WHO WE ARE
Kid Connections Therapy is a pediatric speech/language therapy clinic in Severna Park, MD with a dynamic team that values relationships, integrity, and a growth mindset.
Our purpose is to help children reach meaningful connections through communication.
We are a family-oriented, relaxed, collaborative, nurturing, engaging, and innovative team.
Reaching Meaningful Connections through Communication
Our Process
Evaluation
Completing a speech, language, or feeding evaluation allows us to fully understand your child’s strengths and challenges. You will be asked to complete a comprehensive pediatric history form. We may also ask you to provide copies of previous reports from other service providers, including doctors, therapists, and teachers.
Evaluations are typically one hour.
Within two weeks following the evaluation, you will receive a written evaluation report, complete with formal assessment results, informal observations, background information, interpretation, and recommendations.
Speech Therapy
Kid Connections provides therapy sessions focused on speech sound production, understanding of language, expression of language, pragmatics, and feeding.
Based on the results of the evaluation, we will work with you to develop a customized therapy program to address areas of concern. Therapy is always based on current research and driven by the needs and interests of our clients.
We collaborate with school-based teams and other service providers to provide a comprehensive approach to a child’s development, ensuring success in school and at home.
Approach
Our Treatment approach considers the whole child. We maintain a family-centered. play-based, naturalistic, child-focused approach.
During treatment, we consider all aspects that may affect your child. We consider all domains: social-emotional, cognitive-linguistic, and sensory-motor.
We consider the best approach for this moment in time, specific to your child. Most importantly, we consider the family life, structure, and the family’s goals.
Our mission is help families reach meaningful connections through communication.
Insurance
We accept:
- CareFirst BCBS
- United Healthcare
- Johns Hopkins EHP
- Johns Hopkins USFHP
- Aetna PPO (Out of Network)
- Cigna PPO (Out of Network)
- Kaiser Permanente
We are not in network with Medicaid (e.g., Priority Partners, Amerigroup, Healthchoice, etc.).
Meet our team
Therapists
CEO and Founder
Shanna Klump
M.S., CCC-SLP
Shanna (she/her) is a certified Speech Language Pathologist specializing in assessment and treatment with the pediatric population.
EXPERIENCE:
Shanna has been practicing since 2007 in both the public school and private practice settings and has a strong background in the treatment of children with a variety of speech and language disorders, including childhood apraxia of speech, articulation and phonological delays, language delays, and language disorders. She has worked with children diagnosed with Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, and autism spectrum disorder.
TRAININGS:
Shanna is certified to provide the Hanen It Takes Two to Talk program for parents. She is also Bridging trained in PROMPT (Prompts for Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic Targets).
PERSONAL LIFE:
Shanna lives in Annapolis with her husband and daughter. In her free time, she enjoys trying new restaurants, cooking, and exploring the outdoors by hiking, paddle boarding, or boating.
Clinical co-director
Sarah Haker
M.S., CCC-SLP
Sarah (she/her) is a certified Speech Language Pathologist specializing in the treatment of children with speech and language needs.
EXPERIENCE:
Sarah has been practicing since 2014 in private practice and subacute rehabilitation settings. She has gained valuable experience specific to oral motor, feeding, and play development.
TRAININGS:
She has received training in treating orofacial myofunctional disorders, (meaning that she is knowledgeable regarding techniques to promote optimal oral coordination and control needed for adequate feeding and speech skills). She also believes in utilizing play based interventions to develop speech and language skills.
PERSONAL LIFE:
Sarah grew up in Towson, Maryland and currently lives in Baltimore. She enjoys spending time outside, traveling, and exploring local restaurants.
Clinical co-director
Jessica Krishnamoorthy
M.S., CCC-SLP
Jessica (she/her) is a certified Speech Language Pathologist specializing in the treatment of early childhood speech and language disorders.
