Clinicians

I am a licensed speech language pathologist with more than 20 years experience, providing ongoing speech and language therapy and evaluations.  Upon graduating I had the opportunity to work with adults in the hospital and nursing home settings conducting swallow studies, bedside evaluations and outpatient therapy.  My  primary background and the past two decades includes working with children on the Autism Spectrum, those with Childhood Apraxia of Speech, as well as with speech and language delays. I have received additional training and education in a number of field areas that include: ABA therapy, Autism, Childhood Apraxia of Speech, Picture Exchange Communication System, Social Thinking and Sensory Integration.  In the last few years I have taken numerous courses with regards to feeding, nutrition and how oral motor development plays a role in feeding and speech.

In January 2009, I decided to pursue my  goal of becoming an independent provider of speech and language therapy, launching my current company, Wannemacher Therapy.  I currently practice in the the state of Illinois providing speech therapy to children in Early Intervention and children over the age of 3. During my career, I have held a variety of positions in my field that include 10 years with a non-profit organization, Little Friends, Inc. Five of those years I was the Program Director of the Little Friends, Parent-Infant-Program. I also conducted speech evaluations as part of a comprehensive team for the Autism Diagnostic Clinic at Little Friends. I am a graduate of Illinois State University, where I  received my masters in Speech Language Pathology and Audiology.

Other past entrepreneurial interests included the co-development of a series of children’s apps by Whole Brain Edutainment.  I have also been blogging the past four years also.  I like providing other clinicians an opportunity to share their knowledge on our site through guest posts.  I believe that once you have been given a gift you then need to share that gift.  I am passionate about my job and working with the families that we serve. 

I am a licensed speech language pathologist with more than 20 years experience, providing ongoing speech and language therapy and evaluations.  Upon graduating I had the opportunity to work with adults in the hospital and nursing home settings conducting swallow studies, bedside evaluations and outpatient therapy.  My  primary background and the past two decades includes working with children on the Autism Spectrum, those with Childhood Apraxia of Speech, as well as with speech and language delays. I have received additional training and education in a number of field areas that include: ABA therapy, Autism, Childhood Apraxia of Speech, Picture Exchange Communication System, Social Thinking and Sensory Integration.  In the last few years I have taken numerous courses with regards to feeding, nutrition and how oral motor development plays a role in feeding and speech.

In January 2009, I decided to pursue my  goal of becoming an independent provider of speech and language therapy, launching my current company, Wannemacher Therapy.  I currently practice in the the state of Illinois providing speech therapy to children in Early Intervention and children over the age of 3. During my career, I have held a variety of positions in my field that include 10 years with a non-profit organization, Little Friends, Inc. Five of those years I was the Program Director of the Little Friends, Parent-Infant-Program. I also conducted speech evaluations as part of a comprehensive team for the Autism Diagnostic Clinic at Little Friends. I am a graduate of Illinois State University, where I  received my masters in Speech Language Pathology and Audiology.

Other past entrepreneurial interests included the co-development of a series of children’s apps by Whole Brain Edutainment.  I have also been blogging the past four years also.  I like providing other clinicians an opportunity to share their knowledge on our site through guest posts.  I believe that once you have been given a gift you then need to share that gift.  I am passionate about my job and working with the families that we serve.

My name is Liz Tabb and I am a licensed Speech Language Pathology Assistant. I received my SLPA degree from College of DuPage and have been working in Early Intervention for 9 years. I have experience in working with children on the Autism spectrum, children with Down Syndrome, as well as children with receptive and expressive delays. I have also been trained in Picture Exchange Communication System. I believe that Early Intervention is crucial, and love working alongside families to help aide and assist caregivers with their children. I truly enjoy building relationships with families to establish teamwork within the home that will aide in the development and progress of the child.

My name is Jacki Navarro and I am a Speech Language Pathologist with 12+ years of experience in the K-12 school setting. I decided on a new career in 2004 when I went back to school to earn both my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Communication Disorders from Governors State University. I graduated in 2007 and spent 8 years in a K-2 school and have been in the high school setting since 2015. I enjoy working with students of all ages and currently co-teach a Social Language Class and co-lead multiple Social Language groups. I believe in making connections with students and their own lives to further their language development and social skills needed both in and out of the classroom. My areas of professional strength are articulation, phonology, language skills (receptive, expressive, and vocabulary), and pragmatics.

My other passion in this field is diagnostic testing. I thoroughly enjoy testing students and interpreting the results to determine how to best meet their needs. I have often been consulted for students not only with current IEPs or upcoming initials, but also for those struggling in the classroom who either do not qualify for services, or may be in need of a 504 plan. I often suggest accommodations or modifications for the academic environment or things to work on at home that may help students succeed academically. I believe in functionality and that language and social skills taught at school be just as important and transferrable to all environments in the student’s life.

I have confidence in collaboration – with families, team members, and outside resources that include a continuation of learning – to benefit the students that I work with. I am fortunate to become a member of this team at Wannemacher Therapy and look forward to meeting new clients and their families.

My name is Anna Deeney. I am a licensed speech language pathologist. I received my Master’s Degree from Eastern New Mexico University and have lived all throughout the country practicing ever since. I have experience with children with autism, Down syndrome, and other developmental disorders along with experience working with articulation, fluency, and language disorders. 

