Wee Speak Services:

More About Our Services:

We have experience working with children who have a variety of disorders and disabilities. Areas of specialized training with children include, but are not limited to:

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Early Language Delays

Delays in language are the most common types of developmental delay.  We can help children improve their understanding of language (follow directions, point to/identify objects), increase their use of expressive language (say words, expand vocabulary, request) and use gestures to communicate during play and structured therapy. 

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Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS)
Our experienced staff are able to diagnose and treat children with Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS).  We use Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing (DTTC), which is a motor-based approach, meaning it is designed to improve the brain’s ability to plan and program movements for speech. We also use the Cycles Approach and PROMPT when appropriate.  Every treatment plan is specifically designed for the individual needs of each child. 

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Stuttering (Fluency)​

We implement a team approach to stuttering therapy for children, which includes the therapist, child and parent.  Our clinicians' evaluate, diagnose and create an individualized treatment plan for each child.  Stuttering therapy includes learning about the speech mechanism, the definition of stuttering, the types of stuttering, various strategies and techniques for smoother speech, as well as reducing the fear of stuttering and learning how to change negative thoughts about stuttering into positive ones.  

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Articulation and Phonological Impairments

Also known as speech sound disorders, we evaluate, diagnose and treat a variety of functional articulation and phonological disorders as well as organic speech sounds disorders resulting from CAS, dysarthria, cleft lip/palate, and hearing loss. 

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Auditory and Language Processing Disorders

We treat children who have a language processing disorder (LPD) by helping them understand and make sense of the words they hear as well as teach them to follow directions and understand stories. We help children who have an auditory processing disorder (APD) to correctly process or interpret what they hear and to hear the differences between sounds in words. 

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Expressive Language Disorders
Our experienced clinicians help children who struggle to put words together into a sentence or may not string words together correctly in their sentences. Children with expressive language disorders may have difficulties finding the right words while speaking and have a low vocabulary level compared to other children the same age.​ Among other things, we help improve the child's vocabulary and teach him/her to use tenses (past, present, future) correctly.

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Receptive Language Disorders

We help children who have a receptive language disorder to understand what people have said to them, follow directions that are spoken to them help them organize their thoughts for speaking or writing using both structured and unstructured therapy activities.

 

Pragmatics and Social Language
We help children who have difficulty with social communication skills by teaching them to use language (ex., greetings, requesting, informing and demanding) and to change language for the listener by giving more information or communicating differently based on the situation.  We also teach children to follow the rules for conversation and storytelling by taking turns, staying on topic, using gestures and facial expressions and knowing how close to stand to someone when talking (personal space).   

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Feeding Therapy

Our feeding therapist works closely with clients and their families to determine the source of the child’s difficulties and develop very specific therapies to make the entire process of eating easier and more enjoyable.  A few of the behaviors that we treat include children who: refuse to eat certain food textures, refuse or rarely try new foods, have negative mealtime behaviors, gag or choke when eating, and infants who have difficulty coordinating the suck/swallow/breathe pattern when feeding. 

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Myofunctional Therapy

Myofunctional Therapy is the treatment of orofacial dysfunction or orofacial myofunctional disorders (OMD). Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders is defined as “atypical, adaptive patterns that emerge in the absence of normalized patterns within the orofacial complex. The regular presence of these adaptive movements can often result in a variety of disturbances.” Examples of OMDs include: Open mouth resting posture/mouth breathing, tongue thrust, thumb or finger sucking habits, clenching/grinding, TMJD, and tethered oral tissues (tongue, lip and/or cheek). OMDs can lead to changes in dental alignment, chewing, swallowing, speech sound production, and sleep patterns. The goal of Myofunctional Therapy is to eliminate: oral habits (e.g., thumb sucking), open mouth posture, low & forward resting tongue, dental malocclusions, and tongue thrust.

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Occupational Therapy

An occupational therapist is a healthcare professional who works with clients of all ages and abilities to become as independent as possible. They utilize an evidence-based and holistic treatment approach to ensure their clients meet their goals and thrive in all environments. They use up to date research to treat each client individually while considering their strengths and limitations. Occupational therapists can assist clients with physical, emotional, cognitive, and sensory aspects of life such as dressing, handwriting, peer play, balance, coordination, behavior, emotional regulation, attention, and so much more! 

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