.

Laurie Johnson  |  MA, CCC-SLP is the founder and speech-language pathologist at CSLL, Inc. Laurie received a Masters degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Texas at Austin in 1999. She practiced in public education for six years, working with 3-21 year old students, before entering the private sector. Laurie has particular interest in autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, stuttering, and learning disabilities. She has received advanced training in the SCERTS model of assessment for autism, ILAUGH model for social cognitive deficits (Michelle Garcia Winner), as well as attending extensive workshops in additional autism and fluency research. Her operational philosophy is assessment drives intervention and therefore believes in thorough investigation prior to designing an individual intervention plan. She also believes that intervention must be functional and transformational in a child’s life. Laurie has been married to Steve for 31 years, living in Michigan, Oregon, Texas and Minnesota. They have 2 adult children, Andrew and Kathryn. Andrew lives in Austin, Texas and is a great outdoorsman. Kathryn just graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and is a photographer. Gabby, the cuddly Rottweiler, lives at home. Therese Behnke  |  MS, OTR/L Therese has an undergrad degree from the College of St. Catherine’s in occupational therapy as well as a Montessori Teaching Certificate. She has a Masters in Developmental Disabilities from St. Mary’s University in Minneapolis. Therese has training in treatment modalities that include: Inreal, TEACCH, Myofacia Release and ergonomics. She has worked for the Hastings Public Schools as an occupational therapist since 1981. Therese has four children. Jacob is a sophomore at Viterbo University, Ryan will be a senior in high school, Liz, a junior, and Andrew, a freshman, at Hastings Senior High School. Therese combines her personal and professional experiences to offer comprehensive services to families. Two of her children have autism and her younger sister has severe disabilities. She is able to assist families with advocating for their children with disabilities as well as coaching parents on moving through the developmental stages with their child. Therese is also a volunteer coach with the Hastings Sharks Special Olympics Team. She is the head coach for swimming and assistant coach for gymnastics. Therese enjoys being a Girl Scout leader for her daughter’s troop as well as merit badge counselor for the Boy Scout troops in Hastings. Let her know if you are interested in any of these activities for your children. She can assist you with contacting these organizations in your area. Sarah Opitz  |  COTA Sarah is an occupational therapy assistant. She has over seven years experience working with children with disabilities as a personal care assistant. She recently earned an occupational therapy assistant degree from Anoka Technical College in May 2007. In her free time, Sarah enjoys the outdoors, a good movie, and crocheting. She is excited to begin her career at the Center for Speech, Language, and Learning, Inc