EXPERIENCE:
Jessica has been practicing since 2007 in various settings, including public schools, the Infants and Toddlers Program of Prince George’s County, and private practice. She enjoys taking an individualized “whole child” approach, using a child’s strengths in other developmental areas to support growth in communication skills, and incorporating a child’s family into treatment. She has treated children with a variety of diagnosed conditions, such as Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, and autism spectrum disorder.
PERSONAL LIFE:
Jessica lives in Silver Spring with her husband and two children. She enjoys knitting, traveling the world, and spending time with friends and family.
Speech-Language Pathologist
Sarah Cusick
M.S., CF-SLP
Sarah (she/her) is a Clinical Fellow Speech-Language Pathologist with experience across all ages. She is currently developing and refining her clinical skills to become an independent practitioner in evaluation and treatment of individuals with a variety of speech, language, and feeding needs.
EXPERIENCE:
Sarah graduated from Towson University with her master’s degree at the beginning of 2022. She has experience working in a variety of settings including virtual therapy, inpatient hospital
settings, and equine-assisted therapy. She is passionate about creating a positive and fun therapy environment while incorporating effective treatment approaches.
PERSONAL LIFE:
Sarah grew up “out west” and moved to Maryland in 2015 with her husband to be closer to family. She enjoys the outdoors, traveling, culinary arts, and will try anything at least once!
Speech-Language Pathologist
Julia Humphreys
M.S. CF-SLP
Julia (they/them) is a clinical fellow speech-language pathologist who is excited to continue expanding upon their knowledge and understanding of pediatric evaluation and treatment of speech and language needs.
EXPERIENCE:
Julia graduated from Loyola University Maryland with their master’s degree in May 2023. Their clinical experience includes AAC, autism, Down syndrome, articulation disorders, language disorders, and early language development. They have worked at an outpatient pediatric clinic, a MANSEF school, and a hospital-based outpatient neurological rehabilitation setting. Julia is passionate about working with families, focusing on strength-based approaches, child-led play, and incorporating sensory regulation into therapy sessions.
PERSONAL LIFE:
Julia grew up on Kent Island and moved to Baltimore in 2017 for school. They live there with their partner and their two dogs Blue and Clementine. They enjoy hiking, boating, reading, and playing trivia!
Speech-Language Pathologist
Chris O'Connor
M.A. CCC-SLP
Chris (she/her) is a certified speech-language pathologist specializing in the evaluation and treatment of the pediatric population.
EXPERIENCE:
Chris has been practicing since 1992. She has had experience in a variety of settings including adult rehabilitation centers, acute care hospitals, and skilled nursing facilities as well as private practice and public school settings ranging from early childhood to high school. In each of these settings, she has gained valuable experience working with individuals of all ages and she understands the importance of communication at all stages of life.
PERSONAL LIFE:
Chris has enjoyed living in many parts of the United States as an Army spouse but is happy to now call Maryland home. She lives in Crofton with her husband, 3 daughters and their goldendoodle! In her free time, she enjoys boating, shopping, trying new restaurants and exercising at Pure Barre.
Operations
Medical Office Manager
Rhianna Allen
Rhianna (she/her) is our Medical Office Manager. She joins us after taking a hiatus to concentrate on family and volunteer work.
EXPERIENCE: Her work experience is varied and includes doing background checks for the medical community and property management. Her favorite volunteer position so far was with an organization that raises funds for scholarships for military dependents. All of Rhianna’s work experience has helped her build exemplary customer service skills.
PERSONAL LIFE:
Rhianna is originally from New Mexico, but has lived in many places across the U.S. from Hawaii to the DMV. She enjoys reading, museums, and exploring all of the hidden gems that this area has to offer.
Medical Billing Specialist
Ej Felipe
Ej (he/him) our medical billing specialist. He assists clients with preauthorization, eligibility verification, claims and claims disputes/appeals.
EXPERIENCE
Ej is a registered nurse in the Philippines, and has over 11 years of experience in the healthcare industry. He has been a customer service representative for 4 years.
PERSONAL LIFE:
