Linda

Linda Goddard

M.A., CCC-SLP, Director of Speech and Language Services

Linda has over thirty years of experience working with pre-school and school age children. She has a Baccalaureate of Arts from the University of Colorado and a Master of Arts from the University of Denver. Our ABC Language Stimulation School is a direct result of her vision for children with speech/language delays to succeed in a language-rich environment. She has been a director of our school since its inception at ABC.

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Laura Walton

M.S., CCC-SLP

Laura has over twenty years of experience working with pre-school and school age children as well as adults. She has a Baccalaureate of Science and a Master of Science from Miami University, Oxford Ohio. As a mother of a child with special needs, Laura readily identifies with the many challenges and rewards our families experience during the early childhood years.

Carson Michalski

Carson Kidwell

M.OT, OTRL ABC Program Occupational Therapist

Carson has several years of experience working with children in various settings, 1:1, group, clinical and classroom. She has a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from The University of Georgia and her Master of Occupational Therapy from The Medical University of South Carolina. Carson is accredited by the American Occupational Therapy Association. A few of her areas of special interest and training include sensory integration, Alert Program, Handwriting without Tears, and acute pediatric care and rehabilitation. Carson’s boundless energy, enthusiasm and personal warmth further enhance her natural abilities and excellent training. She is a stellar therapist and member of our team..

Stephanie

Stephanie Pressly

Stephanie Pressly BA, COTA/L

Stephanie earned her associates degree in occupational therapy from Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte in 2015.  After Stephanie’s dad suffered a massive stroke in 2011, she decided to change careers and go into OT after seeing what an impact it makes in people’s lives.  Stephanie earned her Bachelor’s degree from UNC Charlotte in 2005 in Communication Studies-Mass Media.

She has experience working in multiple settings, ranging from skilled nursing facilities, an outpatient-hand clinic, school settings, and online-virtual therapy. She has training in the Handwriting Without Tears program, sensory processing/integration, fine motor development, developmental delays and genetic diagnoses as well as working with kids on the autism spectrum.

Stephanie has gained valuable knowledge and life experience as an international flight attendant and prides herself on connecting with people from many diverse backgrounds, countries and situations. She especially loves working with kids and enjoys forming strong relationships with families and teachers, allowing everyone the ability to feel comfortable and confident in the therapy they are receiving.

Stephanie is originally from California, but has made North Carolina her home. She enjoys spending time with her husband, their son and daughter; as well as family near and far.  Travel is a passion; as well as spending time at the beach, cooking, camping and spending time outdoors.

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Anna Caldwell

Lead Teacher

I have been working at ABC as an academic teacher/tutor and at All Around Town Summer Camp for the past four years.  My husband Chris and I have been married for 34 years and have 2 boys, Christopher and Connor.  Christopher is married to Rachel and they are parents to my darling granddaughters, Abigail and Lydia.  I love spending time with my family.  My hobbies are painting, gardening and my grandchildren.

I have a degree in Early Childhood Education from Erskine College and a masters degree in Elementary Education from Clemson University.  I am Orton Gillingham and Reading Recovery trained with 30 years of public school classroom experience prior to my current work at ABC.  Teaching reading and writing is my passion and I love my work at ABC.

Allison

Allison Pozzi

Lead Teacher

Allison has over 16 years of teaching.  She teaches Math, Reading, and Science. She graduated from Illinois State University with a bachelors in deaf and hard of hearing education and an endorsement in language in sign language. She went back and got her masters certification in Early Intervention.

I have been married for 13 years, and I have 3 children who are 11, 9, and 6. We live in Matthews and love this community! If you drive through town, you may see my family going for a walk, biking to the farmers market, or having a slow morning at Brakemans. On busier mornings we are running back and forth between soccer games and dance competitions!

I love these kiddos and watching them grow. I fully believe in partnering with each family to create a successful learning environment both at home and at school.

Laurie Whittenburg

Teacher

Laurie has been working in the elementary education field since 1981.  She finished her public school run in the Union County (NC) Public Schools in 2013.  Since then she has been running The Learning Room, a homebased tutoring business.  She came to North Carolina by way of New York State, many years ago and calls Waxhaw NC home.  She has a daughter and two grandsons.  In her free time she loves to try new recipes, reading historical fiction and psychological thrillers!

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Robin Brandhorst

Assistant Teacher

Robin has worked with special needs children for over 15 years as well as raising three children of her own.  Prior to her positions with ABC and as a mother, Robin used her art skills as a visual merchandiser for a clothing company.  This experience translates well into fun and educational hands-on art projects for our students. Robin brings patience, knowledge and sense of humor from her daily life into the classroom.  She is naturally intuitive and always seems to be one step ahead of the students’ needs.  Her projects place special emphasis on incorporating sensory enrichment into the children’s school day.

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Nathan Nored

Assistant Teacher

Nathan is a recent graduate of UNC Chapel Hill where he received a bachelors in Cognitive Science and Speech/Hearing Science.  He joined our ABC team to gain experience to become a Speech & Language Pathologist.

In his free time he enjoys ultimate frisbee and hockey.