Annette Hatter OTR/L
Occupational Therapist

Annette is a cofounder of Climbing The Ladder. She is an occupational therapist specializing in working with children on the autism spectrum and children with sensory processing dysfunction. She graduated from the University of Illinois in 1989 and has been practicing in pediatrics for over 25 years. In addition to private practice, she has experience in a pediatric hospital setting both inpatient and outpatient, as well as early intervention. She has vast experience working with a variety of diagnoses including Autism Spectrum Disorder, Sensory Processing Disorder, ADHD, Fragile X Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Selective Mutism, and developmental delays. Annette has been using Stanley Greenspan’s DIR® methodology since 2002 and is fully certified in DIR®. She also has extensive training in sensory integration, including SIPT certification. Annette has been trained in and uses a wide variety of additional treatment modalities including Therapeutic Listening and QuickShifts, Samonas Level 1, Forbrain, Wilbarger’s Deep Pressure Protocol, Astronaut Training, Handwriting Without Tears, M.O.R.E., and the SOS Approach to Feeding. She has a strong interest in core body work and its relationship to self-regulation. Annette focuses on each child’s individual strengths and challenges as well as the whole family. She combines the DIR® methodology with sensory integration and other therapeutic interventions to support a child’s body, visual-spatial system, motor skills, and sensory-regulatory needs in order to help a child move up the developmental ladder while supporting his or her ability to build strong relationships with the people in his or her life.

Ami Gandhi OTR/L
Occupational Therapist

Ami Gandhi got her degree in Occupational Therapy from India and has been working with pediatric population in United States since 1999. She works in private practice and serves population with Autism Spectrum, Fragile X Syndrome, Down’s Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, ADD/ADHD and various manifestations of Sensory Integration Disorder and other developmental disorders. In addition to outpatient pediatrics she works in Early Intervention and consults with schools and group homes. She was a board member of Northern Illinois Center for Autism for 7 years and advisor to the board for 2 yrs. She volunteers at a preschool program for refugee children. She has training in DIR approach, MNRI, Therapeutic Listening, Astronaut training, STEPSI, M.O.R.E, Praxis and has a keen interest in supporting children with challenges with motor planning, self regulation and organization so that they can foster their individual strengths, connect with people and resources in their environment and work towards growing into their full potential.

Emma Nikchevich OTR/L
Occupational Therapist

Emma has experience working with children and families in the outpatient setting and also collaborating closely with schools and therapeutic teams to provide comprehensive care. She is passionate about utilizing the DIR-floortime model to understand the individual differences that are impacting a child and to then support development in a holistic way. She enjoys working closely with caregivers throughout the therapeutic process, understanding that parents play a key role in development. She feels strongly that supporting a child to feel safe and secure within the therapeutic relationship is the essential foundation on which progress can unfold. Additionally, she pulls from her training in understanding sensory processing, motor development, and emotional development to guide her thinking when working alongside families. Emma has participated in extensive supervision and mentorship opportunities from speech therapists, mental health practitioners, and developmental therapists so that she can best support families.

Alyssa Giacalone M.S. CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist

Alyssa has been working with children and families over the past seven years in the Chicagoland area. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and a master's degree from Midwestern University. She spent the beginning of her career in a therapeutic preschool learning about developmentally informed practices and immersing herself in a transdisciplinary setting putting play in the forefront of her practice.
She learned how to incorporate several aspects of development into her therapeutic interventions from occupational therapists and mental health therapists to create supportive sensory environments and social emotional support and development. This experience led her on a year-long journey to become a DIR®-FCD/FloorTime provider supporting children with developmental differences. This model of development provides a foundational framework for understanding how each child perceives and interacts within their world. The beauty of this model lies in its ability to build connections, authenticity, resiliency and understanding.
When she is not working, you can find Alyssa spending time with her niece and nephews, getting outdoors, or trying new restaurants with her husband.
Alyssa's specialized trainings include:
  • DIR®-FCD/FloorTime
  • Natural Language Acquisition Framework
  • PROMPTs for Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic Targets (PROMPT)
  • Language Acquisition and Motor Planning Approach to AAC (LAMP)
  • Trauma-Informed

Jill Greenfield LCSW
Clinical Social Worker

Jill Greenfield received her Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and has been a licensed clinical social worker since 1995. Jill has a unique background as a therapist. She began her career working with older adults in the field of aging and mental health before transitioning to a private therapeutic day school setting in 2011. During her 10 years at the school, she worked directly with students of all ages, their parents, and supervised a team of mental health clinicians utilizing the DIR/Floortime model. Jill believes in taking a holistic look at the family dynamic by working with both children and parents during the therapeutic process. She is excited to utilize her nearly 30 years of experience to help families at Climbing The Ladder.

Sherry Laten LCSW, Ph.D.
Clinical Social Worker

Whether you’re concerned about a specific issue or don’t know where to turn next, I would like to help. I believe in the power of parents. As a LCSW (License Clinical Social Worker) with a Ph.D. in Special Education, I have collaborated with parents and their children for over 40 years. My MSW (Masters in Social Work) and Ph.D. are both from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. I graduated with a B.A. in Social Work with Honors and Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Missouri, Columbia.
I use an integrated relationship-based developmental approach which also includes other mental health research-based interventions. I’ve worn many hats through the years as parent, clinician, cheerleader, school social worker, adult service provider, coordinator, school advocate in the IEP process, consultant, trainer, program developer and grant writer.
My primary goal has always been to empower parents and their children to create their own best futures at home, school and in the community. I enjoy working with all ages, toddlers through adults. Covering the life span gives me insight into what lies ahead for families.
Most of the people I work with have yet to be discovered gifts as well as concerns related to one or more of these areas: development and learning; attention and impulsivity; emotional, social, and behavioral functioning; problem solving and decision making; ADHD; autism spectrum disorders; anxiety; depression; independent functioning; puberty; and launching into adulthood. I also work with parents and siblings relate to the emotional and practical challenges of having a family member with special needs. Let me know what I can do to help.

Jenny Cook-McKenna MA, MT-BC
Music Therapist

Jenny studied music therapy and music performance at Michigan State University and received a master’s degree in Music Therapy at Alverno College. Jenny has experience working in schools with children and young adults who are neurodivergent, as well as with a variety of other clientele. For fun, Jenny enjoys riding a tandem bicycle with her husband, spending time with family, friends, and her two cats, Thurston and Thora

Beth Aiken
Floor Time Practitioner

Beth is a Floortime Practitioner that has been practicing for over 11 yrs. She has received her Basic Certificates through both ICDYL and Profectum. She uses the DIR method to work with children and young adults and their families that are on the Autism Spectrum and with other related disorders. Beth works both in the clinic as well as in homes and focuses on individual, dyadic, group and sibling sessions. She works closely with clinicians in the fields of OT, Speech, Social Work and Developmental Therapy so that she can better integrate goals from these areas of expertise. Beth also works with other In-home therapists to help them to gain an understanding of DIR and how to integrate it into the home routine. Beth believes that it is essential to understand each client’s individual profile and to meet them at their developmental level to help them continue to climb to their furthest potential. She takes a particular interest in focusing on the Relationship piece and believes that is the root to connecting with these children and their families so that they can lead rich and meaningful lives. Beth works very closely with families so that they can foster their relationships and feel confident in carrying over these strategies into the home.