ABOUT OUR CLINIC

Aspire Pediatric Therapy was founded in order to provide the highest quality speech language pathology services to children in our community. We strive to support families who are navigating the complicated and often overwhelming process of supporting a child who is developing in a unique way. We believe that therapy should be child-directed, play-based and family-centered. We aim to help families gain the skills and confidence they need to support their child between sessions and advocate for them throughout their life.

We know that communication includes so much more than simply speaking words.  We honor and support language development in spoken words, American Sign Language, Cued Speech, Total Communication, multimodal communication and Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC).

We also recognize that the children we serve often have other specialists who are supporting them.  We place an emphasis on collaborating with our clients' entire team.

Meet the Team

Katie is a licensed speech language pathologist, proficient in ASL and Spanish. She grew up in Normal, IL where she continues to live with her husband, Andy, and three children. She has been providing private speech, language and listening therapy to children in central Illinois since 2016. She earned a bachelor's degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders with a minor in Spanish, and a master's degree in Speech-Language Pathology. She has a Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language Hearing Association and an Illinois Speech Language Pathologist license. She has an Illinois Early Intervention credential, including the Initial Evaluator credential. She also earned a Professional Education License with an approval as a Bilingual Special Education Teacher-Spanish. She completed post-graduate studies to earn a graduate certificate as a Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Listening and Spoken Language Professional.

Katie offers individual, home-based Early Intervention services to children birth to three and clinic-based services to children three to ten. She runs an Early Intervention speech/language and music therapy group in collaboration with Developing Melodies. She offers evaluations, consultation and therapy for children who need augmentative and alternative communication devices. She works with school districts to complete comprehensive evaluations for children who speak Spanish. She also supports families who are seeking a second opinion during evaluations at their school district by offering Independent Educational Evaluations.

Speech Therapist

  • Britta Warren is a speech-language pathologist, passionate about helping children build confidence in their communication. With a master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Illinois State University and a comprehensive background working with kids, she focuses on creating spaces where every child feels heard, understood, and valued. Known for her warm, engaging approach, Britta is especially drawn to the diverse and dynamic nature of pediatric speech therapy. She enjoys collaborating with families to support each child’s unique journey. Her therapy style is naturalistic and child-led—whether it’s playing board games, heading outside, or following a child’s lead through play, she loves creating fun and meaningful opportunities for communication. Outside of work, you’ll often find her hiking local trails, reading in her hammock, or going out for ice cream with friends and family. She is very excited to be a part of the team at Aspire and looks forward to connecting with kiddos and their families!

Speech Therapist

  • Jana Hollis is an excellent speech-language pathologist, with experience in the public schools and private practice.  She has had the privilege of working with children from ages 3-22 thus far in her career.  She loves all aspects of speech therapy, from speech sound disorders to language disorders and everything in between.  Her nephew is her inspiration for becoming a speech-language pathologist. Through him, she was able to witness the amazing strategies his speech-language pathologist implemented that helped him communicate.  She lives in Normal with her husband and dog, Sandy.  She loves to walk on the Constitution trail, explore new restaurants, and attend Illinois Wesleyan athletics games.  She is very excited to be a part of Aspire and to meet more families and clients!

Therapist

  • Lily Plummer is a dedicated educator with a deep personal connection to the world of hearing loss. As a deaf individual and cochlear implant user, she brings both professional expertise and personal insight into her work. Lily earned her bachelor's degree in Deaf Education from Illinois State University in 2020 and her master’s degree in Early Intervention of Sensory Disabilities in 2024. She has spent the past five years teaching deaf and hard of hearing preschoolers at ISU’s Thomas Metcalf School, where she also mentors future educators. Lily is passionate about language development and family collaboration.

Speech Therapist

  • Katie Russow is an exceptional speech-language pathologist, with experience in private practice, Early Intervention, AAC and in the public school setting.  She truly loves building the foundational language skills needed for communication and providing AAC services to kids in need.  When she's not working, she's spending time with her family, running, visiting coffee shops, reading books or trying a new recipe.

