Lincolnwood, IL ABA Therapy for Autism, School Readiness,
and Pediatric Therapies

Kailee Chonko received her Bachelor’s degree in Human Development from Illinois State University in 2011 and Master’s in Applied Behavior Analysis from Ball State University University in 2017. As a BCBA and Center Director at North Shore Pediatric Therapy, Kailee oversees and provides services to children with autism, as well as provides supervision and mentorship to BCBAs and BCBA students, RBTs, and speech, occupational, and mental health therapists.  

Kailee's passion for helping children can be traced back to high school, when she began babysitting for a neighbor with special needs. For Kailee, seeing progress with her clients and watching them grow is the most rewarding part of the job, and she loves working with little ones who are just beginning their ABA journey.

When Kailee is not keeping busy with her clients, you can find her at the beach or exploring the city!

Lainie Cohen received her Bachelor’s in Communication Sciences and Disorders at Michigan State University and her Master’s in Behavior Analysis from Simmons University in Boston. As a Center Director at North Shore Pediatric Therapy, Lainie provides supervision and mentorship to a team of great therapists including BCBAs, OTs, Mental Health, and Speech Therapists. She also provides supervision to field work students as they study to become a BCBA and oversees the day to day operations at the Des Plaines center.

For Lainie, increasing clients' functional communication is the most rewarding part of the job, as well as watching therapists grow in the field. Lainie is passionate about supervising and teaching individuals who have an interest in the ABA field, as well as parents, to gain more knowledge regarding implementing skill acquisition goals and behavior intervention plans.

When Lainie is not busy at the center, you can find her trying new restaurants with her husband!

Ryan Emry received his Bachelor of Science from The Illinois Institute of Technology, and his Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.

As an Area Director at North Shore Pediatric Therapy, Ryan works as a clinician while also supporting a great team of Behavior Therapists, Behavior Analysts, Speech Pathologists, Occupational Therapists, and Physical Therapists, across multiple centers.  

For Ryan, watching our children learn and grow is the most rewarding part of the job.  

When Ryan is not keeping busy at the clinic, you can find him spending time with his wife and two amazing daughters.

Liza received her Bachelors of Arts in Speech and Hearing Sciences with Minor in Psychology from Indiana University, and a Masters of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.

As Vice President of Clinical Quality & Training at North Shore Pediatric Therapy, Liza oversees the clinical operations of the Chicagoland locations, as well as provides internal clinical support to our BCBAs, leads the internal ABA apprenticeship fieldwork study program preparing students pursing their master’s in ABA to become BCBAs, and also serves as our internal ACE coordinator providing internal continuing education events to our team of BCBAs.

In addition to her role at NSPT, Liza also has served as an adjunct professor at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology teaching master’s courses to future BCBAs. For Liza, expanding the reach of our services to new communities and areas where there are limited options on comprehensive pediatric therapy providers is the most rewarding part of the job, and she loves growing the field through her work with student mentorship.

Lindsay Elling became a board-certified occupational therapist in 2021 after earning her master's degree in occupational therapy from Nova Southeastern University and her bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Lindsay was inspired to pursue a career in occupational therapy at a very young age after hearing her dad's stories about his time as an occupational therapist. Lindsay has experience treating children who have autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), sensory processing disorder (SPD), dyspraxia and other coordination deficits, and executive functioning difficulties.

Outside of work, Lindsay enjoys cooking and hosting, doing yoga, and playing with her cat, Winnie.

Paige Huffman is an ASHA-certified speech-language pathologist licensed in the state of Illinois. Paige attended James Madison University for her undergraduate degree, where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders. She then moved to Washington D.C. where she earned her Master of Arts degree in Speech-Language Pathology at The George Washington University (GWU). Paige has worked at North Shore Pediatric Therapy (NSPT) since June of 2022.

