Speech-language therapy addresses the communication needs of children. Speech therapists work on what children understand (receptive language), what they have to say (expressive language) and how they say it (articulation/phonology and pragmatics). Speech therapists use a total communication approach – incorporating the use of sign language, picture symbols, and other modes of augmentative communication into therapy. Additionally, we have speech pathologist who will work with children on feeding and swallowing.
Meet our WONDERFUL Speech-language Pathologists who help Early Bird shine!
AMY CARR
Amy is originally from Sonoma County, California and graduated from San Francisco State University in 2009 with her Masters in Communicative Disorders. Before graduate school she went to the University of Notre Dame where she got her B.A. in Psychology and Spanish and also met her husband, Eric. Her speciality is early intervention with Spanish-speaking preschoolers and she is PROMPT and Hanen trained in “It Takes Two to Talk”. She loves traveling to California with her three young kids to visit her parents and family as well as visiting Naples Florida where her in-laws live. She also enjoys baking, trying new restaurants, yoga and running.
ANDREA GUIDETTI
Andrea Guidetti grew up in a town just outside Boston, Massachusetts. She attended Emerson College where she received her bachelor’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders. She then went on to pursue her master’s degree at MGH Institute of Health Professions (A graduate school founded by Massachusetts General Hospital) and received her Master’s degree in Speech Language Pathology in 2005. Andrea’s clinical interests have always been more centered on the medical aspects of communication and swallowing disorders, working in acute care and rehab settings in both adult and pediatric hospitals in the Boston area before relocating to Charlotte NC in 2010. Upon moving to the Charlotte area Andrea has
focused her work in the Early Intervention setting with Early Bird Developmental Services, specializing in pediatric feeding disorders as well as early language delays. She enjoys the dynamic of working closely with families in their natural environment, coaching caregivers and supporting the growth and progress within each child. When not working, she enjoys spending time with her family, being outside, going for a run, watching her kid’s sporting events/activities, and playing ball with her dog, Buttons!
BARB HARTSHORN
Barb is a graduate of the University of Nebraska and Florida State University. She comes to us with over 20 years of experience treating in outpatient hospitals, schools and private clinics. She is skilled in working with children with receptive and expressive language disorders/delays, phonological and articulation disorders, autism spectrum disorder, sensory processing disorders, Childhood Apraxia of Speech, Down Syndrome and a variety of developmental/neurological disorders. Her passion is treating children with feeding/swallowing disorders. She has received training in the SOS Approach to Feeding, Shaker Infant feeding and various Talk Tool programs. She places an emphasis on making meal time more enjoyable for the entire family. She enjoys collaborating with other professionals and the family for success with treatment. When she isn’t working, Barb enjoys spending time with her family and friends, hiking and reading.
Carly PLOTKIN
Carly Plotkin received her Bachelor of Arts in Hearing and Speech Sciences from the University of Maryland, College Park, and her Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. She has experience working with children from birth through young adulthood across a variety of settings and areas of need. Carly has provided services in private practice, early intervention, home health, schools, daycares, and community-based programs, allowing her to support children and families across naturalistic and educational environments.
Carly specializes in Childhood Apraxia of Speech, articulation and phonological disorders, fluency disorders, expressive and receptive language delays, pragmatic and social communication challenges, and Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). She also has experience supporting medically complex and medically fragile children. Carly is passionate about helping children develop functional communication skills that increase confidence, independence, and participation across daily routines and social interactions.
Carly has completed advanced training in multiple AAC systems and approaches, including Words for Life, Proloquo2Go, and LAMP. She is also PROMPT trained and has completed PEERS® School-Based Professional Certification Training. Her therapy approach is individualized, evidence-based, and child-centered, with a strong emphasis on collaboration with families and interdisciplinary teams to support meaningful progress and carryover across settings.
Outside of the clinic, Carly enjoys traveling, spending time outdoors with her son, and exploring new restaurants with her family.
