Speech Pathologists

Christine Anderson   Megan McKean  Cindy Michalak   Rachel Ladin

Christine Anderson
Voice Mail Extension: 620

I graduated from the University of Wisconsin Whitewater in 1989, with a Master of Science in Communication Disorders. I received my Certificate of Clinical Competence and began working with the adult population. During my first job, I learned something that provided me with an understanding about rehabilitation that no educational facility was able to teach. I learned how important a patient’s family is and what a significant role the family plays in the rehabilitation process. I worked with adults for 12 years in a variety of different settings including a sub-acute rehabilitation facility, hospital, nursing homes, sheltered workshops, outpatient clinic and private homes. My experience with Traumatic Brain Injured, Cerebral Vascular Accidents, Degenerative Diseases, Developmental Disabilities and Congenital Disorders, provided me with a global understanding of the brain and the trauma these injuries can create on ones communication, cognitive and swallowing abilities.

An area of expertise that I truly enjoy is that of Augmentative Communication. Augmentative Communication refers to a communication approach designed to support, enhance or augment the communication of individuals who are not independent, verbal communicators in all situations. When working with adults with Cerebral Palsy for 6 years, I was able to open the door for young, middle-aged and geriatric adults to an arena of communication options. These include the development of “low technology” of traditional communication books and boards as well as programming and implementing “high technology” of computer based electronic communication systems. For some of my patients, this was their first opportunity to independently communicate their most basic wants and needs.

As I continued through my career, my husband and I were blessed with two boys. In 1999, a lift threatening illness challenged my oldest son. The emotional impact his illness had on him and our entire family gave me the gift of empathy for families that are facing difficult situations with their children. This personal experience convinced me that I needed to broaden my career. I then began working with the pediatric population.

My pediatric experience includes working as a part-time Speech-Language Pathologist for the Cedarburg Public School System. Not only did I work with students from the elementary schools, middle school and high school, but also provided diagnostics and treatment for children enrolled in the early childhood program. Private consultations with families in the Ozaukee County are have also been part of my pediatric experience.

In February of 2005, I joined an outstanding team of therapists at Ozaukee Therapy. My goal is to provide the most efficient and reliable therapy plan to meet the needs of the children I serve. My philosophy is to treat each child as an individual and to confront the challenges they are facing with an open mind; to design a therapy program for that child that is individualized and unique for their speech therapy needs. I am fortunate to be working at a facility that welcomes my expertise, questions and recommendations. I feel a “team approach” is vial to the success of any child and their family.

Megan McKean
Voice Mail Extension: 615

My name is Megan McKean and I am a speech therapist.  I graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with my graduate degree and have been employed with Rehab Resources since October 2006.  I have experience with young and school-age children and have served children and adults with a variety of needs.  I have experience with special populations such as brain injury.  With each of my clients I try to determine what is functional for them and work with the child and family to develop those skills.

Cynthia Michalak MS,CCC-SLP
  Voice Mail Extension: 607

I think the greatest thing about my job is playing with children! They have taught me so much about myself; both my strengths and my weaknesses and they have given me the courage to really grow. I enjoy finding ways to reach each child, to meet them on their own level, and to gently challenge them every step of the way. The satisfaction of watching a child work to begin to put together the pieces is so gratifying! I received my Master’s of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire in 1983. I had the gratifying experience of working in a birth to three program in graduate school and I knew immediately that that is what I wanted to do. Since then, I have had 21 years experience in working with children from the newborn level all the way up to the early teen years. I have strong desire for learning and have taken numerous continuing education courses. My passion is working with children who have feeding and swallowing disorders, motor speech disorders and language delays and disorders. I have taken many courses to gain more knowledge in those areas including Neurodevelopmental Treatment (NDT), Baby NDT, feeding/swallowing courses and PROMPT to name a few. This coursework has assisted me in looking at the child as a whole in all areas of development. I truly love my job! Working at Ozaukee Therapy Services for the past 8 years has allowed me to continue to grow professionally and personally as I work with a wide variety of children.

Rachel Ladin
  Voice Mail Extension: 601

My name is Rachel Ladin and I graduated from Saint Louis University with a masters in Speech-Language Pathology. I have extensive experience with children and adults in various settings including hospitals, schools, and clinics. Through my work at a pediatric specialty hospital, I became highly interested in the birth to 3 population, having addressed various areas of need including swallowing/feeding, oral-motor development, Apraxia, and so on. One thing is for sure, I’m never bored! My special interest is in augmentative communication; a niche that I discovered while working with children with Autism at Integrated Development Services. I look forward to meeting new families and continuing to grow in my skills as a Speech Pathologist.

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