Customer Testimonial Reviews

My son had the opportunity to work with Carmie for about a year. She was always professional, upbeat, encouraging, nurturing, and prepared to make each speech session positive. Carmie not only worked with my child, but was available to me to answer questions and concerns that developed along the way. I found Carmie to be very supportive of my efforts and desires for my son’s progress, yet she was always realistic when discussing his prognosis. I would recommend Carmie to families seeking speech support, as we had only positive experiences throughout our time with her. Thank you, Carmie!

My son was almost 2 when we meet Carmie through CHOA and he could only say a few words. He constantly tried very hard to speak but all we heard was what sounded like a humming noise. He usually spoke without even opening his mouth. After visiting with an ENT and being told he had no structural problems we were sent to Carmie for help. She was great with my son and was very encouraging. Carmie could see that I would get very frustrated at the situation at times but was always very positive. She worked with my son for almost a year. In this year my son began to look forward to seeing Mrs. Carmie each week and we both could see the huge progress that he was making. My son graduated and today you would never know that he ever had a speech problem. Carmie was great and we miss our weekly visits with her but we feel very blessed at all the help she offered to help our son speak.

We had my son evaluated for Speech Therapy services at his preschool in the spring of 2015. After an initial screening, we realized that he could benefit from a more comprehensive evaluation and brought him to see the wonderful therapists at Bright Horizons. We have been working with Allison Otting now for almost a year and I can’t say enough about the amazing therapy services she has provided for my son. He has improved by leaps and bounds during his time with her and yet, he does not view the time he spends with her as anything but fun. She incorporates play with him at every turn and he truly does have fun while learning so much in regards to his articulation. We are so thankful to have found Bright Horizons and Allison. They have truly been a huge support for our family!

My son has received excellent therapy from Bright Horizons for nearly four years and counting, and I would follow Mrs. Carmie Leister and Ms. Christine Edge to the moon and back because they are such knowledge, caring and understanding therapists. My son has an extremely rare neurological disorder called Moebius Syndrome; this syndrome is primarily characterized by facial paralysis. My son’s face and tongue are affected and I was told that my son would never be able to eat on his own or produce any facial movement. Throughout our journey of constant therapy and doctor appointments, I found hope with Ms. Christine Edge. She gave me the instruction I needed to help my son achieve his speech and feeding goals. My son can do things now that doctors said he would never achieve, and it’s because of these wonderful therapists. Ms. Christine increased my son’s tongue movement and gave him more mobility in his lips. She is great at oral motor therapy and stretching exercises and she is constantly learning new techniques. He can now eat safely and produce more facial movements. Mrs. Carmie Leister addressed our speech and articulation issues and gave Maddox the chance to be understood by others. The best thing I’ve ever done for my son was going to Bright Horizons twice a week for years. My child has the chance to speak with clarity and eat with ease and it’s because these amazing therapists gave me the tools I needed to help my son thrive. I could never thank them enough for everything they have done for me, I am so blessed to have an amazing team of therapists.

My son began speech therapy at the age of 2 ½ . During his two years of speech therapy he began with Babies Can’t Wait, then private speech therapy, and then we finally ended up at CHOA. He always seemed to make baby steps when it came to his progress with his speech. He was really eager to learn, but no one seemed to make the breakthrough that we were praying for. Then finally our prayers were answered when he was referred to Carmie at CHOA by another speech therapist. I was told that Carmie was more experienced and had some of the best results with her children, so of course I was eager to get started with her. Instantly she established a connection with him. He was excited to see her every week and missed her tremendously if we missed a week. I was amazed to see how fast he progressed with Carmie. She had new ways of exercising his speech that had not been tried before. Every day I saw him talk more and more. Every week I could see him being able to carry on conversations with people in ways he couldn’t do before. Within six months he graduated speech therapy with CHOA, and a few months later began Kindergarten on time which was something we always hoped for. Our prayers truly had been answered. When he graduated from speech at CHOA, I remember seeing the therapist who referred us to Carmie. She was amazed at his progress and she knew it was the right decision to send him to her. One year later my son still asks if he can visit Carmie. I truly believe he knew how much she impacted our lives and became part of our family in such a short amount of time. I just cannot thank her enough for all that she has done.

Carmie is the most incredible speech therapist we have ever seen! She is a miracle worker! My son went from only speaking basics such as mama at 2 yrs old to speaking in 3 word sentences. Every time I left I could not believe what she could get him to do. It was amazing. She is so happy and energetic and he could feel her positive energy and excitement. I know he would not have advanced as much without her help. She is so warm and kind and is so gifted at what she does. We are so grateful to her and will be forever.

