Nancy has been a speech-language pathologist for 35 years but started her private practice in a rented office space in her hometown of West Bloomfield with only an answering machine for support. In the 23 years since, the Kaufman Children’s Center has grown to include over 40 staff members who provide the finest in speech, language, occupational therapy, sensory integration, social skills, and autism treatment programs.

What was once the smallest of private practices has evolved into a full-service, award-winning pediatric clinic for children with special needs. One thing has stayed the same: West Bloomfield is still the base of operations, although success necessitated a move from the rented office space to a beautiful 11,000-square foot building on Daly Road.

A worldwide leader in treatment of childhood apraxia of speech, Nancy welcomes approximately 100 families a year from almost every state and other countries – Ireland, Switzerland, Australia, and Sweden, among many others – for week-long programs. Families often opt to return for longer summer sessions, and a few have actually moved to the area to maximize continued progress.

Nancy has made West Bloomfield and the metro Detroit area the must-visit destination for families of children with apraxia of speech and other speech disorders. The combination of positive outcomes and the beautiful environment of West Bloomfield turn those families into enthusiastic ambassadors for the area, spreading the word and encouraging other families to visit.

Nancy received her bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University and her master’s from Wayne State University, having been awarded a graduate assistantship. She serves on the professional advisory board of the Childhood Apraxia of Speech Association of North America (CASANA), on the board of visitors of Wayne State University’s Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute for Child and Family Development and is the speech-language pathologist consultant for speech centers in Texas and New Jersey.

Nancy is the recipient of the 2010 Outstanding Alumni Award from MSU’s College of Communication Arts and Sciences as well as the Michigan Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s 2011 Distinguished Service Award. The Kaufman Children’s Center also received MSHA’s Outstanding Clinical Practice award in 2001.

Nancy and her husband Joel reside in West Bloomfield and raised their three children – Shelby, Carly, and Jacob – in West Bloomfield’s public school system.