Together Everyone Achieves More

Christina Scalise-Morrissey, MS., CCC - SLP
​Founder & CEO
​Licensed & Certified Speech/Language Pathologist
and Feeding Therapist

Empowering children to be the very best they can be is what drives Christina.  Christina opened her private practice in 1997 after serving as the Creator and Department Head of Pediatric Therapy Services at Elmhurst Memorial Hospital. For nearly 30 years, she has earned the trust of families, physicians, colleagues and educators in Hinsdale and the surrounding communities and has loved every minute of it!  She has very selectively hand-picked her team of pediatric therapists realizing that her team is a reflection of the quality of services she would expect for her own children.  Read more.

Linda Bernal​, MA
Child and Family Advocate &
Intake Coordinator

Linda, our Family Advocate, warmly welcomes each family with her compassionate demeanor and contagious smile. She coordinates the schedule, assists with billing and insurance and introduces all to the family-centered environment that we strive to provide here at Hummingbird. Linda has worked in the medical office field for twenty-one years and has a wealth of knowledge about insurance, billing and office management. Linda goes out of her way to connect with each child and family who receive therapy here at Hummingbird and helps walk them through the therapy process. Read more.​

Miss Michelle, MS., CCC - SLP
​Clinic Manager
Licensed/Certified Speech Language Pathologist & Feeding Therapist

Michelle is a speech therapist and clinic manager at Hummingbird. She has a passion for helping her patients find a functional means of communication, and enjoys celebrating the small gains. She also has a love of evaluating and treating feeding patients. As a clinic manager Michelle thrives on building relationships with families and staff. She comes to Hummingbird with eight years of experience as a speech therapist and clinic manager in an outpatient pediatric clinic in Cincinnati. Read More.

Amy Tinerella
​Director
Hummingbird Children's Academy

It is hard not to smile when Amy is around.  Her infectious energy is evident in her role as Director Of Hummingbird Academy.  From lesson planning to supporting the teacher-therapists, her love for not only the children but for the families is obvious.  Having a child that graduated from pediatric therapies when he was a youngster, gives her empathy and perspective and understanding of how challenging it can be to raise a child that learns differently. Read More​.

Diana Reynoso
​Insurance Advocate
​

Diana works hard behind the scenes as Hummingbird’s Insurance Advocate. She strives to lighten the load, inform, support, and educate families on their insurance benefits. She loves the relationships she gains helping families and enjoys watching the children thrive in our environment. Read more.

Speech / Language Pathology

Miss Annette, MS., CCC - SLP
​Licensed and Certified Speech/Language Pathologist

Annette is a warm, fun-loving and dedicated therapist. Her compassion and concern for her children and families is evident in each of her sessions. Annette provides a challenging but enjoyable environment to ensure success for each one of her kiddos. Read More.

 Miss Marissa, MS, CCC - SLP
Licensed and Certified Speech/Language Pathologist
and Feeding Therapist

Marissa, speech/language therapist and feeding therapist, exudes kindness and instills confidence in her children.  Her child-directed, play-based sessions keep children engaged no matter how difficult their goals may be.  She is deeply invested in all of her children and enjoys celebrating all the milestone moments with them. Read More. 

Miss Jill, M.A. CCC - SLP
Licensed and Certified Speech and Language Pathologist

Miss Jill is a speech therapist who provides one on one therapy and also serves as the lead teacher in our afternoon therapeutic academy. She believes that children learn best when they are actively engaged and having fun!  Read More.

Miss Brooke, MA., CCC - SLP
​Licensed and Certified Speech/Language Pathologist & AAC Evaluator

Brooke is passionate about helping children find a functional means of communication. As a speech-language pathologist she strives to follow the child’s lead and meet her patients on their level. Brooke enjoys being a part of a multidisciplinary team at Hummingbird and supporting the whole child. Read More.

Miss Cait, MA., CCC - SLP
​Licensed and Certified Speech/Language Pathologist

Cait, a speech therapist, is an integral part of our developmental 2’s academy and addresses phonemic awareness/reading readiness within the academy. She strives on making a positive impact in her patient’s lives. She enjoys building relationships with her patients and helping them express themselves while navigating their day-to-day interactions. Read more.

