Speech-language Pathology Services
In-Person and Telehealth Speech-language Pathology Services
Speech Therapy!
A child who presents with substitutions for one or two speech sounds will benefit from an intensive twelve week speech sound development program. A child who presents with multiple speech sound production differences will require a tailored approach to therapy following a thorough evaluation.
I have many years of experience providing treatment to children who present with different types of speech sound disorders, including phonological disorders, childhood apraxia of speech, dysarthria, and articulation disorders. Phonological awareness as related to early literacy is a specialty practice area of mine.
Language Therapy!
It’s a privilege to address individual goals when working one-on-one with clients in the El Dorado Hills area. I strike a balance of providing options for child led, play-based activities and also leading structured activities on some occasions. Achieving success during a fun activity that matches that child’s current skill level increases motivation to continue communicating.
Language therapy goals may include goals to address expressive grammar development, receptive and expressive vocabulary, or utterance length. I also have experience working with children who are gestalt language processors, and I can offer several tips that are easy to execute in the home environment.
Fluency Therapy for Stutterers!
Fluency therapy is one of my favorite practice areas. The way that we talk around fluency of speech is very different than the way that we talk around speech sound disorders. I enjoy striking a balance of preparing for sessions and thinking ahead about treatment, but engaging in regular check ins about client feelings and preferences. There are two groups of treatment strategies that are highly effective and lead to excellent outcomes. Treatment for a young child with a fluency disorder may be indirect! We can talk about this before your first therapy session.
Early Literacy!
Speech-language pathologists have clinical expertise to foster early literacy skills because of our observations about how individual children develop awareness of the speech sound system. Several simple tips will make a big difference when you engage in reading with your child.
Other Communication Goals!
As a speech-language pathologist, I am an experienced speech and language specialist. I offer direct private services to address communication needs as related to specialty projects. These include: word choice, intonation, articulation, enunciation, and fluency when giving speeches, working memory tips and exercises, other study skills, language in writing assignments, media coaching, and preparation for auditions and acting projects.
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Ask about Special Projects, Intensive Twelve Week Speech Sound Development Program, and Developmental Therapy!
Full sessions last for 30 or 50 minutes of direct therapy time + up to 10 minutes of time set aside for consultation and writing therapy notes.
*Shorter sessions and flexible frequency of sessions are also an option to meet any client's needs.
For first time clients, I happily offer a 25 minute intake / meet-and-greet appointment at no cost.
Goals for therapy directly address specific needs that are identified during a good evaluation!
Comprehensive Evaluations
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Children with speech sound disorders require specialized, tailored evaluations to identify specific error patterns or substitutions and to assess how these speech sound differences compare to speech production of other children. Awareness of the speech sound system relates directly to reading acquisition!
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When assessing expressive and receptive language skills, high quality standardized evaluation tools provide great information. I also take language samples and complete thorough case history interviews.
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For children under three, evaluation tools that assess skills via parent report are highly reliable and valid.