I believe early intervention is incredibly beneficial to not only the child but their families as well. I enjoy providing family education on the best ways to implement and carryover strategies to elicit speech and communication with their child. I have a passion to help support as many families and children as possible and provide them with comfort in understanding the process of their speech and communication disorder and ways to help improve it.

My name is Nicole Gaudiano, and I am a licensed speech-language pathologist, clinical fellow. I received my Master’s Degree and Bachelor’s degree in Communication Disorders and Sciences from Eastern Illinois University. I have worked with an array of children with specific and unique needs related to articulation, phonology, and language development. I have also conducted research related to tongue-tie and its impact on articulation. I aim to help families by providing as much support as possible through the provision of resources and open communications.

I love working with children and educating families to improve their child’s communication skills, having worked more than 15 years in the public school system. After having children of my own and realizing I wanted to help children at an earlier age, I decided to start using my skills within the early intervention setting – which I am so glad I did! My personal experiences have helped me understand the needs of families while my professional experience has given me the skills and knowledge to be a great resource.

I recently moved back to the Chicago area to be near family. Prior to moving back, I worked in the Kentucky early intervention system for 5 years while continuing to work part-time in the schools. My areas of expertise include autism, non-verbal children benefiting from a total communication approach, augmentative communication, feeding issues, apraxia, vision impairments, phonological concerns, fluency, and receptive/expressive language concerns. When I am not working, I love to play tennis, bike, read, try new recipes and hang out with family and friends.

My name is Alyssa Eskra and I am a licensed Speech Language Pathologist. I earned my Master’s Degree in Speech Language Pathology from Illinois State University and have been working with the birth to three population for approximately 7 years. My clinical interests include receptive and expressive language development, as well as sensory and oral motor based feeding disorders. In addition, I have significant experience working with children of all ages with autism, Down syndrome and various diagnoses. In recent years, I have worked in both clinical and school settings. I believe my past experiences are an asset to families in smoothly transitioning out of the Early Intervention system. My favorite part of this job is coaching families to better incorporate therapeutic techniques into their everyday routine.

My name is Michelle and I am the billing coordinator and case manager. While I am new to Wannemacher Therapy, I assure you that I will do my best to get the most out of your insurance benefits. If you have any questions or concerns regarding your insurance benefits or bill, you can contact me at any time at [email protected]

Hi there! My name is Ashley McGaughy and I am a pediatric occupational therapist. I graduated with a Master’s Degree from Midwestern University in Downers Grove, Illinois. I have experience working in multiple pediatric settings including hospital outpatient clinics, schools, Early Intervention, daycare and community settings. I really enjoy working with a wide variety of children including children who have Sensory Processing Disorder, Autism, Down Syndrome and other developmental disorders.

In 2019, I decided to become an independent contractor and develop my business, Play 4 Purpose Pediatrics, where I provide occupational therapy services to children in the Illinois Early Intervention program as well as private children ages 3 and up. In the midst of the pandemic, I decided to share my knowledge and resources on a more global scale by starting my social media presence as AshtheOT where I can be found on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.

I love providing valuable information and strategies to help parents become the experts of their own children. It is my mission to provide parents the tools they need in order to help their child to learn, make progress and enhance their independence and development!

I graduated from the Rush University OT program in 2016. I am specialized in treating kids with decreased muscle tone and strength, delayed fine motor and visual motor development, developmental delay, sensory processing disorder, short attention span, lack of joint attention, difficulty in activity transition and adaptive skill training. I’ve always had a passion for serving children and families and bring a positive influence to their lives.

My philosophy: It is better to teach people fishing than to give them a fish. I am strong in empowering children and parents to help the children to reach their highest potential.

My name is Emily Rosetto I have a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders, minor in Spanish from Illinois State University. Master’s degree in Communication Disorders and Sciences from Eastern Illinois University. 

Throughout my time in classes, clinical experiences, and internships I have grown my clinical interests to specifically include receptive and expressive language, executive functions, cognitive development/functioning, and overall social-emotional language for children and young adults. I have experience in these areas regarding clients diagnosed with Autism, Language Processing Disorder, Executive Dysfunction, ADHD, Intellectual Disorders, Developmental Delay, Apraxia, etc. 

My name is Stephanie Schumacher. I have my bachelor’s degree in speech-language pathology and master’s degree in Early Childhood Special Education. I have been providing developmental therapy for 6 years to children with a wide variety of special needs and backgrounds. I share a small business with a colleague that provides parents with resources and learning activities that can easily be done at home. In June 2019 I presented a training, a “Carry Over” course, with a colleague to other Early Intervention therapists. I will be leading developmental play groups at the clinic for children ages 2-3 years old and 4-5 years old. I am also providing private developmental therapy for birth through 4 and tutoring for K-3 grade.

 I like to collaborate with each child’s team of providers in order to help meet the child’s needs. I am open to co-treating with other therapists. I believe that children learn through play and that learning should be fun. I incorporate family members in therapy sessions so that they can learn how to implement the therapy strategies into their daily routines.