SPEECH-LANGUAGE THERAPY
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.
CAROLYN OSBERGER
Carolyn grew up in metro Detroit, Michigan and moved to Charlotte in 2019. She earned her undergraduate degree in elementary education from Michigan State university and taught kindergarten and first grade. In 2024, she completed her Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology through James Madison University. She is passionate about working with young children, focusing on early language development, articulation disorders, and AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication). Her approach to therapy is playful and engaging, leveraging the skills she developed as a teacher to create a positive and effective environment for language and communication development. In her free time, Carolyn enjoys baking, reading, and going for family walks with her husband, toddler, and dog.
CARLY PLOTKIN
Carly received her Bachelor of Arts in Hearing and Speech Sciences from the University of Maryland in College Park, MD and her Master’s Degree in Speech Language Pathology from George Washington University in Washington, DC. Carly has experience with children from birth through high school within the areas of Childhood Apraxia of Speech, articulation/phonological disorders, fluency disorders, expressive/receptive language disorders, pragmatic/social communication disorders, pediatric feeding/swallowing disorders as well as Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) users and children who are medically fragile. Carly has received training in many areas, including alternative augmentative communication (e.g., Words for Life, Proloquo, etc), LAMP, and PEERS School-Based Professional Certification Training, in addition Carly is PROMPT trained. Carly is passionate about working in a multi-disciplinary environment and is committed to collaborating with families and other professionals to provide the best possible care for every child. When she is not working, she enjoys traveling, spending time outside, and exploring new restaurants with her husband.
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.
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.
HEATHER DRAPER
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.
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.
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!
LYNDA SHORTER
Lynda Shorter graduated with a master’s degree Speech Pathology and Audiology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in December of 2005. She holds a North Carolina permanent SLP license and Certificate of Clinical Competence through the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). Lynda is originally from the UK, however, she has lived in the USA now for more than 20 years. She holds The Hanen Program ® ‘It Takes Two to Talk’ Certification, and she is an Independent Certified Instructor for the Baby Signs ® Program. Her special areas of interest include fluency disorders, childhood apraxia of speech, autism spectrum disorder, language delay, late talkers, and articulation/phonological disorders. She enjoys gardening, jogging, practicing yoga and spending time with her three daughters.
MADDY ROUSSEAUX
Maddy grew up here in Charlotte and then attended both undergrad and graduate school at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. She did her clinical fellowship at Early Bird and loved it so much she decided to stick around. Maddy’s favorite part of her job is interacting with families and getting to bring joy to the kiddos. A fun fact about Maddy is that she loves to cook in her free time!
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!
RACHEL WZOREK
Rachel was born in New York and raised in a small town in northeastern Pennsylvania. In 2009, she earned a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Queens University of Charlotte. After serving 7 years as a classroom teacher, she decided to pursue her passion for speech therapy. She attended North Carolina Central University in Durham, NC, earning a master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology in 2018. Rachel’s special interests include articulation/phonological disorders, language disorders, early language development, and literacy. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking Italian meals, running marathons, and spending time with her husband, family, and friends. The most rewarding part of speech therapy is partnering with families and seeing each child achieve their goals.
OLIVIA BOOK
Olivia is originally from Kansas City, Missouri. I graduated with my bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and recently graduated with my M.S. in speech-language pathology from Augustana College. She absolutely loves getting to work with kids, create relationships and help them grow in their communicative abilities. A fun fact about Olivia is that she used to work for the video production team for the University of Nebraska’s athletic department.
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.
SARAH VILLARET
Sarah is originally from Doylestown, PA. She received a BA in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of Florida in 2003. She received her M.S. from Nova Southeastern University in Speech Language Pathology. She holds an ASHA Certificate of Clinical Competence. Her special area of interest is working with children diagnosed with autism, and she has spent over 5 years in this area. Sarah is also passionate about working with children who have sensory feeding disorders. What she most enjoys about her job is making connections with children and watching them progress and achieve their goals. She is a proud mother of two wonderful teenage girls. They love to spend our time outdoors, playing tennis, walking their dogs, and they particularly love the U.S. National White Water Center.
TORI JACUMIN
Tori Jacumin graduated with both her bachelor’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders and master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Appalachian State University. Tori grew up in Hickory, NC and moved to Charlotte upon graduating with her master’s degree. She holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology from the American Speech-Language Hearing Association and is licensed by the North Carolina Board of Examiners for Speech Language Pathology and Audiology. She has clinical experience with children and adults of all ages in preschools, elementary schools, hospitals, and private clinics. Tori also has special interests in early language development as well as the evaluation and treatment of pediatric feeding and swallowing disorders. In her free time, you can find her spending time with friends and family, hiking, traveling, and playing with her dog.
VICKY TSAKAS
Vicky has been working with Early Bird since August 2023. Prior to joining the team she worked as a clinic and school-based pediatric SLP in NC and NYC. She received my 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.
Vicky has experience with children from infancy through high school within the areas of pediatric feeding/swallowing, articulation/phonological disorders, pragmatic/social language disorders, and expressive and receptive language disorders. She has experience with a variety of programs used to develop a range of speech and language/feeding areas, including Sequential Oral Sensory Feeding Approach (SOS), Prompts for Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic Targets (PROMPT), The Orton and Gillingham Approach, The Social Thinking Curriculum, and The Kaufman Speech and Language Protocol (K-SLP). In her free time she enjoy doing Pilates and traveling.
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.
ZIYA VERJEE
Ziya graduated from UNC Wilmington with a Bachelors of Science in Biology in 2008, she graduated in 2012 from University of Houston with her BS in Communication Sciences and Disorders, and she recieved her Masters in Communication Disorders from Texas State University in 2015. Ziya was born in Kenya and moved to Canada for a brief period of time before moving to Cary, NC. She spent the majority of her childhood in Cary and moved to Wilmington, NC to pursue her first degree in 2004. After receiving her degree in biology, she moved to Texas to be closer to her parents and brother, she lived in Texas for 9 years before moving to Charlotte. Her special areas of training include, feeding and swallowing disorders, stuttering and childhood apraxia of speech. She is fascinated by the brain/cognitive function and how it pertains to speech acquisition and swallowing. Ziya loves working with families in their most functional and natural settings so that she is able to assist in maximizing opportunities for learning and development within the daily life and routines that are already in place. In her free time, Ziya loves trying new restaurants, traveling, listening to music, spending time with her loved ones and reading. She would like to continue to learn about new cultures and immerse herself in learning about people and places.