CHRISTINE LOUCY
Christine is originally from Buffalo, NY but relocated to Charlotte in 2011 and quickly called Early Bird home. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Buffalo in 2008 and her Master of Science degree from Fredonia University in 2010. She holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology and has taken on the role of Clinical Supervisor for the past three years. Christine has a passion for children with Autism, although loves all pediatric therapy. She enjoys out of the box therapy including walks, visiting playgrounds, cooking, obstacle courses, and arts and crafts. In addition, she finds it extremely valuable to collaborate with other service providers, teachers, families, and loves learning from others. She is a wife and mother of three beautiful girls ages 4, 2, and 1. She never has a dull moment and is always on the go!
DAWN DESLIGNORE
Dawn was an SLP in Florida for 9 years prior to moving to the Charlotte area in February of 2017. She joined Early Bird and has been working with Early Bird ever since. Prior to her work as an SLP, Dawn was a Kindergarten teacher. Dawn specializes in feeding therapy and has a great reputation for being an incredible SLP.
EMILY ANZALDI
Emily is from Charlotte, North Carolina. She is a North Carolina licensed and ASHA certified speech language pathologist. Emily received her bachelor’s in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Western Carolina University and her master’s in Speech-Language Pathology from Appalachian State University. Her special interests in the field include using augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices, early language development, and articulation/phonological disorders. Emily has special training in gestalt language processing and utilizing augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices. Emily enjoys using a play-based approach that is centered around her client’s interests. In her spare time, Emily enjoys hiking, reading, growing plants, and playing with her dog.
EMILY Fowler
Emily is originally from Birmingham, Michigan, and moved to Charlotte to complete her Clinical Fellowship with Early Bird. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology from Miami University and went on to receive her Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Pittsburgh. Emily’s clinical interests include early language development, stuttering and fluency disorders, feeding and swallowing, and phonological/articulation disorders. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, making sourdough, exploring new coffee shops, pilates, and spending time with family and friends.
EMMA DENSON
Emma is originally from Birmingham, Alabama and recently relocated to Charlotte to complete her Clinical Fellowship with Early Bird! She received a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Harding University. She attended the University of Memphis and received her Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology. Emma has experience working with the pediatric population in homes, daycares, schools and private clinics. Emma’s special areas of interest include early language development, articulation/phonological disorders, language disorders and providing play-based therapy. In her free time, Emma enjoys spending time with friends, traveling, reading and trying out new coffee shops in town.
IRENE DEGANGI
Irene DeGangi is originally from Staten Island New York. She moved to North Carolina in 2018. Irene received her BA in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology from St. John’s University in 1999. She received her MA in Deaf Education from Adelphi University in 2001 and her MA in Speech-language pathology from St. John’s University in 2003. She holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) from The American Speech Language and Hearing Association. Irene’s graduate studies included a variety of experiences working with both children and adults. Post graduate she has worked with children ages birth through high school, providing both school and home-based therapy. Her experiences have developed her clinical skills working with expressive and receptive language impairment, articulation and phonological disorders, developmental delays, and feeding delays. Additionally, Irene has training in the treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorders (including ABA), and pediatric motor speech disorders/apraxia (including PROMPT training), as well as training in working with children using Augmentative Alternative Communication (AAC) Devices. When she’s not working, Irene enjoy spending time with her husband and three boys.
HANNAH GUERRETTE
Jennifer McHenry
Jennifer McHenry was born and raised in Huntersville, NC. She decided to stay in NC and graduated with both a bachelor’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders and a master’s degree in Speech-Langauge Pathology from Western Carolina University. Jennifer loves supporting children’s language and communication growth in a variety of settings, including schools, daycares, clinics, and homes. She has experience working with children aged 1 to 13, specializing in AAC, early language development, and articulation disorders. Jennifer enjoys building relationships with her clients and families to ensure skills carry over from therapy sessions to daily life. In her free time, Jennifer enjoys reading books or spending time with her husband and cats!
Jessica Tobin
Jessica is originally from Long Island, New York. She attended Loyola University in Baltimore, Maryland for her undergraduate degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders. She moved to her favorite city, Boston, Massachusetts in 2023. There, she earned her Master of Science degree in Speech-Language Hearing Sciences from Emerson College. Jessica followed her family and relocated to Charlotte in 2025, completing her Clinical Fellowship with Early Bird. She specializes in early intervention, expressive and receptive language disorders, articulation disorders, Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), and Autism Spectrum Disorder. Her approach to therapy is strengths-based and focuses on naturalistic, play based intervention. In her free time, Jessica enjoys reading, yoga, going to baseball games and traveling.
