I graduated with my master’s degree from the University of Northern Iowa. I grew up here in the Fox Cities and am happy to be back and working in the area. I enjoy running, reading, spending time on the lake with my family, knitting, watching sports, spending time with my dog and boyfriend, and binge-watching Netflix. 

 

Being a speech-language pathologist has been a dream of mine since I was 18 years old and discovered what it was. I love my job and working with children. Working with families and other professionals is like being on a team. We all want the same goal and that is for the child to be as successful as they can be. Everyone has a part on the team to make that happen and when we all work together the child is going to reach their goals. 

 

It is an amazing feeling to see a child grow and have their own voice. When working with children I focus on what is going to be the most functional for them outside of the clinic. I want to help them achieve in the clinic and give them tools to achieve outside of the clinic. It is important that what they learn and do with me they can do in the outside world. I encourage the children I work with to be themselves. Children learn in all different ways and I try to adapt the work I have for them in a way that they will learn the best. I want “speech class” to be something they look forward to and get excited about. I make my space, a safe space and a space where children can make mistakes and grow. 

 

My knowledge of PROMPT, SOS, and Beckman Assessment and Treatment protocols help round out my therapeutic skills.  I use PROMPT with children experiencing any kind of speech sound disorder, including phonological disorder or apraxia. I also utilize Beckman for children with speech sound disorders, oral motor disorders and feeding difficulties. SOS approach is followed for children with feeding disorders. 

 

I enjoy working with all children with different speech and language disorders. It makes my job fun and interesting. No day is the same. My biggest areas of interest are autistic children, phonological disorders, alternative communication devices (AAC), and expressive language.