Bios

Adria Leno, MS, CCC-SLP is an energetic and enthusiastic clinician who derives great joy from endless learning and using the knowledge she gathers for the benefit of others. Recognized for her dynamic and engaging style, Adria incorporates levity and fun into her work because she knows that laughter significantly enhances learning. This approach not only fosters a positive therapeutic environment but also accelerates progress.

Adria, who received a Master’s degree in Speech Language Pathology from the University of Wisconsin at Madison in 2005, is licensed in the states of Illinois, Wisconsin, Georgia, and Kentucky. She has clinical experience working with individuals from birth through geriatrics in a wide variety of settings, which has given her a true lifespan perspective. While she started her career as a zealous generalist, she found her true passion working with students who are struggling with academic language and literacy skills. A voracious reader, Adria brings this ardor for literacy into her practice. One of the greatest rewards of her career is helping students with significant deficits in academic language and literacy transform into competent readers and writers. By maximizing their capacities, Adria empowers students to achieve their fullest potential.

Proudly identifying as a true “word nerd”, Adria’s fascination with language structures and meaning drives her to delve into and understand the intricacies of language. To date, Adria has earned seven ASHA ACE awards in recognition of her commitment to professional development far beyond the required standards. As a result of her in-depth exploration into the current research and best practices, she excels in analyzing the language and literacy skills of school-age clients, synthesizing this information, and targeting the specific areas they need to improve using evidence-based practices for individualized and effective intervention.

Adria is a SPELL-Links Certified Provider with over 65 hours of specialized training in SPELL-Links to Reading & Writing™ under the personal mentorship of Dr. Jan Wasowicz, the program’s lead author. In addition to working directly with students and their families, Adria is an experienced educator and mentor to other speech-language pathologist and professionals in related fields. In her role as a SPELL-Links Certified Trainer, she develops and presents educational seminars, mentors fellow professionals, and shares her extensive knowledge of language and literacy development.  

In her free time, Adria relishes spending time with her husband and their cats. Her hobbies include reading and travel. She is an avid home cook who loves entertaining. Adria has also been on a gluten-free, dairy-free, and egg-free diet for many years and happily shares information and recipes with those who are making the difficult transition to restricted diets.

Claudia Stohr, MS, CCC-SLP, is an enthusiastic and devoted therapist. She has a well- rounded background having studied psychology and youth development at Clemson University, obtained certification as an ABA line therapist, and served in leadership roles in professional organizations. Claudia earned her master’s degree in Speech, Language, and Learning at Northwestern University. Her clinical practice – obtained in multiple settings including Northwestern University Center for Audiology, Speech, Language, and Learning, a public school, and outpatient rehabilitation – involved working with clients across the lifespan, from early intervention to geriatrics. Claudia has clinical experience providing treatment and assessment for articulation, language, pragmatics, fluency, cognitive communication, and swallowing. Working with such a broad range of individuals on a wide range of skills served to confirm Claudia’s passion for helping school-aged children.

Claudia has a robust appreciation for communication. For as long as she can remember, she has always been outgoing. Her childhood best friend used to introduce her to others as, “This is my friend Claudia – she likes to talk”. Claudia takes pride in dedicating her life to enhancing others’ overall communication. She is zealous about individualizing treatment so that each of her clients’ unique needs are met.

In her free time, Claudia enjoys cross-training, reading, snowboarding, and spending time with her friends and family.

Erica is a clinician devoted to making learning effective and fun. She earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in communication sciences and disorders at the University of Central Florida. During her training, Erica gained valuable experience supporting individuals with traumatic brain injury at the UCF Aphasia House and implementing augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) for children with physical disabilities at the UCF Communication Disorders Clinic. She also worked extensively with children on the autism spectrum, helping them build communication skills that support greater independence in daily life and learning.

As a practicing clinician, Erica has provided intervention in early language development, articulation, phonological awareness, AAC, functional communication, and executive functioning—skills that are foundational for academic success. After working in the special education sector of the Lake County public schools, Erica recognized the critical role of comprehensive literacy instruction. She serendipitously discovered Communicate & Connect Therapy, LLC, where she continues to deepen her expertise in evidence-based literacy practices to help school-aged students build confidence, overcome challenges, and thrive academically.

In her free time, Erica enjoys playing video games (like Minecraft!), reading mystery and psychological thriller novels, and trying new arts and crafts.

Emily earned her Master’s degree in Communication Disorders from Governors State University and is licensed in the state of Illinois. During graduate school, Emily had the opportunity to work in the school and hospital settings with clients of all ages with a variety of speech and language disorders. She has experience providing assessment and intervention for articulation, language, fluency, pragmatics, and swallowing.

Emily is an enthusiastic and dedicated therapist who enjoys working with children. She believes in tailoring treatment specifically to the needs of each child, and thrives on seeing progress in her clients. Outside of work, Emily enjoys spending time with her husband, daughter, and son, exploring Chicago, reading, and gardening.