Prior to working at NSPT, Paige worked at different skilled nursing facilities in the Chicago area, where she completed her clinical fellowship. Paige has experience working with pediatric population from her two externships at GWU. One was working at a college preparatory public school for grades Pre-k to 1^st. The second placement was a school specialized for children with behavioral health needs and developmental disabilities working with 8-22 years old. She has experience addressing receptive and expressive language disorders, social-pragmatic disorders, articulation and phonological disorders, voice disorders, and swallowing disorders. Her areas of interest involve evaluating and treating receptive and expressive language disorders, speech sound production and early intervention treatment.

Robert Lemus received his Bachelors in Arts in Justice Studies from Northeastern Illinois University, and a Masters in Social Work from Northeastern Illinois University.  

As a MH counselor at North Shore Pediatric Therapy, Robert Lemus provides mental health counseling to children with a wide variety of challenges such as Autism, ADHD, Anxiety disorders, and mood disorders through different therapeutic modalities such as person centered therapy, behavior therapy , Cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy and play therapy.  

For Robert Lemus, establishing a therapeutic relationship with his clients and watching them blossom is the most rewarding part of the job, and he enjoys learning each clients unique story, personality, and strengths .  

Robert Lemus's passion for social work can be traced back to when he was a child, when he would learn many life skills of perspective taking, setting boundaries, reading social cues, asking for help, and self regulation through play and the support of family and friends.  

When Robert Lemus is not keeping busy with MH counseling, you can find him spending time with family, exercising, spending time in nature and traveling the world.

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Marissa received her Doctorate in Occupational Therapy from Rush University and a Bachelors of Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. As an Occupational Therapist at North Shore Pediatric Therapies, Marissa provides occupational therapy services to children with a variety of diagnoses and abilities. For Marissa, collaborating with families and empowering clients to participate in everyday activities are the most rewarding parts of the job.

Marissa’s passion for OT can be traced back to working for 7 years at a summer camp for children with physical and developmental disabilities. When Marissa is not at work, you can find her reading, walking on the lakefront, or trying new restaurants!

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Monica O'Connor, MS, OTR/L has been practicing occupational therapy since 2017. Monica has worked in clinic and home-based settings supporting children with Autism, ADHD, Sensory Processing Disorder, and executive functioning difficulties. Monica graduated from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana in 2015 with a bachelor's degree in molecular and Cellular Biology. She earned her Master of Science in Occupational Therapy from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2017. Through her professional experience, she understands the importance of collaboration with other professionals and families. She has completed the following continuing education trainings among others: Learn Play Thrive Approach to Autism, DIR 101, Vision in Pediatric Therapy, Kelly Mahler’s Interoception Training, Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Tics (CBIT), and SCERTS.

A North Shore native, she currently lives in Chicago. In her free time, she enjoys running, reading, swimming in the lake, and spending time with her family.

Leeann received her Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood and previously taught kindergarten. As the Family Child Advocate in Lincolnwood, she loves helping families and love seeing the kids so happy to come for therapy.

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Rachel Porritt is an ASHA certified speech-language pathologist licensed in Illinois. Rachel attended The University of Wisconsin-Madison for her undergraduate degree, where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communicative Sciences & Disorders. She moved to Chicago to attend Rush University for her graduate studies, where she earned her Master of Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology.

Rachel has been working as a pediatric speech-language pathologist for the last 7 years and has been working at North Shore Pediatric Therapy (NSPT) since August 2017. Before working at NSPT, Rachel worked in Early Intervention to service children between the ages of birth - 3 years. Through Rachel’s years of experience, she has worked with children up to 19 years of age, addressing a wide range of speech-language and feeding disorders. She currently specializes in the evaluation and treatment of motor speech disorders and oral motor/sensory feeding disorders, and she is trained in PROMPT and SOS therapy.

Naomi received her first undergraduate degree in Psychology with a Sociology minor from the University of Wisconsin- La Crosse and her Masters in ABA from Ball State.  When Naomi is not keeping busy with work you can find her rollerblading or taking a walk.  Ask her about Jazz musicians, she loves Jazz!

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