KERRI POE
Kerri Poe was born and raised in the Charlotte area. She attended Appalachian State University where she received her Bachelors and Masters degrees in Communication Disorders. She has worked in the Charlotte area for the last 20+ years. She has been lucky to have worked in a variety of populations from stroke patients and traumatic brain injury adults and children in the hospital to the school aged and preschool population in schools, outpatient rehabilitation, and private practice. She has found that her favorite population is pediatrics and loves working with them and their families. In her spare time, she really enjoys spending time with her family.
KATHERINE QUACKENBUSH
Katie Quackenbush is originally from Tampa, Florida. She moved to Charlotte in August of 2023 to enjoy cooler weather and complete her clinical fellowship with Early Bird. She received her undergraduate degree in communication sciences and disorders from the University of Florida (Go Gators!) and her M.S. in speech-language pathology from Auburn University (War Eagle!). Katie has experience working in hospitals, daycares, clinics, schools, and homes with both adults and children. She aims to make therapy functional, meaningful, and fun for her clients. Her clinical interests include social/pragmatic communication disorder, language delay, and working with the disability community. She is passionate about coming alongside families and other providers to maximize clinical outcomes. When she is not working, Katie enjoys spending time with friends and family, reading, and exploring all that Charlotte has to offer.
KRISTA LENGACHER
Born and raised in small town western Pennsylvania, Krista Lengacher earned a bachelor’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from PennStateUniversity in 2002. After graduation she moved across the country to Colorado to attend graduate school at The University of Northern Colorado (the other UNC), earning a master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology in 2004. Following graduation, she married and stayed in Colorado where she worked for the public school system in Denver. During her time in the schools she developed a real interest in helping the population of Latino families she served become better connected to their surrounding community. A few years passed and once again Krista found herself packing her bags for yet another long-distance move; this time to Guatemala where she immersed herself in culture and language for two years. There, she achieved her goal of becoming conversationally fluent in Spanish before returning to the states and finally settling down in Charlotte. Over the past decade she has developed a passion for the Latino culture and loves that Early Bird affords her the opportunity to help Charlotte‘s Latino families prepare their children with the tools they need to be successful.
LAUREN SUSSMAN
Lauren Sussman is originally from Princeton, NJ and relocated to NC in August of 2014 to enjoy the warm weather and to make a change with her husband. She is a North Carolina licensed and ASHA certified SLP. Lauren received her undergraduate degree, which was a B.A., in Hearing and Speech Sciences in 2008 from the University of Maryland. She received her M.A. degree from Queens College in Flushing, NY in 2010. Lauren worked as a SLP in New York, NY for four years at a special education preschool and elementary school. She enjoys working with the special education population and has always enjoyed working with students who learn in different ways. In addition, Lauren has worked with the early intervention population and has taken the first PROMPT course. In her free time she enjoys exploring restaurants, cooking and working on her new cooking blog!
LINDSAY STARR
Lindsay Starr, originally from Indianapolis, Ind., is a North Carolina licensed and ASHA certified Speech-Language Pathologist. In 2006 she received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Milligan College where she also minored in French. She then earned a Master of Health Science in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Missouri. (Go Tigers!) Lindsay worked as a school based SLP in the Chicago area before relocating to Charlotte with her husband in 2013 where she continues to work in the school setting. Lindsay’s professional areas of interest include Autism Spectrum Disorder, Augmentative and Alternative Communication, and developmental delays. She is trained in PECS as well as Structured TEACCHing. In her free time, Lindsay enjoys exploring her new city, taking advantage of the great weather in the southeast, and spending time with her family and friends.
MADDY ROUSSEAUX
Maddy is a Charlotte native, who grew up going to school right down the street from the clinic, at Covenant Day School. She moved away from Charlotte to complete her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Samford University in Birmingham, AL. When she’s not working, she enjoys cooking, going for walks, and shopping. All of her clinical work so far has been in pediatrics, and that is where she feels the most passionate.
Maria Panagiotopoulos
Maria grew up in Atlanta and has lived in the Charlotte area for the past 12 years. She earned my Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Baylor University.
