Huntsville Therapists

Jenni Boerner is a certified and licensed Speech-Language Pathologist. She has 11 years of experience providing diagnosis and treatment of communication disorders in the preschool through the middle school-age population. Her areas of specialty include articulation and phonological disorders, fluency, and language delays. She has training in adult foreign accent modification.

Jenni received her undergraduate and Master’s degrees in Communication Science Disorders from the University of Montevallo. Jenni enjoys providing therapy for children of all ages and motivating them to be excellent communicators.

She is committed to engaging the family and other caregivers of her clients to maximize therapy results. She enjoys reading, exercising, and old movies. She and her husband, Bob, have 3 boys. Email Jenni

Melanie Bray is a certified and licensed speech-language pathologist. She joined the Child’sPlay team in June 2020 and left in July 2021 to have her baby. Melanie recently returned in January 2022.

She received her Bachelor’s degree from Auburn University in 2017 and her Master’s degree from the University of Alabama in 2020. Melanie has completed fieldwork in a variety of settings, including a skilled nursing facility, a school, a preschool, and a university clinic. Melanie has always had a specific passion for working with kids and was able to focus this passion by working to provide Early Intervention services to the community with Child’sPlay. Through this position, she was able to be a support system for families while providing direct intervention to kids. Melanie enjoys working with kids of all ages to enhance communication and limit stress on families by providing practical home strategies. She has experience working with speech sound disorders, language disorders, pragmatic disorders, and fluency disorders.

Taylor is a speech-language pathologist who started at Child’sPlay in June of 2018 and serves as the Clinical Supervisor of Speech-Language Pathology. She graduated from Auburn University in 2015 with a Bachelor of Science in Communication Disorders (War Eagle!) and earned her Master of Science from the University of Montevallo in 2017.

She has clinical experience working with children in various settings including school systems, early intervention, and private practice. She is eager to build relationships with her clients and their families, facilitate communicative success, and encourage each child to reach his or her full potential. Taylor’s special interests include developing early language skills, teaching reading skills through Orton-Gillingham reading intervention, and facilitating functional communication in children with a variety of diagnoses.

In her free time, Taylor enjoys attending music and theatre events, serving at her church, and spending time with her husband, her daughter, and their dog.  Email Taylor

Ashley is a licensed physical therapist who joined our team at Child’s Play after two years of pediatric practice in the Huntsville area. She graduated with a doctorate degree in physical therapy from Samford University, and an undergraduate degree in Kinesiology from UAB in 2016.

Ashley is passionate about educating the greater Huntsville area about physical therapy, and the role PT can play in improving their child’s overall development. 

Ashley enjoys spending time with her family and hanging out with her dachshund, Oakley.  In her spare time, she loves to travel and watch the Atlanta Braves play baseball.

Hollye Dickey is a certified and licensed speech-language pathologist. She graduated from Alabama A&M University with a Master of Science in Communicative Sciences and Disorders in 2010.

Prior to working at Child’s Play, she worked with the adult and geriatric populations in skilled nursing settings and with children in elementary, middle, and high school settings. She has experience working with speech sound disorders, language delays, social skills, fluency, dysphagia, and dementia.

She loves traveling, playing games, being outdoors, and spending time with friends and her husband and three daughters. Hollye enjoys working with people of all ages and hopes to have a positive impact on their lives and their ability to communicate effectively. Email Hollye

Heather Dragash is a certified and licensed speech-language pathologist. She graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Master of Arts in Communicative Disorders in 2000.

Prior to working at Child’sPlay, she worked with children with a variety of diagnoses and disorders in the outpatient, home, and school settings as well as in early intervention. She has training and experience with LAMP® (Language Acquisition through Motor Planning).

Heather enjoys working with the pediatric population and is honored to play a part in helping children progress and achieve their communication goals.

Lauren is a licensed and registered occupational therapist who joined the Child’sPlay team in 2017. She graduated from Auburn University with a bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies in 2006 and received her Master of Occupational Therapy from UAB in 2010.

Lauren has worked in a variety of settings including Early Intervention, school system, acute care, pediatric and adult outpatient, and skilled nursing. She has had specialized training and experience in Handwriting Without Tears®, Mealtime Miseries®, Beckman Oral Motor®, Interoception, and CBIT® (Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics).

Lauren loves the pediatric population and is excited to be a part of helping these children and their families reach their goals. She provides individualized therapy to address the specific areas of concern that are impacting her client’s participation in their activities of daily living.  Lauren’s interests include all things Auburn, Disney, sewing/embroidering, and spending time with her family/friends.

Chandon is a registered and licensed Occupational Therapist from Florence, Alabama, who joined Child’sPlay in 2021. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of North Alabama in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science and obtained her master’s degree in Occupational Therapy from the University of South Alabama in 2020.

Chandon has been working with children for over 10 years through various avenues of volunteering, babysitting, coaching, and hosting birthday parties. She became interested in OT as an undergraduate as it married her passions for health and wellness with her love for teaching and pediatrics. She is most excited about making a positive impact on the families Child’sPlay serves and helping them reach their goals.

In the future, she hopes to receive additional training in feeding as well as sensory integration techniques to greater expand a child’s function in their home and school environments.

Elisa is an Occupational Therapist from Birmingham, Alabama. Elisa graduated with a Bachelor’s in Rehabilitation and Disability Studies at Auburn University followed by graduating with a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Elisa joined the Child’sPlay Huntsville therapists team in January of 2021. She completed a clinical fieldwork placement at Child’sPlay as a graduate student from September to November of 2021.

Elisa’s clinical experience includes providing care to children and adults in various settings. Her experience includes working in an inpatient rehabilitation hospital, acute care hospital, and private practice. Elisa has also volunteered with various organizations within the pediatric population including the Muscular Dystrophy Association, Youth Leadership Forum, Camp CARE, and Auburn’s Kinesiology pediatric movement lab. Elisa was a member of UAB’s Project Transteam where she was able to take coursework specifically focused on transdisciplinary collaboration and consultation in early childhood interventions.

Stephanie is a pediatric speech-language pathologist who holds her Certificate of Clinical Competence with the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) and is licensed by the Alabama Board of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology. 

She is a graduate of Tennessee State University, where she received her Bachelor of Science in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology in 2009.  She went on to receive her Master’s Degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the College of Health Sciences at Nova Southeastern University.

Stephanie has extensive experience in the public school setting performing speech and language analysis and treatment for children across the developmental spectrum, including developmental delay, autism spectrum disorders, learning disabilities, cognitive-communication disorders, articulation, and expressive & receptive language disorders. 

Kathryn Williams is a certified and licensed speech-language pathologist. She relocated back to her hometown of Huntsville, Alabama from Naples, Florida, and joined Child’sPlay in April 2021.

She studied at Auburn University, earning her Bachelor’s Degree in 2016 and Master’s Degree in 2018. Kathryn has worked in various settings, providing skilled therapy for children to adults. Her experience includes an inpatient rehabilitation hospital, a children’s hospital, a school setting, and private practice. She is trained in LindaMoodBell’s Visualizing and Verbalizing® program and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS).

Kathryn provides individualized therapy to each child to promote growth and builds rapport with families and caregivers to encourage the generalization of skills into the home environment. Kathryn enjoys baking, running, and spending time outdoors with her husband and pets. Email Kathryn