LLA Spotlight: Emma Holodnak

June 1, 2021
Our Team

We have amazing therapists at LLA and want to showcase them to you! This week, meet Emma Holodnak!

Emma is a Registered Behavior Technician who has been with LLA for 1 year! She serves clients at our Fairlawn clinic. Emma is currently obtaining her Master’s Degree in Behavioral Analysis. She became a therapist because she thought it sounded fun and interesting. Her favorite part about being a therapist is seeing the kiddos work so hard and learn the skills they need to be successful! She also loves all the goofy moments and how she gets to bond with children.

Share a success story!

There are too many to count! But any time one of my clients masters a program or a skill it is so rewarding! To see them succeed and keep succeeding is an incredible thing to watch before your eyes! It makes my heart smile when the kids know they are succeeding and doing well!

Let’s get to know Emma better!

Would you rather have pizza or tacos?

Pizza

Would you rather have super strength or the ability to fly?

Ability to fly!!

What is your favorite color?

Yellow

How did you discover your passion for working with children?

I was a teacher’s assistant for a special needs class. One of the boys in our class had autism and was working on learning his name and how to spell it. One day I was doing one on one teaching with him and he wrote his name for the first time all by himself!! It was incredible to see this little boy achieve something he worked so hard for! He had a smile from ear to ear!!

What do you do in your free time?

I am a Foreign exchange trader and I invest in cryptocurrencies! I also enjoy reading and going to the gym.

What is your best advice for parents who are embarking on a journey with therapy with their kiddo?

I would say my best advice would be to be patient with your child. These kiddos have so much love to give but they can also get frustrated very quickly. They will get it! They all learn and grow in their different ways and different times!

What is the funniest thing a kid has ever said to you in therapy?

Not what he says, what he does. One of my clients loves the gym in the main building. He works for it all the time!! Whenever our time in the “big gym” is done, my client will drop to the ground and pretend he is sleeping! It doesn’t matter if we are in the sensory gym or in the other gym watching videos, he will just start snoring then giggle!! It’s so hard to give the instruction again! He is so funny!

What is your favorite sport?

Softball

Are you an early riser or night owl?

Early riser

What is your favorite pizza topping?

Pineapple!!

Tune in to our next Spotlight to meet another one of our wonderful therapists!

Crystal Scheibe

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Great place, glad we found them. Been going to Medina over 2 months now and he loves Lauryn and Kyler. Wish they had more ABA therapy places available... live in Wooster and long drive everyday.

Karrie Swan LaRock

My 11 year old son has dyslexia and has made noticeable gains in working At LLA THERAPY. Katie is strong in her approach toward him and also keeps him comfortable enough to perform well. We will continue visiting both the Fairlawn and Hudson offices and recommend them highly.

Ron Monroe

My 9 year old just completed about 9 months of weekly speech sessions (due to his stuttering) with Matt Hagge at LLA and we are thrilled with the experience and results. What I thought might be a negative (what kid really wants to go to speech class?) was made very positive by Matt, and my son never hesitated or complained when we talked about class. He really enjoyed it and really took what Matt taught him to heart. His speech has been greatly improved and we definitely recommend LLA. Thank you so much!

Heather Dougherty-Pantoja

My son’s Occupational Therapist, Jess, is an amazing OT! She gives practical tips on working with my son at home and school!

Terri Apgar

I cannot say enough good things about LLA Therapy. My daughter was a client of Teal Simmons’ for approximately 2 years and was just released from speech therapy! She was diagnosed with Apraxia in 2015 and worked with Teal twice a week. Through Teal’s application of PROMPT therapy, my daughter had age-appropriate speech after one year. All of the staff we interacted with at LLA were absolutely wonderful. They really care about what they do and making sure your child achieves their goals.

Kelli Geisler Davisson

LLA Therapy has been an excellent experience for my son as well as my family! My son always asks, "When can I go see Ms. Jeannine again, is it Monday??" He has also made huge gains in only 5 months! I would highly recommend LLA and have already shared my experience with friends looking for services!

Victoria Hansford-Price

We are so grateful for our Speech Therapist Ms.Teal. We have seen a great improvement with our sons confidence and communication abilities since we have started "Prompt" therapy. What we love the most about LLA and Ms. Teal is that Kohl feels comfortable and relaxed which has played a critical role in his progress. Thank you Ms. Teal for all you have done.

Laura Lee Hogsett

They have helped in numerous ways. Speech, OT and behavioral. I've had numerous compliments on my son's progress thanks in very large part to LLA. I would recommend LLA before I recommend our local children's hospitals, though they are good, they don't have the staff that LLA does.

Amy Furukawa

We had a great experience with Matt Hagge at LLA! Our Middle School age son was becoming very conscious of his voice, which is nasal due to a cleft palate. Matt helped him to better form his sounds and project his voice in a way that makes the unavoidable nasality less noticeable.Our son is more confident and outgoing & even took on a speaking role in the church play. Matt has the perfect personality to relate with our son, and we would recommend him to anyone needing speech therapy services!

Jessica Havalotti

LLA Therapy has been an excellent experience for our daughter. I would highly recommend LLA. Miss Grace was so amazing and I can't believe how quickly our daughter showed improvement. Thank you!