Introducing to the Chicago North Shore Moms community a North Shore native turned Highland Park mom of two, speech pathologist and the founder of Chatterbox, a boutique pediatric speech and language practice rooted in authentic connection, mindful collaboration and whole-child care, Olivia Garber.
Olivia has built a thriving practice dedicated to supporting children from 12 months through age 22. With a team of therapists, a sensory gym, and a unique blend of speech-language therapy, infant mental health, and DIR/Floortime, Chatterbox meets children exactly where they are while empowering parents every step of the way. Grounded in her mantra, “Stay steady. Keep moving forward. Do the work,” she’s helping families across the North Shore confidently find their voice one breakthrough at a time.
Get to know Olivia, a great reminder of the importance of finding comfort in simple things, her personal TV and book recs, a few basic signs that it might be time to consider speech therapy for your child and her unique and highly effective approach to treatment that delivers results. Welcome, Olivia Garber and Chatterbox!
p.s. keep us posted if you try out for reality game show!
Hi Olivia! Where are you from originally? What city do you live in now? What brought you here?
Born and raised in Northbrook, now I live in Highland Park. I came back to Chicago after graduating Indiana University at Bloomington, and wanted to stay close to my family.
I have two amazing kids, a daughter age 9 (almost 10!) and a son, age 7. They are both bright, creative, very chatty kids (they are my best advertisers) who simultaneously drive me crazy and keep me grounded. My daughter is thoughtful, witty, and very funny; my son is playful, kind, and very energetic. She loves animals and is very crafty; he loves being outside and playing around on his guitar. We have a lot of fun together!
What are one or two fun or interesting things to know about both of you?
I love puzzles and pickles! A jar of pickles and a 1000 piece puzzle is a dream Sunday for me.
Love the simple things, too! And your favorite spot to hang outside of home?
My favorite spot to grab a bite, whether with friends or a date night, is Abigail’s. Always a delicious meal and it’s close to my house!
Any good reads or tv shows you’ve binged lately?
I’m obsessed with The Traitors and my daughter is working hard to convince me to try out for the new season. I also love all things Bravo, The Pitt, and am currently bingeing Tell Me Lies.
Shoutout to my book club for making sure I still read books! I’m currently reading Heart the Lover by Lily King and I’m loving it so far.
Your mantra?
Stay steady. Keep moving forward. Do the work.
It will all work out in the end. My sister likes to say I have “pixie dust” but I really just believe when things get hard, it will all be ok!
It’s time to get down to business. Congratulations on the launch of Chatterbox Speech Therapy. Love the name by the way. Please tell us all about your practice and who you serve.
I launched Chatterbox in January 2020 — not the best timing! I worked in private practice for many years and wanted to build something of my own. I now have a team of 3 therapists and we provide services to kids as young as 12 months (through Early Intervention) up to age 22, supporting a range of speech and language needs, including late talkers, language-based disorders, and social pragmatics.
I specialize in Selective Mutism, blending my speech background with my interest in mental health. We also offer social groups to support social communication in a natural context. We recently built out our space to include a sensory gym, which has been a huge hit!
Olivia pictured in the middle with fellow speech language therapists.
You blend speech-language therapy with infant mental health and DIR/Floortime. Is this an uncommon combination?
Having an infant and mental health background is unique to the work we do. It provides knowledge on how to support a child within the family system and not just supporting the child with their speech and language needs, but working with parents to support them in the home. Especially in early intervention, we may be focusing on speech and language development, while simultaneously supporting the parent/child relationship and thinking about how speech/language can have an impact on family dynamics. Infant/mental health pairs well with the DIR/Floortime model in that we are thinking about the whole child, not just their speech and language goals.
Can you share a moment from your work where this integrated approach made a breakthrough that traditional therapy alone might not have achieved?
Oooh so many to choose from!
I worked with a wonderful family for many years, starting when their son was 18 months old until he was 5. When we started, he wasn’t talking and didn’t show interest in toys. But he LOVED nature and being outside. A traditional therapy approach might focus on what an 18-month-old child “should” be doing and focus on imitation and playing with certain toys. Using an integrated approach, like DIR/Floortime, I worked alongside his parents to better understand his sensory system, follow his lead to join in his interests and support engagement and connection, which led to imitation and then language. We determined his language development differed from the typical pattern, allowing us to meet him where he was at to support and build on his skills.
He graduated as he was entering kindergarten, and is really thriving today!
For parents who aren’t sure whether their child needs support, what early signs do you wish more families recognized?
- Limited babbling or imitation
- Heavy reliance on gestures but few words by 18 months
- Highly unintelligible or difficult to understand, especially to unfamiliar adults by age 3
These can be signs of speech or language delay. Trust your gut and if you have concerns, don’t hesitate to get your child assessed!
Your specialties range from expressive language to selective mutism and supporting family systems. What’s one misconception you wish you could clear up for parents about how speech therapy works?
I don’t know if I’d call it a misconception, but I often remind parents speech therapy is a process. There is no magic trick, everything takes time and each child is different, so there is no clear trajectory for when things will happen. While the child is mastering the skills, family involvement is key to their progress.
How does early, individualized intervention affect change in a child’s entire trajectory?
Early intervention strengthens brain development and neural connections during a critical period of development. It can change patterns before habits are formed. It prepares kids for school, builds foundations for later academic success, improves social-emotional development, and empowers parents with tools and strategies.
What else would you like us to know about Chatterbox?
We pride ourselves on truly using a family-centered model. We work hard to develop strong connections with each child we work with and build off their strengths to expand their skills. We are a small, but mighty team, and because of this, can offer individualized care for each family.
And how do we connect with you?
You can find us at www.chatterboxpediatricspeech.com or on instagram at @chatterboxspeechtherapy.chi.
About Our Meet a Mom Sponsor
Chicago North Shore Moms is supported in part by Mary Gregory Gifford, a Lake Forest mom of three and owner of Gifford Law, a solo Estate Planning Firm (wills and trusts). Mary, we appreciate your support of local moms in our North Shore communities! Learn more about Mary by visiting her Meet a Mom spotlight here! Contact Mary directly here: [email protected].
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