Maria is passionate about helping children grow in their communication and feeding skills while supporting families throughout the therapy process. Her clinical interests include articulation and phonological disorders, feeding difficulties, and early intervention services. Maria uses a client-centered, play-based approach and tailors each session to meet the individual needs of the child. She also values caregiver education and collaboration to help support progress outside of therapy sessions.
In her free time, Maria enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading, and traveling.
PETE LYON
Pete is originally from Oak Ridge, Tennessee. He graduated from Indiana University in 2000 with a Master’s Degree in Speech-Language Pathology. He has been a full time therapist for over 20 years. His wife a 3 teenage kids moved to the Charlotte area in 2015 after living in the Chicago area. The family also includes 2 yappy little dogs and an antisocial cat. His philosophy is that therapy should be a fun experience where children learn through play!
RUTH TALBOT YABLON
Ruth has always enjoyed her experiences working with children and adults in the home and school settings. After retiring from the New York Bd of Education, her family moved to Waxhaw and then Stallings in NC and have been very happy. It’s important to Ruth that her students are confident in using their language skills to function and enjoy participating in family, school and community settings. Ruth has worked with a variety of ages and children with varied speech, language, social pragmatics skills and articulation, etc. disorders. Ruth is creative and is attentive in listening to parents to help children succeed and feel secure using their new verbal and non-verbal language skills in conversations. Ruth says she is fortunate to be a Speech/Language Therapy professional, which she find stimulating, meaningful and lots of fun.
TORI JACUMIN
Tori earned both her Bachelor’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders (2016) and Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology (2019) from Appalachian State University. Originally from Hickory, she relocated to Charlotte and joined Early Bird upon graduation.
Tori holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology and is licensed by the North Carolina Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists. She has experience across a variety of clinical settings and especially enjoys supporting early language development, Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), and the evaluation and treatment of pediatric feeding and swallowing disorders.
Tori values a collaborative approach to care and enjoys partnering with other service providers and teachers to support each child’s success across environments. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her husband, son, and dog—whether on family walks, hiking adventures, traveling, or making memories with friends and loved ones
VICKY TSAKAS
Vicky has been with Early Bird since August 2023. She grew up in High Point, NC and moved to Charlotte in 2023 from NYC. Outside of work, she enjoys staying active, baking homemade desserts, and embracing the balance between the two. Vicky specializes in infant feeding and lactation support and feeding therapy for medically complex children. Advanced Certifications include: Certified Lactation Counselor, Supporting Oral Feeding in Fragile Infants, SOS approach to feeding, SOS advanced workshop – helping children transition off of supplemental tube feedings, Feeding Management of Infants with Tracheostomies, Functional Assessment and Remediation of Tethered Oral Tissues (TOTs). She received a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics with a minor in Speech and Hearing Sciences from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and earned a Master of Science degree in Communicative Sciences and Disorders from New York University.
WENDE TOTH
Wende Toth was born and raised in Schenectady, NY. After high school she attended and graduated from the State University of New York College at Geneseo with a bachelor’s degree in Communicative Disorders and Sciences in May of 1998. She also graduated from Western Illinois University with a master’s degree in Communicative Disorders and Sciences in May of 2000. She enjoys the field of Speech-Language Pathology for its ever changing challenges and opportunities. Throughout her career she has enjoyed working with children of all ages, from toddlers to high school students. When she is not working she enjoys spending time with her husband and children, especially at the beach or lake.
WHITNEY MILLER
Whitney Miller is from Mooresville. She moved to Charlotte in 2010 from Wilmington, where she worked in a private practice serving children from 2 to 18 years old. Whitney graduated from UNC Greensboro with a bachelor of science in Communication Science and Disorders in 2007. Her family is largely made up of Appalachian State graduates. Much to their pleasure, she attended Appalachian State University for graduate school where she graduated with a master’s degree in Communication Disorders in 2009. While working with the pediatric population for the past four years, she attended the PROMPT course developed by Deborah Hayden and the Sequential Oral Sensory Approach to Feeding course developed by Kay Toomey. She also has experience using eye gaze systems with augmentative communication devices and enjoys the variety of her caseload. In her free time, Whitney enjoys being active outdoors and spending time with her husband at the Whitewater Center.