Our Therapists

The Center for Speech & Language Development is a private practice that specializes in speech therapy, nutrition therapy, and occupational therapy for kids, and accent modification for adults.

OUR FOUNDER

Lisa Koenigsberg, MSCCC-SLP, is the founder of The Center for Speech & Language Development. She has been in the field of Speech-Language Pathology for over twenty years. She is a member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association as well as a certified Compton PES-L trainer. She regularly participates in continuing education courses to maintain her state of the art skills. She is committed to the success of her clients.

Throughout her career, she has worked to evaluate and treat children with varied diagnoses in a variety of settings. Her pediatric practice focuses on feeding and swallowing, oral-motor coordination, language development, apraxia, dysarthria, articulation and parenting assistance. Her adult practice focuses on Accent Reduction with heavily accented non-native English speakers to a more standard American accent. Lisa has worked with professionals who did not learn English as a first language or clients who have a strong regional accent.

CERTIFICATIONS & TRAININGS

– Certified, Licensed Clinician in Speech Language Pathology
– MS, Boston University, in Speech-Language and Hearing
– PESL Certified Accent Modification Instructor
-DIR/Floortime trained
– Early Intervention Credentialed Therapist and Evaluator
-PROMPT trained
– CPR Certified

OUR THERAPISTS

Yehuda Appel, MS, CCC-SLP?is a speech and language therapist for The Center for Speech & Language Development. He holds a Master of Science degree from Northwestern University in Speech, Language, and Learning. He continually focuses on maintaining excellent clinical skills through participating in professional workshops, trainings, and seminars. Yehuda?s belief in each person?s ability to improve their communication skills drives his passion for providing speech and language therapy.

Yehuda?s experiences evaluating and treating clients throughout the life span and in a variety of settings gives him the perspective and skills to provide effective speech and language therapies. He has particular interest is treating articulation, apraxia, and voice disorders. Yehuda has experience treating speech and language disorders for non-native English speakers and providing therapy via an interpreter.

CERTIFICATIONS & TRAININGS

– Certified, Licensed Clinician in Speech Language Pathologist
– Early Intervention Credentialed Therapist
– Multisensory Grammar
– Dynamic Tactile and Temporal Cueing (DTTC)
– Modified Barium Swallow Impairment Profile (MBSImP)
– Basic Life Support: Adult, Child, and Infant CPR

Marissa Baras, MS CCC-SLP has over seven years of experience as a Speech-Language Pathologist. She is a member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), and she regularly participates in continuing education courses to maintain her skills. She is committed to the success of her clients.

She is extremely passionate about working with young children and their families. Throughout her career, she has worked to evaluate and treat children with varied diagnoses in a variety of settings. Marissa specializes in working with young children and is focused on feeding and swallowing; oral-motor coordination; language development; apraxia; articulation; and parenting assistance.

CERTIFICATIONS & TRAININGS

-ASHA and State of Illinois Certified Licensed Clinician in Speech Language Pathology
–MS, Speech Language Pathology ? Emerson College
-Early Intervention Credentialed Therapist and Evaluator
–PROMPT trained
-S.O.S trained

Shari Feifel OTR/L has over twenty seven years of experience as an Occupational Therapist across a variety of settings. She really enjoys working with young children and their families. She?utilizes her interpersonal and therapeutic skills to improve a child’s functional abilities and daily living skills in order to maximize his or her potential and ability to develop toward task independence.

Shari’s interest in Early Intervention began as a graduate student in the early 1990s. Her Master’s Thesis was concentrated on “Survey of Maternal Perceptions of Family-Focused Early Intervention”.? Throughout her career, she has worked to evaluate and treat children and adults with varied diagnoses in a variety of settings. She facilitates improved motor coordination and functional abilities through sensory / motor based activities.

Shari is highly motivated to help each child progress and develop in order to succeed in his or her environment with family-centered? and school support.

CERTIFICATIONS & TRAININGS

– MS in Occupational Therapy from Rush University in Chicago
– Licensed by the State of Illinois
– Board Certified by National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy
– Member – American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA)
– AOTA Badges in Home Modifications and Fall Prevention
– IDHS Early Intervention Specialist Credential ? In renewal process

Supriya Jalukar MS, OTR/L is a pediatric occupational therapist originally from Michigan. She is incredibly passionate about engaging with children and adults with autism, ADHD, down syndrome and sensory processing disorders, as well as supporting the families of children with special needs. She is committed to designing and implementing creative, functional, evidence-based treatment interventions for her clients to support their physical, emotional and mental health. Supriya has 4 years of experience working with children of various ages with autism using Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) treatment techniques. She is a member of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) and is presently pursuing additional training in the DIR Floortime treatment approach.

CERTIFICATIONS & TRAININGS

– MS in Occupational Therapy

– Licensed by the State of Illinois

– Board certified by National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy

– Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Trained

supriya Jalukar the center for speech and language development

Megan Maszka, MS, CF-SLP, is a Speech-Language Pathologist. Megan holds a MS in Speech, Language, and Learning from Northwestern University. Megan works with a variety of ages and focuses on articulation, language development, and childhood apraxia of speech. She is a member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).

Megan is passionate about fostering a child?s speech and language development while supporting the family as they navigate through communication challenges. When she?s not helping her clients, Megan likes to sing, walk the Lakefront trails, and explore Chicago.

CERTIFICATIONS & TRAININGS

-Professional Educator License (PEL) with Speech-Language Pathologist endorsement

-Illinois Temporary Speech-Language Pathology License

-El Associate Speech Language Pathologist credential

Stefanie Weintraub, MSW, LCSW has been in the field of social work for over ten years. She is passionate about increasing the quality of life of her clients and their families.

Throughout her career, Stefanie has provided both ABA and social work services to children with autism and other neurodevelopmental delays in the home, clinic, and schools. She has worked with children individually, in dyads, and in small groups. She also has experience evaluating and treating children and developing individualized treatment plans and goals tailored to meet their needs. Stefanie enjoys using a combination of play-based therapy methods and behavioral techniques to develop relationships with children, help support their families, and help them reach their fullest potential.

CERTIFICATIONS & TRAININGS

– Licensed Clinical Social Worker
– Applied Behavior Analysis trained
– Early Intervention Credentialed

Esther Zigun MS, OTR/L is a graduate of Rush University. She has been working in the field of pediatric occupational therapy for over seven years. Her experience ranges between outpatient clinics, the school system, and early intervention.

Esther is passionate about collaborating with every individual of the child’s support system, and consistently puts in the extra time to facilitate this. There is no greater accomplishment for her than seeing a child progress and ultimately succeed. Esther enjoys bringing novel and creative ideas to her therapy sessions. She is passionate on staying up to date with most-current evidence based research, with a particular emphasis on sensory integration, behavior management, and neuromuscular facilitation.