Miss Caitlin, MS., CF-SLP
​Licensed Speech/Language
​Pathologist

Caitlin is passionate about her patient’s progress and reaching their goals. She enjoys celebrating the gains her patients make! As a speech therapist she enjoys getting on the child’s level and helping them learn through play. Read more.

Miss Katie, MS., CF-SLP
​Licensed Speech/Language Pathologist  & Feeding Therapist

Katie is a speech language pathologist and feeding therapist who has a passion for helping her patients find effective ways to communicate with their loved ones. Her approach to therapy is client-driven. She thrives on building meaningful connections with her families and clients. Katie enjoys feeding treatment and has extensive knowledge in pre-term infant feeding strategies. Read more.

Miss Tara, MS., CCC - SLP
​Licensed and Certified Speech/Language Pathologist & Feeding Therapist

Tara is a speech/language therapist and feeding therapist who is compassionate about helping children take small steps towards achieving their goals. She loves helping her patients engage with their peers, increase their vocabulary and comprehension, use gestures and eye contact to express themselves, and eat new foods independently. Her dedication towards collaborating with other professionals assists in her patients functional carryover of skills. Read more.

Miss Kaitlyn, MS., CCC - SLP
​Licensed and Certified Speech/Language Pathologist

Kaitlyn, a pediatric speech language pathologist and feeding therapist, enjoys collaborating with other disciplines to provide carryover and generalization of her patient’s skills. She is flexible in her treatment approach and adjusts her therapy plans as needed always keeping parents informed and obtaining their feedback in their child’s therapy goals and progress. Read More.

Miss Michelle, MS., CCC - SLP
​Licensed and Certified Speech/Language Pathologist & Feeding Therapist

Michelle is a speech therapist and clinic manager at Hummingbird. She has a passion for helping her patients find a functional means of communication, and enjoys celebrating the small gains. She also has a love of evaluating and treating feeding patients. As a clinic manager Michelle thrives on building relationships with families and staff. She comes to Hummingbird with eight years of experience as a speech therapist and clinic manager in an outpatient pediatric clinic in Cincinnati. Read More.

Occupational Therapy

Miss Adriana, MOT, OTR/L
​Licensed Occupational
​Therapist

Adriana focuses on providing a fun and captivating environment where children are actively engaged in therapy.  Her warm and kind-hearted spirit attracts even the most apprehensive child. Adriana’s child-directed approach to therapy is popular both with parents and children alike. Read more.

Miss Jamie, MOT, OTR/L
​Licensed Occupational Therapist and Feeding Therapist

Jamie greets each of her kids with a warm and welcoming smile! She inspires family participation through her energetic and inviting charm. She enjoys working with children and their families to help each child reach their full potential. From fine motor activities like painting and cutting to gross motor activities like playing in our professionally designed sensory gym, Jamie tailors her therapy to each child’s needs. Read more.

Miss Jamie, MSOT, OTR/L
Licensed Occupational Therapist

Jamie has a passion for helping children develop their independence and skill development. She utilizes a play-based approach to motivate each child to meet his/her goals without even realizing they are working. Read more.

Miss Jen, MOT, OTR/L
​Licensed Occupational Therapist

​Jenifer is a pediatric occupational therapist who really enjoys helping kids!  She is committed to working closely with families and teachers to facilitate each child’s independence in school and in the home.  Read more.

Miss Anna, COTA/L
​Licensed & Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant

Anna, a certified occupational therapy assistant, is a team player who has a passion for using her creativity to formulate goals to treat the whole child. She enjoys working alongside occupational therapists to help make a difference in each child, and loves to make therapy fun! Her three years of experience as a preschool teacher makes her a great addition to Hummingbird’s Developmental Academies, but she also does individual treatment sessions. Read more.

Miss Emily, MOT, OTR/L
​Licensed Occupational
​Therapist

Emily considers the whole child in her treatment approach and works to increase her patient’s independence in novel activities. As an occupational therapist she strives to aid her patient’s in finding the best version of themselves while reaching their full potential. She also enjoys engaging parents in their child’s journey. 
​ Read more.

