Rachel has been working in Early Intervention for more than 20 years. She completed her undergraduate studies in Communication Sciences and Disorders at Butler University and continued on to receive her master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology at Marquette University. Rachel is passionate about helping others and loves connecting with children at their level, forming relationships based on each child’s unique interests. She was drawn to Early Intervention because of the parent coaching model. Rachel loves to empower parents to be their child’s first (and best) teacher, as she believes that children make the most progress when their family and caregivers are active participants in therapy and learn strategies that they can implement during daily routines. Over the years, she has realized the shortage of diagnostic evaluators in Early Intervention and has seen the negative impact it has had on families. Rachel is honored to be part of the RTW evaluation team, excited to collaborate with other professionals and provide families with answers and resources that will assist in their child’s overall development and help them meet their fullest potential.
Rachel is the proud mother of seven children, with two sets of twins and three singletons, ages 14, 14, 12, 10, 8, 6, and 6. She loves watching her children’s tumbling and cheerleading events, wrestling tournaments, softball games, Mariachi concerts, and Mexican folkloric dance performances. Her personal experience with high-risk pregnancy, multiples, preemies, NICU time, infant surgery, selective mutism, and raising children in a bilingual environment have helped shape her into the compassionate therapist she is today.
Words of advice: Have fun with your children – never underestimate the power of play!
Pronouns: she/her