I provide therapy services to children who have autism, cerebral palsy and developmental delays.

My goal is to provide all of the therapy services that a family could need under one roof at Communication Innovations.

I was a speech therapist in an Ohio school district and in the Waunakee School District before deciding to open my own clinic. Having my own clinic allows me more time to work with the kids and to use a therapy best suited to their needs.

Originally, the clinic offered speech and language therapy. In 2007, I added physical and occupational therapy. This year, I opened an office in Rockford, Ill., because many of the families were coming from northern Illinois. I have plans to open an office in Wausau, which is where I'm from.

I received my undergraduate degree in communicative disorders from UW-Madison in 2000 and my master's degree from Pennsylvania State in 2002. I was originally a dance major and my older sister was an early childhood development major. I took an introduction to communication disorders class and decided to change my major.

My staff and I work individually with families to assess the child's needs. People from across the country and the state come to my clinic for treatment because of the specialized treatment offered. With the special equipment and training that we use, many of the kids are taking their first steps, are sitting up on their own for the first time or are speaking for the first time.

It's so rewarding to see a child's progress as they meet their goals and to work with the family on the child's development. I hope that the families can get some solace, hope and support through the therapies. Therapies are expensive, so I work with the families to find funding. The kids teach me so much about how to be a better therapist.

What I Do invites people to tell in their own words what they do to make a living. The column runs every Tuesday. To suggest someone to feature, contact Jill Carlson at jillcarlson1957@gmail.com.

Name: Amanda Houdek

Occupation: Speech and language pathologist at Communication Innovations, 2990 Cahill Main, Fitchburg

Age: 30

Web site: www.communicationinnovations.com