ABA Therapy, Speech Therapy, and Occupational Therapy in Chicago (Bucktown)

Cara Newman is an occupational therapist certified through the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy. She earned her Master's in Occupational Therapy from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2013 and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

As OT and PT Clinical Director at NSPT, Cara provides services to clients as well as clinical mentorship and support to the OT and PT team scompany wide. Cara’s interest in using her movement knowledge in a therapeutic setting started while supporting a therapeutic dance program based out of the Krannert Center for Performing Arts in Urbana, Illinois. Cara has worked with pediatric populations for her entire career, starting in Early Intervention (0-3) and transitioning to working both in outpatient pediatrics as well as an intensive therapeutic PreK & Kindergarten program prior to starting at NSPT.

Cara has experience working with clients with a variety of diagnoses including Autism, ADHD, Cerebral Palsy, CHARGE Syndrome, Down Syndrome, Dyspraxia, Global Developmental Delay, PURA Syndrome, Spina Bifida, and Sensory Processing Differences among others. Cara enjoys using developmental movement concepts to help her clients accomplish their goals. When not working, Cara is likely reading or running.

Sara received her Master’s of Occupational Therapy degree from Elmhurst University and her undergraduate degree in Health and Human Physiology from The University of Iowa. As a board certified occupational therapist at North Shore Pediatric Therapy, Sara provides skilled and individualized treatment to children to support their independence in meaningful every day life activities, as well as support fine motor skills, sensory processing, and emotional regulation.

For Sara, assisting children in meeting their personal OT goals is the most rewarding part of the job and she enjoys helping them achieve their goals through fun and play. Sara’s passion for occupational therapy can be traced back to when she saw the benefits of OT firsthand for her little cousin who was born prematurely. When not at work, Sara enjoys walking her Golden Retriever, trying new restaurants, and spending time with family and friends.

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Alyssa Koci received her bachelor of arts degree in Communicative Sciences & Disorders and Spanish, and a masters of science degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Midwestern University. As the speech-language pathology (SLP) team lead at North Shore Pediatric Therapy, Alyssa provides clinical care to children birth to 16 years old, as well as provides professional development and clinical support to the team of speech-language pathologists company-wide.  

For Alyssa, mentoring SLPs to provide the best clinical care for their clients is the most rewarding part of the job, and she enjoys creating opportunities for clinicians to to grow at any level of their career.  

Alyssa's passion for speech-language pathology can be traced back to her uncle, when he was diagnosed with ALS. Her uncle’s SLP fully supported his communication throughout his life and assisted in his changing feeding and swallowing needs. Alyssa strives to provide this for her clients across the lifespan.  

When Alyssa is not keeping busy with play-based therapy, sitting on the ground with Mr. Potato Head, you can find her cross-stitching on the couch with her dog. Ask her about the game show The Price Is Right... she may have had a special appearance!

Yurie Kim is a board-certified occupational therapist who received her doctorate degree through Rush University in 2020. During her time at Rush, she had many opportunities to pursue her life-long interest in working with children. This includes assisting the Autism Assessment, Research, Treatment & Services (AARTS) Center with research on autism spectrum disorder and reciprocal imitation, partnering with UCAN Academy of Chicago to conduct her capstone research project on the effects of trauma on sensory processing and self-regulation, and even completing a clinical rotation with North Shore Pediatric Therapy.

When not at work, Yurie enjoys baking, knitting/crocheting, gardening, and taking walks along the lakeshore.

Amanda earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Speech and Hearing Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and her Master of Health Science degree in Communication Disorders from Governors State University. She is a licensed speech-language pathologist in Illinois and New York and has earned her Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) from the American Speech–Language–Hearing Association (ASHA).

Amanda is passionate about servicing patients across the lifespan. She strives to implement enjoyable and engaging treatment sessions to enhance the learning process and see how speech and language therapy positively impacts the lives of her patients. Amanda has experience working with both children and adults with a wide array of disorders in various settings. Some of her clinical experiences include providing speech and language therapy to children with autism, articulation and phonological disorders, language disorders, and childhood apraxia of speech in the pediatric outpatient and school settings. Additionally, she has experience providing speech, language, cognitive, and swallowing therapy to adults following cerebrovascular accidents, traumatic brain injuries, and/or other diseases of neurogenic origin in the acute and subacute care settings.

Amanda is eager to learn and continually seeks out the latest research and therapy techniques that she can incorporate into sessions with her clients. She is enthusiastic about working alongside patients and their families to create a memorable and positive experience in speech therapy.

Mary Grace Domagola is an ASHA certified speech-language pathologist licensed in the state of Illinois. She attended Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana for both her Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders and Master of Science degree in Speech Language Pathology.

Mary Grace has been working as a pediatric speech language pathologist at North Shore Pediatric Therapy (NSPT) since January 2023. She has experience working with children from birth through 18 in the school and pediatric outpatient clinic setting before joining NSPT. She has a passion for working with autistic individuals, implementing augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), expressive and receptive language disorders, articulation impairments, and social communication impairments.

Stephanie received her Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Northwestern University in 2015 and is a board-certified pediatric clinical specialist. She always knew she wanted to work in pediatrics and enjoys helping each child maximize their full potential. Stephanie is also passionate about working closely with families to help each patient reach their desired goals. Stephanie has experience treating patients of all ages with diagnoses of developmental delay, torticollis/plagiocephaly, toe walking, autism spectrum disorder, various genetic and neuromuscular disorders, and orthopedic concerns.

When not at work, she enjoys running, taking Peloton classes, discovering Chicago’s best restaurants, and taking care of her dog Owen.