Rena Spiegel is a certified speech-language pathologist, licensed in Illinois. She earned a Master of Arts degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Northwestern University in 2000. During her graduate school studies at Northwestern, she facilitated development of a research study, culminating in the published article “Semantic Representation and Naming in Young Children” (Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 2002), with Rena listed as one of the authors. Additionally, she has earned two ASHA ACE awards for earning more than double the required number of continuing education hours from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

Rena has been an associate at Communicate & Connect Therapy since 2017. In addition to conducting speech-language and literacy assessments and providing therapy to her students at C&C Therapy, she is currently the Chairperson of the Department of Speech and Communication Disorders at Blitstein Institute of Hebrew Theological College. Rena also teaches courses in typical language development and language disorders and advises undergraduate students entering the field of speech-language pathology.

Rena’s career in speech-language pathology, which spans more than two decades, has included a strong focus on literacy, including working with clients with dyslexia and other learning disabilities. In the spring of 2021, she became a Certified SPELL-Links to Reading & Writing Provider, under the mentorship of Adria Leno MS, CCC-SLP, who is a SPELL-Links Certified Trainer. Additionally, Rena enjoys working with clients with language and articulation disorders and takes pleasure in being a part of their success.

During the rare hours that she isn’t hard at work, Rena can be found schlepping her beautiful children to their various activities or relaxing for a few minutes with a good book in hand.

Grace earned her bachelor and master’s degrees in Speech-Language Pathology from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. During her time at Marquette, Grace was recognized as a member of the Alpha Sigma Nu Honor Society for her distinguished achievements in scholarship, loyalty, and service.

Following her graduation, Grace has worked with preschool and elementary aged students, building a strong foundation in her knowledge of early language and literacy development. In her pediatric practice, Grace has cultivated expertise in articulation, phonology, language, pragmatics, and fluency.

From a young age, Grace has had a love for reading, writing, and the spoken word. She finds deep fulfillment in her role as a speech-language pathologist, where she has the privilege of nurturing that same love of language in her students.

Outside of work, Grace can be found taking long walks around North Center with her husband, practicing yoga with her younger sister, and embracing weekly meal prep for a balanced lifestyle.

Julie Irons, is a lifelong learner and educator who has found her home in pediatric speech-language pathology. Julie thrives on analyzing the unique puzzle represented by each new client and she tailors her therapy to their needs and interests. She has a special interest in literacy-based intervention and bilingual development and disorders. Julie values the personal relationships she builds with students and their families, and she still maintains contact with students she saw more than ten years ago.

Julie received a B.A. in Humanities from Stanford University before moving to Mexico to teach English in language immersion middle and high schools. In Mexico, she experienced her own language immersion, and she believes that her own hard-won acquisition of near-native Spanish gives her a unique perspective on the language learning challenges of her students. While there, Julie pursued an M.A. in Applied Linguistics from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México in Mexico City—training that eventually opened the door to speech-language pathology.

In 2008, Julie moved back to her home state of Illinois, where she taught middle and high school Spanish in Chicago. Several years later, after fourteen years in the classroom, Julie craved broader professional growth, so she made a career change to speech-language pathology. She received a Master’s in Speech-Language Pathology from Indiana University-Bloomington, where she participated in the STEPS Spanish-English bilingual training program. Julie has experience working with children with developmental and genetic disorders and impairments in language, fluency, articulation and phonology, and pragmatics.

Madelynn ‘Madi’ Szur completed her undergraduate studies in Special Education at Michigan State University and earned her master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology at Rush University where she received a merit-based scholarship. She is licensed in the state of Illinois. Madi has had the opportunity to work with clients of all ages in a variety of settings, including schools, hospitals, and clinics in individual and in group sessions. She has experience providing assessment and intervention for speech sound disorders, oral and written language skills, fluency, pragmatics, and swallowing. She has participated in numerous trainings on a number of topics including literacy, voice, swallowing, diversity and inclusion, and mental health first aid.

Madi is a passion-driven and committed therapist. She enjoys working with children and brings enthusiasm to each treatment session. It is her mission to work with children and their families in order to provide individualized treatment to each of her clients. In her free time, Madi enjoys being outside, reading, doing yoga, and spending time with her friends and family. 

Janet has over 13 years of experience in the administrative field and holds a certificate in office management. She has been a part of our team since the summer of 2023. Being both detail oriented and empathetic, Janet is always pleased to support Communicate & Connect Therapy’s clients and associates and help provide them with the tools and information they need.

Janet has a loving husband and two fur babies, one of which requires special attention due to being diabetic and completely blind. She enjoys being surrounded by nature, exploring new places, and spending time with her family. Besides working at our clinic part-time, she also volunteers in her community where she enjoys teaching people how to lead better lives based on Bible principles. During her free time, she puts her crafty hat on and creates different projects, whether it’s for gifting or just for fun.