You’ve landed on the Childworks Blog page and I’m glad you’re here! This page is intended to be a resource to parents and professionals looking to support children (or adults) who are experiencing speech and language delays, feeding and swallowing challenges, orofacial myofunctional disorders, voice issues, and/or other communication difficulties. Let me tell you a little bit about myself...
My name is Abbie Gacke, M.A.,CCC-SLP, CLC and I am the owner of Childworks Therapy Clinic. I’m an ASHA certified speech-language pathologist. I’m a graduate of The University of Northern Iowa with a Master’s in Speech Language Pathology. I’ve worked with children aged birth-18, along with adults, in private practice clinics, Neonatal Intensive Care Units, and inpatient and outpatient rehab units.
I’m definitely an accidental entrepreneur! I started out my career in private practice in the suburbs of Chicago, where I found my passion for working with children with complex medical needs impacting their ability to feed independently and communicate. When moving back to Iowa (Iowa native here!), I again found myself in private practice this time helping both children and adults with speech, language, swallowing, voice, and myofunctional disorders. As I began my new job, I noticed there was a large need for supporting more parents and families due to lack of resources readily available, especially in the areas of feeding and swallowing. Because of this, I started a professional instagram account (@feedingbabes_slp) last October, where I began sharing education and tips for how to feed your baby with more confidence.
After I got started with my Instagram page and had many parents reaching out to me for advice and support, I realized I wanted to provide even more specialized support to the Siouxland area. This time, by taking a big step of starting my own private practice-Childworks Therapy Clinic. When I’m not busy doing “business” stuff, you’ll find me spending time with my husband, Jordan, and our two young boys, Kane and Hayes. We love being outside, going for walks, and going to sporting events.
So, what will you find here on the Childworks Blog Page? News, resources, and therapy ideas straight from my experiences, education, and clinic inspiration. I plan to include insight from my working therapists as well, as they bring their own specialty training to the table! Childworks provides services on an inclusion model and our goal is to support every patient and family that walks through our doors! This blog is an easy way to provide that support, as parents can read topics that are relevant to their child and situation.
As I said before, Welcome aboard Team Childworks! Happy to be a resource for you and your family!
