diagnoses including cerebral palsy, autism, Rett syndrome, Down syndrome, childhood apraxia of speech, Angelman syndrome, and an array of rare genetic disorders. Cynthia has been working with children and adults with developmental disabilities for over 20 years, starting as a teenager working in Summer camps for children and adults with developmental disabilities. It was here that she was first introduced to the specialty area of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) while being trained to support the communication modalities of several of the campers. She has been working as an SLP after obtaining her Master's degree in Communicative Disorders from San Francisco State University in 2009. Throughout her career as an SLP, Cynthia has continued to focus on AAC in all of her positions with the goal of becoming highly specialized in providing treatment and assessments for individuals who would benefit from AAC. She worked several years in a non-public school in the Bay Area that exclusively served children who were non-verbal and had multiple disabilities. After moving down to Los Angeles, she became the first full-time SLP at NAPA Center, and played a substantial role in the initial development of their first speech therapy department. After that she worked as an AAC consultant to other SLPs and families throughout Southern California, assisting them with their evaluations, providing instruction and guidance through the process of getting equipment paid for by insurance and MediCal, and providing training for successful implementation. Cynthia has extensive experience with eye tracking, head pointing, and switch access technology on all high-tech communication devices, partner assisted scanning, and numerous AAC iPad apps and programs. Cynthia has taught workshops and given presentations to hundreds of SLPs and families on a variety of topics related to AAC throughout the state and internationally.
Michelle Markowitz, M.S., CCC-SLP is a licensed and certified speech-language pathologist through the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and the state of California. She specializes in evaluating and treating children and adults with complex communication needs, including those with: · Autism spectrum disorder · Cerebral palsy · Language disorders and delays · ADHD · Down syndrome · Articulation and phonological disorders Michelle has spent more than 15 years supporting individuals with developmental disabilities. She earned her Master’s degree in Communicative Disorders from San Francisco State University in 2015, with an emphasis in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Following graduate school, she worked in a Bay Area non-public school serving children who were non-speaking and had multiple disabilities. During this time, she also launched a private practice working with clients with a wide range of communication needs. After relocating to Southern California, Michelle continued her work across both school district and private-practice settings. Her experience includes conducting comprehensive speech and language evaluations, providing individual and group therapy, mentoring graduate students and clinical fellows, and offering parent education and carryover support to promote meaningful progress beyond the therapy setting. Michelle feels profoundly honored to help each individual discover and develop their voice in whatever form it may take. She believes communication is a fundamental human right and that every individual deserves the tools and support to express themselves, advocate for their needs, and connect meaningfully with the world around them. Her passion lies in delivering therapy that empowers individuals and their families, builds confidence, and enhances overall quality of life.
Angela Choe, M.S., CCC-SLP is a speech-language pathologist with over a decade of experience working in both school-based and private practice settings. Her clinical background includes assessment and treatment of children across a wide range of ages and communication needs, with an emphasis on collaboration with families and multidisciplinary teams. She has extensive experience supporting infants and toddlers in early intervention, where caregiver coaching and embedding intervention strategies into everyday routines are central to her work. Angela brings an energetic and positive approach to therapy while maintaining a grounded, practical perspective. In addition to her clinical training, she draws from her experience as a parent, which allows her to relate closely to families and support them in implementing strategies that are realistic and sustainable in daily life. Angela earned her Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of the Pacific and also holds a Master of Public Health from UCLA. She is ASHA-certified (CCC-SLP) and fluent in Korean.
Jody Akutagawa, M.S., CF-SLP, is a speech-language pathologist completing her Clinical Fellowship at Communication Horizons. She earned her Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Nova Southeastern University, a graduate program well recognized for its strong preparation in supporting individuals with complex communication needs and those who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Jody first joined Communication Horizons in 2025 as a graduate intern, completing a 3-month internship under the supervision of Cynthia Heryanto, M.S., CCC-SLP. During this time, she supported children and adults with complex communication needs, including AAC users, early communicators, and individuals with developmental disabilities. Her clinical training involved providing direct therapy, assisting with evaluations, learning device programming, and working closely with families to support communication across home, school, and community environments. Prior to becoming an SLP, Jody spent several years working directly with individuals with developmental disabilities in the South Bay. She served for five years as an Assistant Director at Ready, Willing & Able Dance in Palos Verdes, supporting inclusive dance programs for teens and adults with developmental disabilities. She also worked for 4.5 years in early intervention as part of the Leaps & Bounds center-based program at Momentum PTN, where she supported infants and toddlers with developmental delays and their families. These roles provided Jody with extensive experience in communication support, engagement, and community inclusion long before entering the field of speech-language pathology. Jody is passionate about empowering individuals to communicate in ways that are authentic, functional, and meaningful to them. She brings curiosity, dedication, and genuine joy to her work and is committed to building strong partnerships with families throughout the therapy process.