When Karen was first beginning her career in Chicago, a family friend asked her to provide in-home speech therapy sessions for their child who experienced speech and language delays. Within just a few sessions, the child was making great strides, and everyone — from the child’s teacher to family members — was amazed by the progress. Good news travels fast, so soon, other parents were knocking on Karen’s door for private in-home speech therapy. She recognized the value of providing therapy in the child’s natural environment and began thinking about opening her own practice to keep up with the growing number of referrals.

With just a flip phone, card table, and a bag of toys, the doors of Chicago Speech Therapy opened its doors. In just a 300-square-foot office, the offices looked slightly different than the state-of-the-art facilities today. The word-of-mouth referrals from parents continued to grow, and soon, the city’s top pediatricians were also referring families to Chicago Speech Therapy due to Karen’s exceptional level of care.

To keep up with the growing number of referrals, Karen decided to bring on other top-tier pediatric therapists. Within two years, the practice grew to 10 employees, and today, there are more than 40 team members at the practice. Chicago Speech Therapy continues to be known as one of the most highly esteemed practices in the city. The team has also expanded to provide services in the homes of clients, in the clinic, and in the practice’s therapeutic preschool-style program, CST Academy.