Speech Therapy

The speech therapy department at Helping Hands Center is dedicated to providing evidence-based services for their clients with communication needs. The nationally- and state-licensed speech-language pathologists provide include treatment for articulation, phonology, expressive/receptive language and social/pragmatic deficits. Speech therapy sessions are conducted in the 1:1 setting, small groups or dyads, classroom-based settings and in co-treatment sessions with occupational therapy and music therapy.

The speech-language pathologists at Helping Hands Center are dedicated to identifying and providing access to the optimal augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) options for their clients who have limited verbal speech. The speech department uses sign language, the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) (Bondy & Frost, 1994), static picture boards and high-tech speech generating devices to ensure their clients have access to communication.

After much research and training, the speech department at Helping Hands Center has adopted the Center for AAC & Autism’s Language Acquisition through Motor Planning (LAMP) principles of device programming and therapy. The LAMP program has been shown to increase the ability of nonverbal children with autism to communicate spontaneously across environments by building their own phrases. Recently, Helping Hands Center was named a LAMP Center of Excellence and the clinicians are working toward becoming LAMP Certified Professionals. See www.aacandautism.com for more information, or contact the speech department at Helping Hands Center.

The speech-language pathologists are dedicated to their professional development; they frequently attend trainings and conferences and participate in weekly research discussions. Many of the members of the speech team have presented at conferences about social skills groups, autism, AAC and LAMP.

One of our HHC students, who will turn five in March, recently began using his words! His mother says, “It’s never too late to hear those first words! Now he says go, eat, on, off, bye bye, and approximates help, ipad and stickers!”

Meet Our Speech Therapists

Lindsey Cargill
Lindsey Cargill, M.A., CCC-SLP is in her 7th year in the Speech Department at Helping Hands Center. She received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at the University of Florida. Lindsey has worked with children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, cleft palate/craniofacial anomalies, hearing impairments and global, focusing her continuing education in the area of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC).  She is fluent in American Sign Language and is proficient in the therapeutic use of a variety of speech-generating devices. Lindsey is also an international trainer for the Center for AAC & Autism’s Language Acquisition through Motor Planning (LAMP) program and is a LAMP-Certified Professional. She has presented at a variety of national and international conferences in the area of augmentative and alternative communication and is passionate about applying research and best practices to the facilitation of language development.

Tracie Evans
Tracie Evans graduated in 2007 with her Master’s in Speech Therapy from West Virginia University. After graduation she worked at Nutterfort Elementary School with a variety of children and a focus on speech, language, and communication skills, then at Healthsouth Regional Rehabilitation hospital where she was the inpatient pediatric speech therapist. In addition to children, she saw teenagers and adults with speech, communication, and/or swallowing difficulties. In 2011, she transferred to the stroke team gaining further experience in aphasia, apraxia, swallowing disorders, and other cognitive and communication deficits. As a result of a continuously changing caseload, she has worked with a variety of disorders and diagnoses. Throughout her career she has acquired experience with neuromuscular electrical stimulation, speaking valves, picture communication, switches, AAC, basic sign language and more. She recently left West Virginia and relocated to Ohio and is excited about the opportunity to work with children again!

Kellie (Ingram) Green
Kellie (Ingram) Green, M.A., CCC-SLP has been practicing as a Speech-Language Pathologist for the past 5 years at Helping Hands Center. She received her undergraduate degree in Speech and Hearing Science from The Ohio State University and her graduate degree from the University of Cincinnati in Communication Sciences and Disorders.  She provides consultations with caregivers, professionals, and paraprofessionals to support individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders and other developmental disabilities and has over 10 years of experience working with children diagnosed with Autism and other developmental delays. Kellie is PROMPT (Prompts for Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic Targets) trained and Hanen certified.  Her research interests include Autism Spectrum Disorders, AAC, Multicultural Issues and Behavior Analysis.  Kellie also holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence as a speech-language pathologist with the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and state licensure with Ohio.

Samantha Lyle
Samantha Lyle has been with HHC for three years as a Speech-Language Pathologist. She graduated with her undergraduate degree in Speech and Hearing Science and her graduate degree in Speech-Language Pathology, both from The Ohio State University. Samantha has experience working with a variety of populations including children with ASD, hearing impairments, articulation/phonological impairments, language, literacy, and fluency disorders. She continues to work \on the Feeding Team and will be a speech therapist for the Tiger, Owl, and Chameleon classrooms during the 2012-13 academic year.

Elyse McDaid
Elyse McDaid is the Assistant Supervisor in HHC’s Speech Therapy Department. McDaid received her Bachelor’s degree in Speech and Hearing Science from The Ohio State University and her Master’s Degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Bowling Green State University.  She holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence with the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Her educational focus is in AAC and articulation/phonological treatment; specifically in Language Acquisition through Motor Planning (LAMP) and Prompts for Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic Targets (PROMPT). She is a LAMP Certified Professional and has completed the first two PROMPT trainings. McDaid is passionate about increasing the communication skills of children with autism and other developmental disabilities using a variety of modalities.

Abby Morgan
Abby Morgan is in her 5th year working as a Speech-Language Pathologist at HHC.  She received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at The Ohio State University, where she specialized in school certification.  Her professional experiences include working with children with articulation/phonological deficits, hearing impairments, literacy deficits, language disorders, and Autism Spectrum Disorders.  She has extensive experience implementing Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) systems, including high-tech speech-generating devices, sign language, and PECS, and she is a Language Acquisition through Motor Planning (LAMP) certified professional.  Abby is also trained in Prompts for Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic Targets (PROMPT), an approach/technique for treating sound production deficits.   She is the speech-language pathologist on HHC’s new Home Therapy Team.

Jennifer Scott
Jennifer Scott is in her first year at Helping Hands Center in the Speech Therapy Department.  Jennifer received her Bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University and her Master’s degree from the University of Akron.  Currently, Jennifer works with the Lion, Moose and Dalmatian classrooms and is part of the feeding team.  Prior to becoming a speech-language pathologist, Jennifer was an ABA therapist and has worked with children with Autism for about 4 years.  She is excited to be part of the Helping Hands Center team!

Cassie Wilhelm
Cassie Wilhelm is in her first year at HHC as a Speech-Language Pathologist.  She completed her Bachelor’s degree and Master’s degree at The Ohio State University. She has experience working with children with ASD, developmental disabilities, hearing impairment, articulation/phonological disorders, language disorders and literacy deficits. She is excited to be a part of the HHC team.