Social Communication . Feeding . Speech . Language
(845) 920-1694
BRYNN GILL, MA, CCC-SLP
SPEECH LANGUAGE PATHOLOGIST
CO-DIRECTOR
Brynn holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech/Language Pathology and Audiology from Iona College and a Masters of Arts degree from Queens College, CUNY. She is a New York licensed Speech and Language Pathologist and is nationally certified by the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA). Brynn began her career at the Children’s Learning Center of United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) in Nassau County, where she worked with children ages 2 through 21. She worked closely with team members, including OT’s, PT’s, teachers and families to create and execute individualized multidisciplinary treatment plans. Therapy sessions focused on feeding therapy, speech and language therapy as well as augmentative and alternative communication.
Brynn then transitioned to Southern Westchester BOCES, where she worked with middle and high school students on the Autism Spectrum. Therapeutic interventions focused on social pragmatic language, expressive and receptive language skills as well as executive functioning. She worked closely with various team members to formulate functional treatment scenarios, which allowed the students to receive therapy during community outings for functional carryover of skills.
From here, Brynn joined The Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center in Yonkers, NY where she began working with medically fragile children in a subacute nursing facility. She had the opportunity to pursue her passion for feeding by working with post-NICU infants transitioning from tube to oral feedings as well as a range of children with feeding difficulties. This treatment setting allowed for collaboration between medical professionals and therapists as well as extensive education and support for parents and caregivers. Caregivers participated in therapeutic sessions and were educated on all aspects of the child’s care with the end goal, for some children, of transitioning back home. Brynn is trained in the Beckman Oral Motor Protocol as well as PROMPT Technique.
She is also a trained therapist in The Sequential Oral Sensory (S.O.S) Approach to feeding, which is a trans-disciplinary program for assessing and treating children with feeding difficulties and weight/growth problems from birth to 18 years. It integrates posture, sensory, motor, behavioral/learning, medical and nutritional factors to comprehensively evaluate and manage children with feeding/growth problems.
BRIANA MCKENNA, MS, CCC-SLP
SPEECH LANGUAGE PATHOLOGIST
CO-DIRECTOR
Briana earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech/Language Pathology and Audiology at Iona College and pursued her Masters Degree in Speech Language Pathology at Mercy College. After earning her Masters Degree, Briana started on her journey working with children with developmental disabilities and delays at Prime Time for Kids Early Learning Center in New City, NY. Here, she began to learn the value of collaboration and working as an integral part of a child’s team. Briana learned how to design and implement individualized treatment approaches to developmentally delayed children and children on the autism spectrum.
In 2010, Briana moved on to join the team at Dramatic Pragmatics Speech and Language Center in Rye Brook, NY, a comprehensive speech and language center specializing in social communication. Here, she gained a vast amount of experience in providing group therapy to children in need of skills in social pragmatic language, and individual therapy to address areas of weakness in receptive and expressive language, higher level language, executive functioning, as well as articulation and phonology.
Briana teaches children and young adults social skills and language-based social thinking through the use of structured lessons, role-play, teamwork exercises and unstructured, naturalistic activities. Briana counsels and educates parents and caregivers with regard to their child’s areas of strength and weakness, treatment goals and strategies for generalization. She understands how invaluable collaboration with parents, teachers, and other professional service providers are in order to ensure that a child can meet their true potential.
Briana has experience working with children from as little as eighteen months to young adults in their twenties and all the ages in between. Her intuition, creativity, knowledge and passion for helping children and young adults are all evident upon meeting and working with Briana. Briana's clinical interests include autism spectrum disorders, social communication disorders, expressive and receptive language delays, and articulation and phonological disorders. She has experience providing inservices to educators and parents, providing practical tools to helping children across settings. Briana has additional clinical experience working with adults post stroke and traumatic brain injuries during her time at Helen Hayes Hospital. Briana is a New York State licensed Speech and Language Pathologist and nationally certified by the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA) and is PROMPT trained.