My daughter started speech therapy with Carmie at CHOA in August of 2010.She had been receiving therapy in a Florida public elementary school prior to our move to Marietta. I saw very little change in her articulation problem during those few months so I figured we were in this for the long haul. After just 8 months of working with Carmie on a weekly basis, my daughter went from a child that my husband and I had trouble understanding, to a little girl that anyone could carry a conversation with. She made remarkable progress with the help of Carmie. Carmie made speech fun. We looked forward to our visits with her and quickly considered Carmie as not only our speech therapist but our friend. She became someone that I, as a mother, felt I could trust with advice on other aspects of my daughter’s life as well because she didn’t only care about my daughter’s speech problem but cared about her as a whole. Although we still have a few sounds we are working on, I can see a light at the end of the tunnel. I have a happy child who feels confident in herself and isn’t embarrassed to talk and doesn’t have to repeat herself when speaking to others. We have Carmie to thank for that and we are eternally grateful for her hard work and dedication.

Carmie is awesome!! Her positive, energetic personality encouraged my daughter to talk! And by taking the time to really get to know my daughter, Carmie was able to work with her unique behavioral challenges. She kept my daughter engaged and avoided melt-downs, which ensured we were able to get the most out of each session. We will certainly miss, Ms. Carmie!!

My son was two years old when his pediatrician recommended that he begin speech therapy. We met Carmie Leister at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA) when my son was three years old. She performed his annual evaluation and wrote a detailed assessment of his strengths and needs. Carmie was a very experienced and knowledgeable Speech-Language Pathologist in high demand at CHOA. I immediately felt comfortable with her and was encouraged by the goals she set for him. Carmie began working with my son once a week. She always greeted him on time and with a smile. She was so friendly and caring. Following each session, she took time to explain the areas they focused on and provided specific feedback regarding what we could do at home to reinforce the strategies she introduced during the session. She always sent home photocopies of worksheets, games, and flashcards so that we could use them during the week to help my son. She worked diligently with him and he showed great progress because of her expertise and understanding of his needs. When my son turned four, Carmie suggested that we enroll him in pre-school. We did not think he was ready and were planning to wait another year before sending him. Carmie strongly recommended that we send him and assured us he was ready for the challenge. Although we were very nervous, we trusted Carmie’s judgment and enrolled our son. Four weeks after he began pre-school, his speech/vocabulary “exploded” and he began using complete sentences, asking questions, and initiating conversations with his peers and adults. His progress in those few short weeks and the following months was amazing! We realized that Carmie’s experience and her recommendation were directly responsible for his breakthrough. We’re so thankful she convinced us to make the right decision! He is doing great and no longer requires speech therapy. Working with “Ms. Carmie” was a decision that made the difference in his life. It is easy to understand why so many parents at CHOA wanted her to work with their child. Her knowledge and experience are unmatched. If you are searching for a Speech Pathologist, I understand the importance and significance of this decision and urge you to choose Carmie Leister. It will be a decision with wonderful and lasting benefits.

My three year old son had some articulation problems, and Carmie and Lindsey have both done a great job helping out. Our situation is rather unique – for my job we live overseas and Lindsey was open to trying Skype sessions remotely. After my son went through the initial evaluation, which was very helpful and thorough, identifying the areas needing extra strengthening, he participated in a few in-person sessions. Lindsey was patient, helped keep my son focused (no small feat given that he’s a little dynamo and constantly moving), and used some great techniques to improve his pronunciation. After we went back overseas, Lindsey has been flexible partnering with us as we hold our sessions online. Having a U.S. based therapist gave our local preschool enough confidence they admitted my son (previously they denied him entry). While not every session is perfect, my son is making remarkable progress, due in large part to Ms. Lindsey. Thanks!

The changes in my son’s life over the two years he worked with Carmie were remarkable. My son, was diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder at the age of 2. His diagnosis later changed to a processing disorder, and now, I’m really not sure if there is a diagnosis that fits the bill. He is a typical, playful, incredibly talkative and articulate five year old who will begin kindergarten in the fall, on time, and in a regular classroom with “neurotypical” peers. At age two, he was nonverbal and really non-communicative. He’d been in speech therapy for quite some time, but with a new diagnosis containing the word autism, I sought help in the area of ABA therapy. He made significant strides and I believe ABA showed him how to learn. But I also knew there were areas of speech that needed to be addressed by someone specializing in speech therapy. His current speech therapist had not made any progress during her six months with him, so I decided to do my homework. One contact led to another and another, until I found the perfect fit: Carmie Leister. He continued with ABA therapy, along with OT and PT, which were all incredibly important, but I feel Carmie played a pivotal role in his success. When Carmie first met him, he was echolaelic and had a tendency to be perseveratory. For almost two years, she worked with him on communication/dialogue, as well as some articulation and tongue thrust issues. He looked forward to working with Carmie. In fact, where other therapists would encounter roadblocks along the way, it never seemed that he and Carmie stumbled. She was always creative, enthusiastic, supportive and loving and was able to maintain his focus and keep him engaged. Where other therapists would hit plateaus or encounter resistance at times, Carmie was able to maintain a steady, and in fact, rapid level of improvement. All the while, she was also my friend, my mentor and my guide providing me with the tools I needed so that I could do my part at home. I’m thankful daily for the team of therapists I put together to help my son on his journey. Carmie Leister will always be near and dear to my heart – she gave my son a voice – literally. I will forever be thankful.