  • Daisy Porzelt is a speech-language pathologist who is passionate about helping children grow in their communication skills. Fluent in Spanish, English, and Portuguese, she enjoys connecting with children and families from diverse backgrounds and creating supportive environments where every child feels understood and encouraged. She is especially drawn to the ever-changing nature of speech therapy and loves that each day brings new learning experiences, challenges, and opportunities for growth. Her therapy style is child-led and play-based. Whether it’s through play, movement, or everyday routines, she strives to make therapy fun, functional, and relationship-centered. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her husband, 3-year-old, and dog, as well as going on walks, being outdoors, and reading. She looks forward to supporting children and families on their communication journeys.

  • Hannah is a speech-language pathologist passionate about supporting children in learning through play. While completing her masters in speech-language pathology at ISU, her research centered around supporting communication partners in modeling AAC at children’s museums. Her practice is driven by a desire to foster functional communication, collaboration with families and interdisciplinary teams, and implementing individualized, evidence-based strategies to promote independence and meaningful participation across settings. In addition to her work at Aspire, Hannah works at Unit 5 schools as an SLP focusing on language and literacy. Outside of the clinic, you might find her at a local trivia night or at home crafting.

Our Expertise

  • With extensive experience and training, we support children with hearing loss in maximizing their speech, language and listening skills. We support children who use hearing aids, BAHAs and cochlear implants. We also support children who are Deaf and do not use hearing assistive technology at all.

    Our providers are proficient in many communication modalities, because we strive to support LANGUAGE development, regardless of modality. We can communicate directly with you and your family using:

    • American Sign Language (ASL)

    • Signed English

    • Total Communication / Sim-Com

    • Cued Speech

    • Listening and Spoken Language (LSL)

  • We serve children with visual impairments, including CVI. We collaborate with vision specialists to consider how vision loss impacts a wide range of skills. We have expertise in adapting augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) for children with CVI, including using high-contrast symbol sets, auditory scanning, partner-assisted scanning, head pointing and eye gaze.

  • We have experience using low-, mid- and high-tech AAC devices to ensure that all children have the tools they need to maximize their ability to communicate. We complete comprehensive evaluations to determine the most appropriate AAC option, walk with your family through the funding process, collaborate and consult with other specialists and offer ongoing therapy.

    We work extensively with Tobii Dynavox and PRC-Saltillo, supporting dedicated high-tech speech-generating devices with systems including TD Snap, Unity/MinSpeak, LAMP Words For Life, TouchChat with WordPower, CoreScanner, and Engage. We also support iPad-based systems, such as Grid and Proloquo2Go.

    We can recommend, customize and support alternative access methods including switch-scanning, head-pointing and eye gaze.

  • Our therapy services for autistic children focus on connection, communication, and play. We meet your child where they are—with respect, curiosity and joyful engagement. We strive to be neurodiversity-affirming in all aspects of our care.

  • Hearing and using more than one language does not cause or contribute to delays or disorders. However, it does influence how your child experiences the world. We have years of experience serving multilingual children and strive to provide holistic support so that your child can master each language that is important to your family.

    Katie is proficient in Spanish and can communicate directly with your family without an interpreter.

  • We support children who have complex bodies and medical needs. We take an individualized approach to enhancing communication access through augmentative and alternative communication, adapted play and collaboration with the entire care team.

LET'S GET STARTED

Therapy Services

  • We use the SPICE Curriculum to teach children who are deaf and hard-of-hearing how to detect, discriminate and understand sounds using their hearing aids, BAHAs and/or cochlear implants, so that they can build strong listening skills.

  • For children who are non-speaking or have limited verbal communication, we offer:

    • Comprehensive AAC evaluations

    • Device trials

    • Complete funding support

    • Ongoing therapy to support daily use of AAC

    • Collaboration with your child's school and team

    We match the right system (low, mid, or high-tech) with your child’s needs, strengths, and preferences.

