Founded by Amy McIntyre and Michelle Harr in 2016, SPARC Therapy is the only group-oriented speech/language practice on the East Side.

In Amy and Michelle's many years of providing Speech-Language Therapy, the need for group based social skill development became abundantly clear. They frequently noticed a gap between performance in individual therapy and the application of these skills in a real world setting. Recognizing this difficulty in transitioning skills learned in structured therapy to everyday use, Amy and Michelle decided to offer opportunities to bridge the gap. Thus, SPARC Therapy was formed.

The SPARC Therapists

Partners

Both Amy and Michelle are fully licensed in the state of Michigan while maintaining their Certificates of Clinical Competence.

Amy McIntyre, M.A., CCC-SLP

Amy has 26+ years of experience in both school and hospital based settings, working with children and adults. She spent 10 years working with children in the 3-6 year old age range as a speech-language pathologist for the ECSE program in Van Dyke Public Schools. Highly organized and intuitive, Amy developed a passion for working with the social language skills of older children on the ASD spectrum. Amy lives with her husband and twin daughters in Grosse Pointe Woods.

Michelle Harr, M.A., CCC-SLP

Michelle's 24+ years of experience includes working within a variety of settings including private therapy, schools and hospitals. Her experience while working with toddlers, children, adolescents and young adults has helped her become comfortable with a wide age group. She enjoys working on a variety of speech and language skills with her passion centering on helping children and teens who struggle with language processing skills, executive functioning skills, social interaction and communication skills. Michelle is creative and has an uncanny ability to connect with children who have difficulty connecting with others. Michelle lives with her husband and three children in Grosse Pointe Park.

Ashlee Kauffman, M.A., CCC-SLP

Ashlee Kauffman is a speech language pathologist working with the SPARC team for 2 years now. She completed her bacholor’s degree at Eastern Michigan University and a master’s degree in Communication Sciences at Wayne State University. Ashlee has previous intern experience in various settings, including hospital, school, and telehealth settings, with both children and adults. Her special interests include early childhood language development and social language skills of children, teens and young adults diangosed with autism spectrum disorder and dyslfuency (stuttering) disorders. Ashlee’s compassion and drive to continue to learn are a great assesset to her strong understanding of the field and connecting with each of her clients and their families. Ashlee likes to keep life busy with here with her profession as well as at home her husband and dog, Isla, in Roseville.

Katie Lubera, M.A., CCC-SLP

Katie Lubera is a licensed speech and language pathologist with bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Michigan State University. Katie has a wealth of experience in multiple settings and has worked in the Lake Shore Public School District for the past 18 years. She is START trained and an Assistive Technology leader in her district. Katie has special interests in early childhood language development, severe phonological disorders, and the impact of ADHD and Autism Spectrum on communication. We are proud to have welcomed Katie to the SPARC team as a part time speech pathologist. She shares her wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm with our team as well as with her clients and their families.

Adam Brode, M.A., CCC-SLP

Speech-language pathologist, Adam Brode, specializes in the treatment of autism with a particular focus on social language, emotional regulation and behavior management. Adam has worked with children and teens on the spectrum for 20+ years. With a degree in psychology from Michigan State University, Adam began in the field of autism as an Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) therapist. He then continued his education and achieved a master’s degree in speech-language pathology at Wayne State University. He has received training in various methods, including: ABA, DIR, PROMT, and social/pragmatic langauge ganied experience working in a clinic before opening his own private practice. Adam now continues to provide speech therapy while also specializing in implementing comprehensive home treatment programs for families with children on the spectrum. He is a licensed and certified PLAY Project provider. We are happy to announce SPARC now offers the PLAY Project. When he is not working, Adam is an accomplished musician and uses his musical talents in his therapy and volunteer activities.