Toddler Late Talkers
If a child is not talking or communicating as expected early on (sometimes called a “late talker”), speech-language therapy may be necessary to support your child during their critical developmental period. Laura provides targeted strategies to families to help unlock early language. Research shows a collaborative, family-centered approach where the speech therapist and parents work as a team, facilitates the best outcomes for early language development. If you have concerns about your child’s development, it is recommended that you seek a child evaluation by a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist to check and find out if your child needs support early on, rather than adopting the “wait and see” approach.
Oral Placement / PROMPT Therapy
For some children, traditional speech therapy may not be enough to address their speech challenges and they may benefit from oral-motor therapy. For example, a child may demonstrate underlying muscle weakness and movement difficulties. A child might be excessively drooling, demonstrating low tone in the face, having challenges making certain sounds, consistently showing open mouth breathing posture, or tongue thrust where the tongue comes out and forward during speech. They may benefit from oral-motor therapy. This muscle-based therapy addresses the underlying oral muscles and movements needed for speech clarity.
Preschool, Pre-K & Kindergarten
When working with children on language development, Laura uses a whole-child approach. She focuses on building connection which lends itself to language, communication, and expanded interaction. Specific aspects of language are targeted including vocabulary, sequencing, stories, retell from age-appropriate books, creating a shared world, and targeted grammatical and phrases to support rich language and communication. Laura employs a developmental approach to best support the child, incorporating techniques from DIR Floortime. This method emphasizes the importance of emotional and relational development as the foundation for cognitive and language skills, ensuring a comprehensive and effective intervention.
Gestalt Language Processing / Echolalia
Most children develop speech and language by building up their vocabulary word-by-word. However, some children have a different but equally valid process of developing language, called Gestalt Language Processing or Echolalia. This language development occurs when children develop language in chunks or phrases rather than word-by-word. Children may repeat the phrase they heard from an adult, tv show, or song. Often, children will pick up the intonation or the “sing-song” cadence of speech before the understanding first, before use of the individual words develop. Children who are Gestalt Language Processors need a specific approach to speech therapy, one that allows them to build up original language so they can use words to communicate their wants, needs, and ideas.