  • We support both oral motor and sensory aspects of eating, so that children can participate in mealtimes with enjoyment.

  • We help children pronounce sounds correctly and speak in a way that others can easily understand.

    Common articulation errors include R, S, L and TH.

  • We support preschoolers who have unintelligible speech or use patterned errors, such as replacing all /k/ and /g/ sounds with the /t/ and /d/ sounds. We complete comprehensive evaluations to determine what sound patterns your child already uses and what they need to learn to speak more clearly. We consider how phonological intervention should set the foundation for early literacy by incorporating metaphonological skills and phonological awareness activities.

  • We support children with receptive and expressive language delays and disorders, working alongside you to build the ability to understand what is said to them and clearly express their own wants and needs. We focus on learning powerful and functional words, following directions and using age-appropriate grammar.

  • We support children who are meeting most other milestones, but are not yet talking as much as their peers. We use play-based, functional activities to help your child begin to use words and sentences so that they can communciate without frustration.

  • Sometimes children have large vocabularies and speak in sentences, but still struggle to effectively use those skills to communciate with others. We teach conversation skills, understanding emotions, and navigating peer interactions, especially for children with autism.

LET'S GET STARTED

FAQs

  • We’re at 705 E Lincoln Street, Suite 209, Normal, IL 61761. Use the entrance on the left (northwest) side of the parking lot and follow signs for Developing Melodies or Aspire Pediatric Therapy.

    Early Intervention Clients: Session are typically conducted in your home, daycare or community setting. Families outside of Bloomington-Normal, IL are welcome to come to our clinic.

    Private Therapy Clients (3+): Sessions are conducted in our clinic or via teletherapy.

  • You can request an evaluation directly. We will need a referral or prescription for services on file, and we’re happy to request this from your doctor’s office on your behalf.

  • Yes, we offer services in Spanish and American Sign Language (ASL).

  • Yes! Many families choose private therapy for additional support or more direct involvement in their child’s care.

  • Do you accept insurance?
    Yes! We're in-network with BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois, Cigna, and Tricare/TriWest. Co-pays, deductibles, and co-insurance are processed via a securely stored credit card.

    You aren't in-network with my insurance. Can my child still get services?
    Absolutely. We can submit out-of-network claims and provide documentation for reimbursement. Please note that additional out-of-pocket costs may apply, and we do not follow up directly with your insurance company.

    I don't understand my insurance coverage. Can you help?
    Yes, we’re happy to explain your coverage, including your deductible, co-pays, and expected costs.

    I don't have insurance. Do you offer private pay rates?
    Yes, and we offer a prompt-pay discount for families who pay at the time of service.

    I don't think my insurance covers speech therapy. Can I still get services?
    Yes. You can pay out of pocket using our prompt-pay discount.

  • Most services are in-person. However, virtual sessions are available if they’re a better fit for your family.

    How long are therapy sessions?
    Early Intervention sessions last about 60 minutes. Private sessions are usually 30 or 45 minutes, based on your child’s needs.

    Are parents and caregivers allowed to stay in the room?
    Yes! We believe that confident, involved parents are essential to maximizing progress.

  • Simply complete our contact form and someone from our office will reach out to you. We’ll help you understand insurance, provide cost estimates, and match you with a therapist who fits your child’s needs.

  • Let’s find out together. An evaluation can give you peace of mind or help us catch delays early so your child can get the support they need.

    How frequently will my child need therapy?
    It depends on their evaluation. Most children attend once a week, but it may range from multiple times a week to once or twice a month.

  • Yes. School and private eligibility standards are different. We’ll assess your child independently and create a personalized plan based on how their skills compare to age-level expectations and the latest research. We focus on how their skills are impacting their daily life, which encompasses much more than their participation at school.

  • Early Intervention evaluations are always free. Other services are subject to a family participation fee that is determined by the State of Illinois Early Intervention program. The family fee is set by the state and is based on family income and family size. Your service coordinator can tell you exactly what your fee is, if one applies. You will never be billed by our office for Early Intervention services.