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swhittley@mghihp.edu

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secamp24

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(I couldn't pass up a Schitt's Creek reference.)

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I am really passionate about providing neurodiversity-affirming care for the birth-3 population and their families. It's important to me, especially when introducing topics such as autism for the first time, that I give parents the most accurate and hopeful information. As early intervention providers, we have a really unique opportunity to provide parents with perspectives that will shape how they see their children and what they look for in therapeutic practice. I want to look deeper into the options available for these families, both at the state level and based on private insurance. Are these viable options for families? Are there other options that would better serve these children in developing into their authentic selves? I believe a significant factor here is thinking about the neurosequential model and how it relates to early intervention. Relatedly, is there truly enough support for families transitioning into the special education system from EI? It is a privilege to be able to empower parents to make decisions from a place of acceptance and understanding, and I believe we can do more to facilitate this process.

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I've worked in 3 different settings since graduating in 2019, but I am most definitely a pediatric SLP! I completed my fellowship in private practice, and then I moved to a public elementary school for a few years. I loved working with my students, but this didn't feel like my dream job. Currently, I'm at Boston Children's Hospital's Early Intervention Program, which I love. I provide individual sessions as well as facilitate groups for children 0-3 years old. One of the parts I enjoy most about this job is that I have the freedom to use my clinical judgement to best help kids and their families reach their goals (without as much time on paperwork or formal assessments!). I'm also finding that I am able to have more of a work/life balance in this position, which is something new and exciting for me!

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I'm from Cape Cod, MA and currently live on the South Shore, just outside of Boston. I went to undergrad at Assumption College (now University) in Worcester (class of 2017), and then I went to the MGH IHP for grad (class of 2019). I guess I just couldn't stay away! I'm 28 years old and pretending that my 29th birthday is not coming up in November.

I got married in July 2022 in Dennis, MA. My husband, Matt, is a soccer coach at Boston University and coaches club soccer as well. He's originally from Northern Ireland, so we spend a lot of time in Belfast! We try to go over at least once a year. Looks like I'll be bringing school with me for the next couple visits!

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I am a cat lady at heart! My cat, Doris, is my absolute favorite. I adopted her when she was 5, and she just turned 8 in July. Doris' birthday is actually the same as our wedding anniversary (or so our vet told us). She will probably make some appearances on Zoom during classes, but I can't promise she'll be all that friendly--she's a bit moody. Our newest kitten, Dobby, will be joining us in September, so I'm sure he'll be joining classes as well! TBD on how Doris will feel about it all...

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Shannon Whittley

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Outside of work, I spend most of my time either on the beach with a book or running! I most recently ran the Falmouth Road Race (very, very slowly), and I was part of the New England Donor Services team. I've also run the BAA Half a few times, and I was part of the Jimmy Fund team. Both of these organizations are super important to my close group of friends, so I like to fundraise for them whenever I can. I'd love to run the Boston Marathon in the next few years, but we'll have to see what happens.
During the summer, my FAVORITE thing to do is sit on the beach with a book. I love a good beach read--I'm currently on an Erin Hilderbrand kick but getting through them too quickly!

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Shannon Whittley

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My best friend, Olivia, is a Child Life Specialist here in Boston. She is also a former Jimmy Fund patient and alveolar RMS survivor. Right now she works with pediatric patients in a diabetes clinic, but Liv has had a ton of experience working with complex medical cases and terminal illnesses. Together, we are working on developing a series of social stories/short stories for parents and healthcare providers to use with their kids. We want to include everything from going for check-ups to getting MRI's or chemo treatments--exactly what will happen and what to expect. Parents could also use the language included in the story to create helpful scripts for these situations. We also want to create stories for siblings of patients, too. These would focus on things like at-home therapy sessions, trachs/vents, coping with bad news, etc.). It will most likely be a couple of years before this comes to fruition, but we are so excited to start creating!