Melissa Peters Yang

Meet Melissa

Known to her associates and clients as "Mel," Melissa Peters Yang, M.S., CCC-SLP & CLC, is the founder and program director of Speak Live Play. She earned her Bachelor of Science from George Washington University and her Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology from Molloy College in Rockville Centre, NY.

Melissa brings over five years of experience in the hospital setting, currently serving as Supervisor of Rehabilitation at Providence St. John's Health Center, where she plays a pivotal role in program development for Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Speech Therapy — attending to patients with diverse medical diagnoses across the NICU and adult populations. Her background also includes hospital experience at Miller Children's Hospital in Long Beach, California.

After moving to Los Angeles, Melissa saw a need for evidence-based in-home therapy — especially feeding and swallowing support — and founded Speak Live Play in 2015. What began as a single practice has grown into a multidisciplinary team serving infants through adults, having now helped over 500 families across Los Angeles. She earned her Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC) credential in 2023 after eight years specializing in infant feeding, a credential she draws on to serve clients from infancy through adulthood.

Clinical Focus

With clinical experience spanning schools, private practice, and hospitals, Melissa has treated both pediatric and adult clients, developing foundational skills in evaluating and treating speech, language, literacy, and feeding disorders. She specializes in children with complex medical and neurological diagnoses, and in the medical setting has honed her skills identifying and treating swallowing and feeding disorders — including conducting instrumental exams such as Modified Barium Swallow Studies and Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES) to help diagnose dysphagia. Her therapeutic philosophy centers on individual, evidence-based practice that helps clients of all ages reach their fullest communicative potential and meet their nutritional needs, delivered in a way that keeps therapy enjoyable and functional.

• Down Syndrome
• Turner Syndrome
• Nemaline Myopathy
• Childhood Multiple Sclerosis
• Angelman Syndrome
• Williams Syndrome
• Fragile X Syndrome

Trainings & Certifications

Melissa continues to build on her clinical foundation through ongoing specialized training, including:

• Catherine Shaker's NICU Swallowing and Feeding
• Sara Rosenfeld-Johnson's Talk Tools Therapy
• Sequential Oral Sensory (SOS) Approach to Feeding
• DIR-Floortime Approach
• Michelle Garcia Winner's Social Thinking Program
• Passy Muir Valve / Tracheostomy Training
• Modified Barium Swallow Studies
• Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES)