Speech Therapy

  • Speech therapists (aka speech-language pathologists, or SLPs) are healthcare providers. In a pediatric setting, they work with children and their families to build speech, language, cognitive, social communication, and sometimes feeding and swallowing skills. Through the use of exercises, activities, and strategies, SLPs can help kids with diverse needs to improve their communication and oral function.

  • On the surface, a speech therapy session might just look like two people playing together. But it’s actually much more!

    Every session is uniquely designed to address a child’s communication goals. When working with infants, toddlers, and school-age children, speech therapy interventions may address a variety of neurodevelopmental (brain-based developmental) conditions.

  • Common goal areas can include:

    Saying sounds/words clearly and correctly

    Following directions

    Using correct pronouns

    Using full sentences with correct word order

    Answering questions

    Being understood by others

    Making and keeping friends

    Taking Turns

    Maintaining a topic of conversation

    Understanding sarcasm and humor

    Reading, writing or spelling

    Rhyming words

    Learning new vocabulary

  • Caregiver concern is a solid first step for finding the answer.

    Signs that your child may benefit from a speech therapy evaluation and ongoing support include:

    Difficulty saying sounds/words/sentences correctly

    Trouble with understanding directions

    Challenges understanding classroom materials

    Not meeting grade-level reading, writing or spelling skills

    Showing signs of frustration or avoidance

    Using “slushy” or unclear speech

    Having a rough or hoarse voice, or a voice that is too quiet

    Repeating sounds, words, or phrases multiple times

    Appearing to get “stuck” while trying to speak

Occupational Therapy

  • Occupational therapists (OTs) are healthcare providers that help people, of all ages, engage in meaningful activities that they want or need to do in their everyday lives. In pediatrics, an OT will work with the child and family to support engagement in the activities that are meaningful to them. OTs use play activities, specifically tailored modifications and supports, and family home programs to support a child’s success in daily activity participation.

  • An OT is the “occupation expert!” A pediatric OT works with the child and their family to support engagement in the activities that are meaningful to them. Some of the skills we might work on include:

    Self regulation, emotional or behavioral difficulties

    Problem solving, attention, and organization

    Hand- eye and body coordination

    Handwriting or typing skills

    Dressing skills, including buttons, zippers, shoelaces

    Bathing and toileting

    Feeding and eating challenges

    Sensory processing concerns

    Accommodations and supports

    Play and peer interaction skills

    Self advocacy

    Activity perseverance

    Flexible thinking skills

  • For an OT, “occupations” are the meaningful activities that we want and need to do in our everyday lives, from brushing your teeth and getting dressed to eating meals with your family or going to school.

    Everyone, of all ages, participates in occupations. An OT provides services that support engagement in these activities!

  • Signs that your child may benefit from OT services include:

    Child appears clumsy or uncoordinated

    Frequent emotional outbursts

    Delayed fine motor or gross motor milestones

    Difficulty playing with a variety of toys

    Trouble with potty training

    Sensitive to the physical touch, clothing, or messy play

    Sensitive to loud or unexpected noises

    Trouble sitting still or “always on the move” in a way that interferes with daily life

    Difficulty “staying on task” and organized during a routine activity

    Trouble playing and cooperating with peers

    Difficulty with fine motor tasks, such as handwriting, buttoning, or shoe tying

    Child is a picky eater and it is interfering with their ability to eat a varied, healthy diet

  • Below are some common diagnoses that OTs often see and provide support for, but every child’s needs are different, so check with your pediatrician or give us a call if you would like to know more.
    Autism
    ADD/ADHD
    Sensory Processing Disorder Behavioral or mental health disorders
    Neurological conditions
    Genetic disorders
    Intellectual and developmental disabilities
    Developmental delays Traumatic Brain Injury
    Down Syndrome
    Cerebral Palsy
    Auditory Processing Disorder Chronic pain or fatigue
    Anxiety
    Dyslexia
    Global developmental delay Fetal alcohol syndrome

Feeding Therapy

  • "FED is FED is FED!"

    In a nutshell, feeding therapy is about developing skills required to stay well-fed and healthy. This could involve strengthening oral-motor functions and swallowing, addressing sensory feeding challenges, or even helping new parents with breast-/bottle-feeding their infants.

    As you can probably tell, goals in feeding therapy can vary widely based on a child's needs. A specifically trained OT or SLP could provide this service - reach out to us to learn more!

  • Feeding therapy sessions often involve a lot of activities, caregiver coaching, "homework" for families to practice skills outside of our clinic, and a little messiness as kiddos explore new foods with their therapist. It's all part of the process!

    Our therapists value a team approach and will work collaboratively with a variety of professionals to ensure your child gets the highest quality of care. It takes a village to help a child thrive!

  • Therapy goals depend quite a bit on the reason that a child is receiving this type of support.

    • For oral-motor and swallowing challenges, goals might involve strengthening the different body parts of the mouth and throat and building coordination for biting, chewing, and swallowing. This is in an SLP's wheelhouse.

    • An OT might help with physical skills such as proper head/neck/trunk positioning and hand-eye coordination for feeding.

    • For sensory feeding, goals could include skills like tolerating different food textures, or even the presence of a food in the same room, reducing mealtime tantrums, or increasing the variety of foods that a child will eat.

    • For infant feeding therapy, we want that infant growing and thriving. Goals will often involve support with the breastfeeding process, finding techniques or products that help caregivers feed their infants effectively, or meeting certain weight thresholds.

  • Good question! Babies and children who would benefit from feeding therapy often show one or more of the following difficulties:

    • Sensory processing/regulation challenges

    • Less than 20 foods in their typical diet

    • Choking or gagging during feeding

    • Consistently coughing or "throat-clearing" during eating or drinking

    • Limited weight gain/failure to thrive

    • Bottle or food refusal

    • Refusal to eat entire food groups

    • Shallow latch at the breast or difficulty maintaining latch

    • Colic

    • Tethered oral tissues ("tongue tie")

    • Laryngomalacia (soft tissue in the structures of the throat near the vocal folds)

    • Difficulty transitioning to solid foods and cup drinking

  • The best bet would be to reach out to our clinic directly so one of our professionals can provide guidance that matches your family's needs.

    Before starting services, we'll need some details about your concerns and, whenever possible, any related info, diagnoses, or referrals from your pediatrician.

    *Some services require a referral and formal diagnosis. Get in touch so we can get that ball rolling!

Photo by Derek Owens