Miss Susy
​MOT., OTR/L

Susy is an occupational therapist who comes to Hummingbird with experience in an outpatient pediatric clinic. She has evaluated and treated patients with sensory disorders, developmental disorders, and various disorders including Autism and ADHD. Susy enjoys aquatic therapy, and has multiple years of experience as both a lifeguard and swim instructor. Read more

Miss Holly, COTA/L
​Licensed & Certified Occupational
​Therapy Assistant

Holly is a certified occupational therapy assistant who joined Hummingbird with previous experience in substitute teaching. Holly is part of our therapeutic preschool, Hummingbird Academy. While in the academy she enjoys watching children gain new skills while building independence and confidence. Read more.

Miss Kaitlyn, MOT, OTR/L
​Licensed Occupational Therapist

Kaitlyn is an occupational therapist who thrives on her patients’ success. She loves watching her patients laugh and smile as they realize they can achieve their goals. Kaitlyn believes children learn best through a multi-sensory approach and play-based therapy. Kaitlyn came to Hummingbird with experience working at a therapeutic preschool and as a Child Life specialist at a local pediatric hospital.  Read more.

Miss Kim, MOT, OTR/L
​Licensed Occupational Therapist

Kim is an occupational therapist who strives to meet children where they are and engage on their level. Her passion lies in research and her ability to treat patients using a holistic approach tailored to their individual needs. Kim believes in a team approach to treatment and enjoys collaborating with her colleagues. She is experienced in working with children with severe to profound Autism. Read more.

Miss Lauran, OTD, OTR/L
​Licensed Occupational Therapist

Lauran joined Hummingbird with experience in a pediatric outpatient clinic with an emphasis in Early Intervention. Lauren is an occupational therapist who loves pediatrics and sees the potential in each of her patients. She believes each child has unique qualities and she builds upon their qualities to assist in areas they may struggle in. Read more.​

Miss Michelle, MOT, OTR/L
​Licensed Occupational Therapist

Michelle has been working in outpatient pediatrics as an occupational therapist since 2015. She enjoys tailoring her treatment to her patient’s personalities. Michelle is always interested in learning and growing in her career and has taken a variety of continuing education courses/trainings. Read more.

Physical Therapy

Miss Laura, MPT
Licensed Physical Therapist

Bio Coming Soon.

Miss Emily, PT, DPT
​Licensed Physical Therapist

Emily considers the whole child in her treatment approach and works to increase her patient’s independence in novel activities. As an occupational therapist she strives to aid her patient’s in finding the best version of themselves while reaching their full potential. She also enjoys engaging parents in their child’s journey. Read more.

Miss Jill, PT, DPT
​Licensed Physical Therapist

Jill is a physical therapist and team player who values the importance of collaborating with her patient’s team to aid in their success. Her passion lies in working with children for her ability to be creative and spontaneous. She flourishes on watching the difference she is able to make in her families and patients lives! Read more.

Miss Jenny, PT, DPT
​Licensed Physical Therapist

Jenny has a passion for working with families to provide them with the tools and knowledge they need to help their child succeed. She is a physical therapist who provides both hippo therapy and clinic-based services. Jenny has 14 years of experience in a variety of settings including early intervention, pediatric outpatient at Lurie Children’s Hospital, and adult orthopedics. Read more.

Feeding Therapists

Christina Scalise-Morrissey, MS., CCC - SLP
​Founder & CEO
​Licensed & Certified Speech/Language Pathologist
and Feeding Therapist

Empowering children to be the very best they can be is what drives Christina.  Christina opened her private practice in 1997 after serving as the Creator and Department Head of Pediatric Therapy Services at Elmhurst Memorial Hospital. For nearly 20 years, she has earned the trust of families in Hinsdale and the surrounding communities and has loved every minute of it!  She has very selectively hand-picked her team of pediatric therapists realizing that her team is a reflection of the quality of services she would expect for her own children.  Read more.