RACHEL GLENN, MS, ED, CCC-SLP
SPEECH LANGUAGE PATHOLOGIST
Rachel earned her Bachelor of Science in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology from SUNY Cortland and earned her Masters of Science in Education from The College of Saint Rose in Albany,NY. She is a New York licensed Speech and Language Pathologist and is nationally certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). Rachel started her career with Legendary Therapy in Bronx,NY where she worked with school age children (5-21) with receptive and expressive language disorders, cognitive communication disorders and fluency disorders. Through the use of an eclectic approach, Rachel worked with each of her student's educators in order to promote the least restrictive environment for her students to achieve their goals.
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Rachel then transitioned from a school setting into a skilled nursing facility at United Hebrew Geriatric Center in New Rochelle,NY. She administered bedside swallow evaluations along with determine the least restrictive diet consistency for her residents. Rachel provided dysphagia therapy in order to help her residents achieve their short and long term goals to promote self-feeding and/or achieve the highest level of independence while implementing compensatory strategies during meal times. In addition, Rachel evaluated and treated residents with various neurological disorders (Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, CVA, TBI, Parkinson’s disease) along with providing cognitive linguistic therapy in order to improve the residents current executive functioning skills, memory, attention, logic and reasoning and problem solving skills.
In 2017, Rachel worked with Professional Consultation Services in New Rochelle, NY to provide speech-language therapy services to adults with intellectual disabilities (i.e. Autism, Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy) to which she developed functional hands-on activities within the individual’s home to promote independence within their natural environment. In January 2020, Rachel joined the team at Listening Partners in Purchase,NY. Here, she provided speech-language therapy services to EI and CPSE clients to improve their receptive and expressive language skills. Rachel is excited for the opportunity to be part of the team at Cornerstone Speech and Language Center.
CAROLYN LEONARD, MS, CCC-SLP
SPEECH LANGUAGE PATHOLOGIST
Carolyn earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Speech/Language Pathology and Audiology at SUNY Geneseo and her Masters Degree in Speech Language Pathology at Long Island University. She is a New York licensed Speech and Language Pathologist and is nationally certified by the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA-CCC). Carolyn has more than 25 years of experience as a speech therapist. She began her career at the Hillcrest Elementary School in the Peekskill Public School District where she was awarded tenure. She evaluated and provided speech and language services for students in Kindergarten to 4th grade with a variety of speech and language disorders in areas including: auditory processing, articulation, apraxia, fluency, receptive and expressive language disorders, pragmatic language disorders, as well as autism spectrum disorders. This early experience taught her how to collaborate with related professionals and how to advocate for her student’s speech and language needs as a member of a team.
Carolyn then transitioned to the New York School For The Deaf in White Plains, N.Y. where she remained for 9 years and became fluent in American Sign Language. She worked with deaf students, many of whom had additional developmental delays. Carolyn worked closely with audiologists, psychologists, social workers and classroom teachers to create individualized programs for students with various modes of communication. She spent several years working in the parent-infant program where she had the extremely rewarding job of teaching parents to communicate with their deaf infants.
Carolyn has also worked in several school districts and agencies as a consultant including, South Orangetown School District, Franklin Lakes School District, Scarsdale School District and Ardsley School District. In 2017, Carolyn was offered a full time position in the Ardsley Middle School, where she remains.
In Ardsley, Carolyn provides individual speech sessions as well as push-in support services in the classroom working on speech and language goals while in an academic setting. In addition, she has gained experience in case management and chairing 504 and CSE meetings. Carolyn offers extensive experience working with the children from birth to 21 years with varied diagnosis and speech and language needs. She specialized in treatment of ASD, articulation, phonology, motor planning, receptive and expressive language, social communication skills, fluency, AAC devices and executive functions. She utilizes a variety of techniques during therapy including the Kaufman Method, Social Thinking and Accountable Talk. Carolyn is thrilled to have the opportunity to be a part of the Cornerstone Speech and Language Center.