LLA Spotlight: Kelly Morreale

June 23, 2021
Our Team

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

Kelly is a Speech-Language Pathologist who has been with LLA for 6 years! She serves clients at Canton City Schools, Rittman Schools, and in the clinic. Kelly was originally a high school Language Arts teacher, but she felt like she didn’t get to work closely enough with the students because there were so many of them. She wanted a job where she could work with kids in a smaller setting. Her best friend’s mom was a professor in a speech pathology program at a local university and recommended that she shadow her to see if she would like it. Three years later she was officially an SLP! Her favorite part about being a therapist is that it is never boring. It’s rare that she does’t come home from work with a funny story about something a kid did or said during a therapy session.

Share a success story!

I was working a boy on the autism spectrum. He had limited speech and primarily spoke using only one word at a time. After several weeks of practice, he finally independently requested a snack using a full sentence. His grandmother cried. Such a simple action that most take for granted is a huge milestone for kids like him.

Let’s get to know Kelly better!

What is your favorite movie?

When Harry Met Sally

How did you discover your passion for working with children?

I started babysitting my neighbors when I was 9. Since then I’ve pretty much always worked with kids in one capacity or another, whether babysitting, as a camp counselor, or teaching.

What is your favorite book?

Harry Potter!

What do you do in your free time?

I try to spend as much time I can with my 4 (yes, 4!) dogs.

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

Practice as much as you can at home! Progress will be a lot slower if your child is only practicing the skill for a half hour per week with his/her therapist.

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

While completing a social skills lesson with a high school student, I asked him what he would do if his friends went to a movie but didn’t invite him. He said, “I’d go home and stress eat.”

What is your favorite food?

Queso dip!

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?

I’m dying to go on an African Safari, but they are really expensive!

What is your best advice for kids?

You can only control you. You cannot control the actions of others, only how you respond to them.

What is the best concert you have ever been to?

Billy Joel and Elton John. My friends and I got upgraded to floor seats for free. It was amazing!

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!