Circle Therapy Services
Evaluations
Direct Therapy
Home programming
Screenings
Consultations with other speech therapists
Parent education
Staff education
Articulation
We use 100 muscles to produce and coordinate movements for intelligible speech. It is frustrating for children and caregivers when sounds and words don't come out the right way. I use a combination of evidence based approaches including listening for and discriminating sounds, talking about how to produce sounds and lots of perfect practice making sounds and sound combinations to create speech that is clearer and easier to understand.
Feeding and Swallowing
Being able to take enough calories in to fuel our bodies keeps us alive. One of our most sacred rituals is eating together. Think about family or memorable functions and many probably revolve around food or a meal.
Eating is a developmental process. Babies’ brains need to be able to coordinate sucking, swallowing and breathing to bottle or breast feed. Children’s muscles and sensory systems need to mature to be able to make transitions to solid foods and then again to handle different textures.
When kiddos struggle with eating any step along the way, that eating ritual becomes unpleasant and stressful for both parents and kids. A speech therapist can help by introducing different foods in less typical ways or helping a parent change their response to what happens at mealtime. Sometimes small changes can pave the way to more peaceful feeding times. Sometimes it requires more intervention.
Eating is a power struggle parents will never win. Identifying the cause of the challenge and adjusting expectations, changing presentations or learning different strategies can be invaluable to families. Speech therapy can help.
Language
Language is a system of symbols we use to communicate with others. Expressive language is the words we use and how we put those words together into sentences. People can communicate using gestures or facial expressions, using a signed language, pointing at pictures, touching a button on a computer screen, writing words down, and through speaking.
Receptive language is how we understand communication. We can hear others say things, read words and sentences, and watch signs or gestures.
As a speech therapist, my job is to meet children where they are at in their communication and gently lead them to the next level through play. Building a trusting relationship is so important. We are asking children to change the way they communicate which takes expertise, patience and trust.