Name: Adrienne McKinney 

Position: Special Instruction Teacher

Degrees/Universities: I have an Associates in Applied Science degree (Early Childhood Education) from Butler County Community College and a Bachelors of Science degree (Special Education) from Slippery Rock University.

Specialization/Areas of Interest: When learning something new I try to take in as much knowledge about that subject as possible. Currently I have an interest in learning about specific diagnoses given to children and why.

Reason I chose to work in Early Intervention:  Growing up I always wanted to be a teacher for young children with special needs. During high school and college I completed my hours of observation at the Intermediate Unit #4 (three to five program). During my last semester in college I learned about this birth to three program, which lead to me complete my internship at this agency. Which in turn has given me the greatest experiences of my life thus far. Working for this program has provided me the opportunity to meet and reach out to so many families in Butler County and in most cases have made me feel part of their family. I can honestly say that I have my dream job…everyday I am approached with many challenges and goals to meet for each child and family on my caseload. Through knowledge, preparation, family involvement and many more factors I get through each day knowing that I did provide the best services for each and every child.

Speech Therapy

Name:  Kendra Bortmas

Position:  Speech Pathologist

Degrees/Universities:  I attended Indiana Univeristy of Pennsylania and have a Master of Science in Speech Language Pathology.

Specialization/Areas of Interest:  I am very interested in children that have feeding difficulties and helping them to enjoy mealtime with their families.  I also encourage the use of signs with verbal as well as nonverbal children to increase attention, vocabulary and spontaneous communication.

Reason you chose to work in Early Intervention:  I love working with young children!  I feel that it is so important to build a solid foundation for language starting from birth.  I enjoy showing families ways to do this throughout their everyday lives and to help them make the most out of every teachable moment in their routines.

Name:  Karen W. Owen
Position:  Speech Pathologist
Degrees/Universities:  I have a M.A.Ed Communication Disorders, Western Carolina University.  B.S.Ed Speech and Hearing, Western Carolina University.  Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology (CCC/SLP) by ASHA (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association).  Pennsylvania State Licensure for SLP and North Carolina State Licensure for SLP.
Specializaton/Areas of Interest:  I have had the opportunity of working with people of different ages in a variety of settings, and the area of Early Intervention is my favorite.  I have experience in working with children with developmental delays, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Down Syndrome, Apraxia, and feeding problems.
Reason you chose to work in Early Intervention:  I love working with the birth to three age population and their families.  It is rewarding and exciting to watch children grow in their communication skills.  As a mother of four children, and one of whom needed speech services, I understand the value and importance of Early Intervention.  Children are wonderful, and I have a great job in that I am able to laugh, learn, and play with them as they develop their skills.

Name: Jolene Fielder

Position: Speech Pathologist

Degrees/Universities:  I earned a Bachelor and Master of Science, in Communication Sciences and Disorders, from Clarion University of Pennsylvania.

Specialization/Areas of Interest: I am licensed in Pennsylvania and hold the Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech and Hearing Association.  As a Speech-Language Pathologist in Early Intervention, every day is unique.  I work with a variety of infant and toddler diagnoses such as Speech and Language Delay, Feeding Concerns, Cerebral Palsy, Downs Syndrome, and Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Reason You Chose to Work in Early Intervention:  While in college, there was little exposure to the area of Early Intervention.  I always knew I had wanted to work with children, but did not yet know where.  Before I graduated, a friend of mine had started working as an Early Intervention Speech-Language Pathologist.  She raved about the families, the ongoing support, and the excitement from each child’s accomplishments.  In short, I did the research, applied for a job in Allegheny County, and started my journey.  After several months, an opening in Butler County became available and I accepted it because it was close to home. I have been with Community Care Connections for over two years now.  I enjoy working as a multidisciplinary team therapist, which in turn empowers parents to help their children.  I love meeting new families, hearing their stories, and giving each child the building blocks for communication.  Every child has communication potential, but some just need that extra little push.  That’s why I’m here!

Name:  Stacy Zill
Position:  Speech Pathologist
Degrees/Universities:  I have received a Master's of Speech-Language Pathology from Duquense University and a Bachelor's of Science in Education from Slippery Rock University.
Specialization/Areas of Interest:  My areas of interest are feeding and swallowing.  I enjoy the challenge of helping a child eat and drink safely and encouraging them to try new foods and using various feeding and drinking utensils.  I have experience working with a diverse caseload-CP, Autism, Downs Syndrome, Cleft Palate, DeGeorge Syndrome, other rare syndromes, children who are on feeding tubes and trachs and those children who are speech delayed due to no known diagnosis or syndrome.

Reason I chose to work in Early Intervention:  Children are my passion.  Ever since I could remember I've enjoyed being with young children and had spent many years of my life prior to becoming a therapist babysitting, working in daycares, tutoring and teaching special needs children at Easter Seals schools.  Therefore, it was only fitting that I work as a Speech Pathologist with Early Intervention in the birth to three program.  Hearing a child say his first word or learn to communicate with his/her family effectively is very rewarding.

Occupational Therapy

Name:  Judi Wentzel

Position:  Occupational Therapist

Degrees/Universities:  I graduated from College Misercordia with a Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Therapy.

Specialization/Areas of Interest:  I have many years experience in the pediatric field. I have worked in the school system, out patient therapy and am now working in Early Intervention.

Reason I chose to work in Early Intervention:  I prefer the Early Intervention program because it allows me to observe the child in his or her everyday routine as well as providing me with the opportunity to communicate with the families. It is rewarding to be able to see the child’s progress and be happy with their new abilities.  

Name:  Linda Ankney
Position:  Occupational Therapist
Degrees/Universities:  Bachelor of Science in Rehabilitation Science and Master of Occupational Therapy, both degrees are from the University of Pittsburgh
Specialization/Areas of Interest:  I am interested in the cognitive, social, emotional and physical aspects of child development.  I truly enjoy helping all children maximize their quality of life and independence.  I especially like working with children who have autism and neurological-based disorders.  From a treatment perspective, I am interested in play-based sensory integration and neuromuscular education.
Reason I chose to work in Early Intervention:  Early intervention helps children to build a strong foundation, which is key to acquiring important self-care, play, and academic skills.  In early intervention, families are encouraged - not only to participate in therapy sessions – but to carryover many of the techniques used.  This gives children more opportunity for practice!  Finally, early intervention therapy takes place in the child’s home.  This enables the therapists to partner with families to set-up optimal environments based on the unique needs for each child.  Because I strongly believe that early intervention can help optimize each child’s independence and quality of life, I chose to work in early intervention.