North Huntsville Therapists
Meet Our Therapists
Alia Shoemaker
Alia Shoemaker is a certified and licensed Speech-Language Pathologist from Richmond, VA who joined Child’sPlay in June 2022. She is currently the lead therapist of our North and South Huntsville speech therapy eams. She is registered as an NLA Trained Clinician and an AAC+GLP Trained Clinician (www.meaningfulspeechregistry.com).
Alia has a special interest in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), and she has undergone training in platforms such as LAMP (Language Acquisition through Motor Planning) and Tobii Dynavox Systems. She is passionate about collaborating with families and other service providers to ensure that all Child’sPlay clients have reliable access to personalized communication supports that allow them to fully express themselves. Alia graduated from the College of William & Mary in 2016 with Bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Linguistics, and she earned her Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from James Madison University in 2019. Alia has prior experience working in the public school system, a skilled nursing facility, and a neurorehabilitation center.
In her spare time, Alia enjoys playing the violin, being outdoors, and spending time with her husband and two young children.
Carly York
Carly York is a licensed and registered occupational therapist who relocated back to her hometown of Madison, AL from Chattanooga, TN. In September 2024. She is Clinical Supervisor of outpatient services (Occupational, Physical, and Speech Therapy) in both of our Huntsville locations.
Carly received her Occupational Therapy Doctorate from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 2021. Prior to her time in Chattanooga, she attended the University of Alabama where she double majored in Dance and Human Development/Family Studies, with a minor in Psychology. Carly has over 3 years of clinical experience in school-based, outpatient, and hospital-based pediatric OT, as well as additional experience in adult inpatient rehabilitation. In addition to her clinical practice, Carly has now served as an adjunct professor at her alma mater of UTC within the OT department for the last 2 years. Carly has a passion for helping students from pre-K to graduate studies maximize their strengths to succeed both in and out of the classroom.
Carly and her husband, Ryan, have one fur baby named River. In her free time, Carly loves traveling, reading a good book, going to the lake, and visiting with friends and family.
Chandon Hines
Chandon is a registered and licensed Occupational Therapist from Florence, Alabama, who joined Child’sPlay in 2021. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of North Alabama in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science and obtained her master’s degree in Occupational Therapy from the University of South Alabama in 2020.
Chandon has been working with children for over 10 years through various avenues of volunteering, babysitting, coaching, and hosting birthday parties. She became interested in OT as an undergraduate as it married her passions for health and wellness with her love for teaching and pediatrics. She is most excited about making a positive impact on the families Child’sPlay serves and helping them reach their goals. Chandon is a certified provider of the SOS Approach to Feeding.
In the future, she hopes to receive additional training in feeding as well as sensory integration techniques to greater expand a child’s function in their home and school environments. In her free time, Chandon enjoys participating in and leading an array of group fitness classes, learning to ballroom dance, spending time with her family, volunteering, and traveling.
Cydia Walker
Cydia is a registered and licensed Occupational Therapist from Valdosta, Georgia, and joined Child’sPlay in 2024. She graduated from Samford University in 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences and Emory & Henry University in 2024 with a clinical doctorate in Occupational therapy. Cydia has been working in some form of childcare for over a decade through nursery care, babysitting/nannying, and summer camps.
For her Capstone project, she spent 14 weeks working alongside a community theatre production of Alice in Wonderland, providing education on sensory-friendly accommodations. Her love of OT started in the 8th grade when she had to receive services to address her handwriting and shoe-tying. In the future, Cydia hopes to receive additional training in sensory integration techniques and get more involved with the Alabama Occupational Therapy Association. With her free time, she enjoys exploring her community and keeping up with the latest news from Broadway.
Emily Myler
Emily is a licensed and ASHA certified speech-language pathologist. She is originally from Decatur, AL and has returned to the north Alabama area. Emily joined the Child’sPlay team in June 2024. She received her bachelor’s degree from Auburn University in 2021. After graduating college, she worked as a speech-language pathologist assistant in Phoenix City, AL where she gained experience in pediatric speech therapy. In 2022, Emily attended the University of Montevall0, where she received her Master of Science in speech-language pathology.
Emily has a passion for working with children and developing their speech and language skills through play! She is dedicated to serving the clients and families of Child’sPlay Therapy Center. In her free time, Emily enjoys exercising, attending concerts, shopping, and watching movies.
