She holds a Ph.D. in Special Education (2006) and a M.S. in Communication Disorders and Sciences (2000) from Southern Illinois University Carbondale . Dr. Boyer is a licensed speech-language pathologist holding a Certificate of Clinical Competency (CCC) from the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association. Dr. Boyer is also a licensed Early Intervention Specialist and Evaluator in Illinois . Prior to joining the SIUC faculty, she worked in for non-profit organizations specializing in pediatrics and adult acute care settings. She has a diverse background in pediatrics working with children with variety of communication and swallowing disorders in both an inclusion-based setting and with an outpatient clinic caseload.