OUR TEAM
Di Van der Walt
Managing Director, Speech Pathologist and Neurodiversity-Affirming Practice Mentor
Di is a passionate and experienced speech pathologist dedicated to helping all children communicate in ways that feel natural and empowering to them. She firmly believes that communication and literacy are fundamental human rights, and every individual deserves access to robust communication methods and high-quality literacy instruction.
Di founded Perth Hills Speech Pathology in 2017, later rebranding to Perth Hills Allied Health to expand her vision of a holistic, neurodiversity-affirming practice. With the addition of Art Therapy, the clinic continues to provide a supportive, strengths-based approach to therapy that meets the needs of children with and without disabilities.
With extensive experience across most areas of paediatric speech pathology, Di is a strong advocate for neurodiversity-affirming practices and works closely with her team and other clinicians to ensure these principles are embedded throughout their work. She holds a Bachelor of Speech and Language Therapy and is a Certified Practising Speech Pathologist with Speech Pathology Australia. Di is also certified in Hanen’s “It Takes Two to Talk®” and “More Than Words®” programs and is a trained instructor in Sounds-Write (a Systematic Synthetic Phonics program) and Talk 4 Writing.
Her leadership and expertise have been widely recognised—in 2022, she was named one of the Top 50 Small Business Leaders. She previously served as Chairperson of the Private Speech Pathologists’ Association of WA (PSPAWA) for four years and remains an active Corporate Member.
Beyond her clinical work, Di enjoys sharing her knowledge through podcasts, webinars, and training sessions. She has been a guest on The Inspired Parenting Podcast and Human Chapters Podcast and looks forward to more podcast appearances in the future.
Outside of work, Di lives in Roleystone with her husband, Andre, their two children, Joshua and Caleb, two dogs, and a cat. She loves spending time outdoors, exploring new bush walks and trails.
Tara Quinlivan
Practice Administrator / Receptionist / Admin Angel
With 21 years of administration experience across a variety of workplaces, Tara finds her role at Perth Hills Allied Health the most rewarding. She values the opportunity to support parents and families, guiding them through their child’s diagnostic journey, and greeting every visitor with a warm, friendly smile. Known for her love of conversation and genuine listening, Tara helps make the clinic a welcoming and comfortable space.
Family is at the heart of Tara’s life. She and her husband share a lively, blended household with three children, where meal plans, weekly schedules, and plenty of fun keep things running smoothly. Outside of work, Tara enjoys singing, now just for fun in an adult singing group, along with cooking, yoga, travelling, arts and crafts, and spending quality time with loved ones.
She believes we never stop learning about ourselves and that every challenge comes with a lesson. Tara lives by the words: “Every child is gifted. They just unwrap their packages at different times.”
Deb Wilkes
Art Therapist
Deb is a passionate Art Therapist experienced in working with neurodiverse children using a holistic, child-centred approach.
Deb has a background in Graphic Design, a Bachelor of Arts Psychotherapy (BAP), is a Certified Practicing Counsellor with Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA) and is currently studying a Master of Child Play Therapy.
As a devoted mum of 3 creative, sensory seeking children, Deb understands that using fun, creative play can assist children in reaching their goals.
Deb believes in a fun, play-based approach. Her research explores the use of clay in therapy for children with proprioception dysfunction. She is conscious about how using various art materials in therapy, with a focus on the process rather than the final product, can create neural pathways and increase cognition while providing a creative way of learning and reaching goals.