Who we are
At Basic Concepts, our team is dedicated to empowering children to grow, learn, and reach their fullest potential.
We believe children learn best in a supportive, stimulating, and engaging environment—one that encourages confidence, curiosity, and age-appropriate academic and social development.
Our staff consists of licensed speech-language pathologists and certified special educators who work collaboratively to meet the unique needs of each child and family.
Heather McIntosh, M.S., CCC-SLP is the owner at Basic Concepts and a licensed speech-language pathologist. She earned her master’s degree from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Heather has experience working with children and adolescents in both private and public settings. She is skilled in the assessment and treatment of articulation, language, and pragmatic language disorders, and she specializes in supporting children's play and social skills development.
Katy Whidden, M.A., CCC-SLP, is a partner at Basic Concepts. She received her master's degree in speech language pathology from the University of Maryland. With over 25 years experience in private practice, public school and hospital settings, Katy specializes in the assessment, evaluation, and treatment of auditory processing disorders, receptive and expressive language delays, articulation disorders, and social skill deficits that often accompany autism disorders, down’s syndrome and learning disabilities. She enjoys implementing programs to enhance children's written communication and reading skills as well. Katy also specializes in designing and implementing therapeutic and educational curriculum for children ages 3-10.
Sarah Graf, M.Ed., CEIM, is a partner at Basic Concepts. She received her master's degree from the University of Maryland in special education. Sarah has worked in a variety of educational settings. With a comprehensive background in early intervention, she is skilled in designing and implementing educational programs for children with disabilities from birth through 5th grade. In addition to educational programs, Sarah specializes in developing social skill and behavioral programs for use in natural environments such as home, private school, and day care settings. Sarah also enjoys her role as a certified educator of infant massage.
Michanett Luchie, M.S., CCC-SLP, is a licensed speech language pathologist who received her master’s degree from the University of the District of Columbia. Michanett has experience providing speech therapy services both in the public schools and on a private, home-health basis. She has worked with a variety of children from ages birth through 16 and is skilled in assessing and treating language, articulation, oral-motor, play, and social-pragmatics. Futhermore, she has extensive background with programming numerous augmentative and alternative communication devices.
Margaret Featherstone, M.A., CCC-SLP, received her masters degree from the University of Maryland in speech language pathology. Margaret has experience assessing and treating preschool through middle school students with articulation, language, and social-pragmatic needs in both private and public settings. Margaret specializes in working with children to improve academic and social skills and in adapting lessons to meet the needs of all learners. Margaret is proficient in English and Spanish.