Dr. Chao proudly attended the University of Arizona in her hometown of Tucson, AZ. She had the opportunity to earn both a Bachelor of Science (with a minor in Spanish) in 2000 and Master of Science degree (in speech-language pathology, with the additional endorsement of a College-Level Teaching Certificate) in 2003. In 2014, Dr. Chao successfully defended her doctoral dissertation "Parental Goal-Setting and Special Education in the People’s Republic of China." This project was a labor of love, born out of deep respect for the parental struggle and dedication she witnessed while working in China at an experimental inclusive preschool program. She was awarded the degree of Doctor of Education with a specialization in educational leadership from Northcentral University. She has practiced in a variety of settings in AZ, CA, WI, and WA, including public, private, and charter schools, a sheltered workshop facility, multidisciplinary evaluation teams, residential programs, and an outpatient traumatic brain injury program. Since 2012, she has worked as a private practice therapist specializing in language-based learning disorders and literacy intervention.

Areas of Emphasis:

• Cultural and Linguistic Diversity/Bilingual Speakers/English as a Second Language
• Developmental Language Disorder
• Language/Learning Disabilities
• Literacy: Reading/Dyslexia
• Literacy: Writing/Spelling

Ages of Emphasis:

• Early Education (Ages 3–5)
• Early Elementary (Kindergarten to Grade 6)
• Middle School/High School (Grades 7–12)