I design therapy programs based on each client's specific Speech, Language and Communication needs and his/her special and unique interests. 

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Speech

Intelligible speech is a vital and primary tool of communication. I use an eclectic approach to speech intervention for all ages, from preschool children to adults, which may address:
  • Mastering accurate articulation of speech sounds 
  • Accelerating phonological development
  • Facilitating  sound-symbol relationships as a foundation for reading and writing
  • Enhancing fluency of speech
  • Facilitating sustainable habits of breath and vocal control
  • Modifying rate of speech 
Language

Using personally motivating contexts, I guide each client to develop enriched receptive and expressive language skills, the basis for effective communication and academic skills.

Based on individual needs and developmental stages, children are supported and guided to: 
  • Play imaginatively while expanding concepts and using language to code the action and experience
  • Comprehend and use an expanded vocabulary
  • Process and use increasingly complex sentence structures to navigate needs, actions, thoughts, feelings and ideas
  • Follow/give instructions and answer/ask questions of increasing length and complexity
  • Listen actively and interactively to stories and texts, with comprehension of concepts, inferred ideas, descriptive details and expressed underlying emotions
  • Retell stories with attention to sequence, offering salient and relevant information
  • Use competent linguistic skills to describe personal experiences and to process and share information
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Communication / Pragmatic Language Skills:

Words are our tools for effective communication

The Mini Group:
I believe that communication skills are best fostered within the social setting of a small peer group. To this end I have created the Mini Group intervention model for young children. Mini Groups include two or three participants and  focus on developing the "Tools for Making Friends".
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The groups meet weekly and are an ideal environment to foster positive peer relationships. The small group experience serves as a stepping stone to more successful communication in the classroom and beyond.

Participants in the Mini Group have a weekly opportunity to:
  • Listen and respond to their playmates' words and actions while playing or spending time together
  • Use age appropriate language to talk about preferences, dislikes, actions, plans and ideas while playing / interacting
  • Engage in one common theme during play or group activity. The participants are drawn to express thoughts and perspectives around the shared activity, which encourages conversation and "social thinking"
  • Take turns with favorite toys or with roles assumed during play or activities
  • Practice using words to initiate play or to join others' play
  • Develop effective conversational skills, such as taking turns to talk, not interrupting, asking and answering questions
  • Identify and label feelings as they emerge in the group context
  • Navigate conflicts, using words as "tools"
  • Choose activities, make plans, discuss
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