LLA Spotlight: Natalie Duvnjak

March 7, 2021
Our Team

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

Natalie is an Occupational Therapist who has been with LLA for a little over a year. She serves students at the Education Alternatives in Painesville and Willoughby Hills. She became a therapist because she loves being of service to others and seeing people thrive as the best versions of themselves. One of her favorite things about being a therapist is being able to provide kids with the right tools/resources/guidance, tailored to their needs, in order to help them succeed. Plus, she believes it is an honor to play an active role in their academic journey along with the rest of the team!

Let’s get to know Natalie 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 therapy passion?

Tapping into potential

What is your favorite color?

Yellow

Do you have any hidden talents?

I am a black belt in kenpo karate

What is your favorite book?

Conscious Discipline by Rebecca bailey, Positive Discipline by Jane Nelson, The Self Aware Parent by Fran Walfish, The Out of Sync Child by Carol Stock Kranowitz

What do you like to do in your free time?

Play with my boys (ages 4 and 8 months), exercise, listen to podcasts and audiobooks

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

Be patient. Ask questions. Find connection in community. Be gentle on yourself. Ask for help. You and your child will be learning new things and sometimes, changes come with a bit of difficulty at first, stick with it though, that’s how we grow/expand, when we are challenged.

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

“You’re 33?! I didn’t know you were OLD!”

What is your best advice for kids?

Stay curious. Never lose your sense of wonder.

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

Crystal Scheibe

Facebook

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!