Hollye Dickey
Hollye Dickey is a certified and licensed speech-language pathologist. She graduated from Alabama A&M University with a Master of Science in Communicative Sciences and Disorders in 2010.
Prior to working at Child’s Play, she worked with the adult and geriatric populations in skilled nursing settings and with children in elementary, middle, and high school settings. She has experience working with speech sound disorders, language delays, social skills, fluency, dysphagia, and dementia.
She loves traveling, playing games, being outdoors, and spending time with friends and her husband and three daughters. Hollye enjoys working with people of all ages and hopes to have a positive impact on their lives and their ability to communicate effectively.
Jane Levine Pendleton
Jane graduated from Northeastern University with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy and from Texas Tech University, earning a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree. She is a former military spouse and has had the opportunity to live abroad and in several states around the country. She has been in Huntsville since 2019. She has
worked in many different pediatric settings, including community-based outpatient, hospital-based outpatient, private and public school systems, and home-based early intervention.
Jane has a passion for children and their families and loves being on the journey with them to help improve their motor skills so they can reach their fullest potential. In her free time, she enjoys running, being in nature, attending Huntsville City soccer games, as well as spending time with her family and plethora of pets.
Jenni Boerner
Jenni Boerner is a certified and licensed Speech-Language Pathologist. She has 11 years of experience providing diagnosis and treatment of communication disorders in the preschool through the middle school-age population. Her areas of specialty include articulation and phonological disorders, fluency, and language delays. She has training in adult foreign accent modification.
Jenni received her undergraduate and Master’s degrees in Communication Science Disorders from the University of Montevallo. Jenni enjoys providing therapy for children of all ages and motivating them to be excellent communicators.
She is committed to engaging the family and other caregivers of her clients to maximize therapy results. She enjoys reading, exercising, and old movies. She and her husband, Bob, have 3 boys.
Kari Knighten
Hello! My name is Kari Knighten and I was so excited to join the Child’s Play Therapy team as a mental health counselor for the Huntsville offices in March 2025. I have lived in North Alabama since I was 10 yrs old. I attended The University of North Alabama where I graduated in 2001 with a Bachelors in Social Work. I practiced for 19 years as a medical social worker during which time I attended Alabama A & M University and obtained my Master’s in Social Work in 2009. I began practicing in the field of child therapy in 2021 and was excited to become a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LiCSW).
On a personal note I have a 15 y/o son named Phinley who is the JV quarterback for the Austin High School football team, as well as, outfielder for the AHS baseball team. Phinley is also a 4th Degree Level 3 Black Belt in TaeKwonDo and continues to advance in the ranks. I am obviously a very proud mom and look forward to continuing to work with children in order to meet their mental health needs.
Michael Becher
Michael is a licensed, registered occupational therapist who joined Child’sPlay in December of 2023. He received his Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from Mississippi State University in 2017 and his Master of Science from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2021. While at MSU, Michael completed an internship at the T. K. Martin Center for Technology and Disability, where he was first introduced to pediatric occupational therapy and also to adaptive driving. Michael’s clinical fieldwork background is mainly in adult mental health intervention, and Michael had approximately two years of experience in pediatric outpatient therapy before joining the Child’sPlay team. While he does not yet have a more specialized area of practice, Michael has professional interests in trauma-informed care and interoception and he is currently pursuing an autism certification.
A Huntsville native, Michael is thrilled to serve this ever-expanding community. Michael loves spending time and playing games with his friends and growing family. Thanks to his upbringing and ongoing experiences, Michael also enjoys everything to do with the Arts. These personal interests can be seen integrated into Michael’s practice. Michael seeks to maintain a safe space where his clients, their caregivers, and their support systems feel comfortable realizing the extent of their abilities while collaborating to identify the most effective strategies and resources to promote functional participation in daily and desired occupations.
Molly Grice
Molly is a licensed and registered Occupational Therapist from Alabaster, AL, who joined the Child’s Play team in February 2025. She graduated from Mississippi State University in 2022 with a Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology. Molly received her Master of Science in Occupational Therapy in 2024 from Brenau University in Gainesville, GA. She had the opportunity to gain clinical experience and school-based experience for her fieldwork rotation at the Child’s Play location in Birmingham, along with additional experience in a Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) in Gainesville.
Molly enjoys working with children of all ages and is passionate about helping them reach their goals. In the future, she hopes to receive additional training in feeding and sensory integration techniques. In her free time, Molly enjoys spending time with her family and friends, reading, and watching movies.
