THERAPY & EVALUATION SERVICES

Evaluations

Evaluations allow us to develop a comprehensive understanding of your child's unique abilities and challenges. To identify the underlying factors contributing to your child's challenges, our process includes:

Parent interview
Observation of your child
Formal, standardized assessments
Play-based interactions

At the conclusion of the assessment, you will receive recommendations and together we will develop a treatment plan with goals that align with your family's preferences and your child's needs.

Disorders Treated

We treat a variety of disorders and diagnoses, including the following:

Late-Talkers
Childhood Apraxia of Speech
Articulation Disorders
Phonological Delays & Disorders
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Expressive & Receptive Language Impairment
Feeding Disorders
Picky Eating
Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders

At Speech Nest, we treat the child, not the disorder. As every child is a unique individual, every therapy session will be tailored to their specific personalities and needs.

disorders treated

SPEECH and language

Speech

Speech therapy combines play-based and traditional approaches to support children in developing speech skills such as:

Functional communication for wants and needs

Increased speech intelligibility/clarity

Production of age-appropriate speech sounds and sound combinations

Motor planning and coordination for speech

Appropriate rhythm and rate of speech

We will meet your child where they are at to support the development of age-appropriate speech skills. Together we will reduce frustration and increase your child's confidence in their communication!

Language

Language therapy will help your child engage with their world by developing skills related to understanding and using language. Skills targeted include:

Increasing vocabulary and verbal communication

Combining words into sentences

Engagement in back-and-forth conversation

Ability to follow directions

Answering and asking questions

Retelling stories and using descriptive language

Language skills are important for your child to communicate wants and needs, engage in social interactions, and participate in learning and school. Every session will address skills that will have a positive impact on your child's daily life.

Feeding

We will begin with a feeding evaluation to understand your child's food preferences and aversions, medical history, and sensory concerns. The evaluation will allow us to tailor your child's therapy plan to meet their specific feeding and swallowing needs. We will target goals such as:

Increasing tolerance of non-preferred foods

Expanding accepted foods

Reducing avoidance behaviors during mealtimes

Developing oral motor skills for chewing

Parent coaching and home programs are important components of feeding therapy. We will dedicate time every session for education on specific tools and strategies to use at home.

Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy

Orofacial myofunctional therapy treats abnormal development and movement patterns of the face and mouth which can impact dentition, facial growth, tongue posture, breathing, and speech and feeding skills. Therapy addresses:

Open-bite and/or tongue thrust

Speech distortions, especially lisps, /r/, and /l/

Thumb sucking and other negative oral habits

Reduce the risk of re-attachment of the tongue or lip after a frenectomy

Persistent open-mouth breathing

Chewing with the lips/mouth open

Drooling, primarily beyond age 2

Orofacial myofunctional treatment is typically provided in collaboration with other professionals such as ENTs, dentists, orthodontists, etc.

feeding and omd