Miss Michelle, MS., CCC-SLP
​Licensed and Certified Speech/Language Pathologist &
​Feeding Therapist

Michelle is a speech therapist and clinic manager at Hummingbird. She has a passion for helping her patients find a functional means of communication, and enjoys celebrating the small gains. She also has a love of evaluating and treating feeding patients. As a clinic manager Michelle thrives on building relationships with families and staff. She comes to Hummingbird with eight years of experience as a speech therapist and clinic manager in an outpatient pediatric clinic in Cincinnati. Read More.

Miss Katie, MS., CF-SLP
​Licensed Speech/Language Pathologist  & Feeding Therapist

Katie is a speech language pathologist and feeding therapist who has a passion for helping her patients find effective ways to communicate with their loved ones. Her approach to therapy is client-driven. She thrives on building meaningful connections with her families and clients. Katie enjoys feeding treatment and has extensive knowledge in pre-term infant feeding strategies. Read more.

Miss Tara, MS., CCC - SLP
​Licensed and Certified Speech/Language Pathologist & Feeding Therapist

Tara is a speech/language therapist and feeding therapist who is compassionate about helping children take small steps towards achieving their goals. She loves helping her patients engage with their peers, increase their vocabulary and comprehension, use gestures and eye contact to express themselves, and eat new foods independently. Her dedication towards collaborating with other professionals assists in her patients functional carryover of skills. Read more.

Miss Jamie, MOT, OTR/L
​Licensed Occupational Therapist and Feeding Therapist

Jamie greets each of her kids with a warm and welcoming smile! She inspires family participation through her energetic and inviting charm. She enjoys working with children and their families to help each child reach their full potential. From fine motor activities like painting and cutting to gross motor activities like playing in our professionally designed sensory gym, Jamie tailors her therapy to each child’s needs. Read more.

 Miss Marissa, MS, CCC - SLP
Licensed and Certified Speech/Language Pathologist
and Feeding Therapist

Marissa, speech/language therapist and feeding therapist, exudes kindness and instills confidence in her children.  Her child-directed, play-based sessions keep children engaged no matter how difficult their goals may be.  She is deeply invested in all of her children and enjoys celebrating all the milestone moments with them. Read More. ​

Miss Kaitlyn

Kaitlyn, a pediatric speech language pathologist and feeding therapist, enjoys collaborating with other disciplines to provide carryover and generalization of her patient’s skills. She is flexible in her treatment approach and adjusts her therapy plans as needed always keeping parents informed and obtaining their feedback in their child’s therapy goals and progress. Read More.

Miss Susy

Susy is an occupational therapist who comes to Hummingbird with experience in an outpatient pediatric clinic. She has evaluated and treated patients with sensory disorders, developmental disorders, and various disorders including Autism and ADHD. Susy enjoys aquatic therapy, and has multiple years of experience as both a lifeguard and swim instructor. Read more

Developmental Therapy

Miss Evon, M.Ed
​Licensed Developmental Therapist

Evon is a very nurturing and caring therapist who is passionate about helping children. She has many years of experience working with children and their families. She looks at how a child is developing globally (cognitive skills, language and communication, social-emotional, behavioral, and gross and fine motor skills) and develops play activities to provide children with the tools they need to navigate their world. Read more.

Counseling

Miss Megan, LCSW
​Licensed Clinical Social Worker

Megan is a Lead Counselor in Hummingbird Academy and joined Hummingbird with seven and a half years experience in a therapeutic school working with children ages kindergarten-high school. Her approach to treatment is a mixture of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and play based therapy. She is a firm believer that children learn best when they don’t realize they are doing work. Megan thrives on listening to her families and helping offer new perspectives. Read more.

Academy Aides

Miss Olivia, Classroom Aide

Olivia is an integral part of our Summer Academy.   She is instrumental in giving our Academy children a little extra support and attention when they need it. She is always ready to assist the therapists in every aspect of the classroom and throughout the center.  She is looking forward to becoming a speech language pathologist and finds her experience at Hummingbird so incredibly rewarding.  As a rising senior at Saint Mary's College undergraduate program in Communication Disorders with a minor in psychology, she hopes to remain in South Bend to obtain her Master's degree in Speech Pathology at Saint Mary's College.  She loves cheering on the Fighting Irish at football games and is an avid reader.