On the blog today, you’ll meet Renee Kreisner, a dedicated pediatric speech therapist and native Texan. When I first spoke with Renee over the phone, I could hear the passion in her voice when she talked about the work she does. She’s outdoorsy, can sing any Disney song you throw her way and has some coffee spot recommendations for us. I hope you enjoy learning more about her!
Hi Renee! Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
My name is Renee Cavazos Kreisner, and I’m a native Texan who has lived in Austin for the past 12 years. I’ve been married to my husband Jonathon for 7 years this fall, and we have one dinosaur and monster truck-loving 4-year-old son named Jeremy. I started my career as a teacher in the Rio Grande Valley. Working with the special education department inspired me to go back to school for my master’s in speech language pathology. I’ve been a pediatric speech therapist for over 7 years now, and it is one of greatest passions. The most gratifying feeling is to help a child meet their goals and graduate speech. When I am not working, you’ll catch me gardening and stopping by The Great Outdoors to “browse” all of their plants. I also enjoy exploring parks with my son, practicing yoga, singing every Disney song, and a competitive pickleball game.
Tell us more about Prism Speech ATX:
I opened my business Prism Speech ATX this spring. Prism Speech ATX is an in-person speech therapy private practice that specializes in speech delay, language delay, feeding difficulties/picky eating, identifying tongue tie/treating “tongue thrust” and oral motor therapy. In 2021, I started working on a secondary certification to become an Orofacial Myologist to treat children and adults. An Orofacial Myologist treats the muscles of the mouth as they relate to speech, dentition, eating/chewing, swallowing, sleep, posture, breathing, TMJ disorder, teeth grinding and overall mental and physical health. If a child has speech delay (especially with sounds k, g, l, s, r, sh, ch) feeding difficulties, disordered sleep/snoring, mouth breathing, suspected tongue tie, history of unsuccessful breastfeeding, ADHD, Sensory Processing Disorder, anxiety/dysregulation, seeing a speech therapist that is trained in orofacial myology is highly recommended.
Something that sets Prism Speech apart is that we support the whole family and diagnose and treat children with an integrative, collaborative model. My mission as a therapist is to create a safe space where children can be their most awesome selves, grow and thrive while providing their families with support, parent coaching and resources to enable and empower them to be their child’s best teacher and advocate.
Prism Speech works with a team of professionals in the Austin area, like occupational therapists, physical therapists, ENTs, pediatric dentists and orthodontist, and craniosacral therapists, to refer to based on your child’s specific needs. A team approach to treatment helps your child make the most progress and get the most out of therapy and facilitates long-lasting, positive growth that will be seen across environments.
My son is the main reason why I opened my business. When I became a parent, I became very motivated to work on my mental and physical health to be able to show up as my best, regulated self.
Do you have any time-saving tips for fellow mamas?
Routines have been super helpful for me to save time. I shop or order groceries online on Mondays, meal prep twice a week so my lunches are packed, do my skincare routine when my son is splashing in the bath, listen to my audio books on walks or when I’m driving for work, and always prepack my work bags and backpacks to make mornings easier. Also love making to-do lists and responding to texts using voice-to-text.
Are there any challenges you’re facing in your business right now?
One of the biggest challenges right now is scaling my business from in-home to a clinic space. Currently my schedule is more spread out to accommodate traveling to my families, and I am starting to look for a good office space so I am able to open up more appointments during the week.
Where do you see Prism Speech ATX in the next five years?
In the next 5 years, I see my business as growing into a large interdisciplinary practice that serves infants, children and adults. My biggest goal, it to be able to have a clinic that specializes in infant feeding to help breastfed babies and bottle-fed babies that have feeding difficulties.
What’s coming up with Prism Speech ATX?
I’m hosting my first Social Speech Summer Camp starting this June. It’s designed to give kids with social and/or language delays an opportunity to build social and play skills with peers 2-5 years old.
Favorite coffee spot in Austin?
I love Cosmic Coffee or Radio Coffee. Give me a good outdoor space with plants, food trucks and twinkle lights and I’m all in.
And lastly, is there something interesting about yourself that others may not know?
In college, I cohosted a local morning radio show as part of my Broadcast Journalism degree. Shout out to Kiss FM 106.3!
Renee, thank you so much for chatting with us. If you’d like to get in touch with Renee, visit her website at prismspeechatx.com. She is a great resource and full of helpful information.