CUE Communication Universally Empowers

CUE Communication Universally Empowers We offer in-clinic (or onsite small radius around downtown Cary) language, regulation and feeding intensive services to children 0-18 years of age.

We offer virtual consultation to families around the world

Learning is important.Unlearning is essential. ♾️This reminder from a recent CE course challenged me to reflect on how g...
02/03/2026

Learning is important.
Unlearning is essential. ♾️

This reminder from a recent CE course challenged me to reflect on how growth sometimes means letting go — not because something is “wrong,” but because it may not serve the people in front of us anymore.

If you’d like the link to the exception CE course on multicultural considerations and AAC that inspired this reflection, feel free to DM me 💛





01/30/2026

Let’s talk about the power of validation 💛

Early in life, many gestalt language processors experience repeated communication breakdowns 😣
Their messages aren’t consistently understood, responded to, or honored.

As they gain access to a reliable communication system (AAC, gestures, signs, verbal language), a very common communication pattern emerges 👇
They repeat their message until their communication partner repeats it back.

This isn’t “getting stuck.”
This is self-advocacy 💪✨
It’s their way of saying:
👉 “Did you hear me?”
👉 “Did you understand me?”
👉 “Please validate my message.”
This little guy shows it so beautifully 🥹
We’re working on increasing gestalt flexibility by adding a variety of grammatical components onto his existing gestalts ➕

So let’s ask the real question 👀
Does his need for validation limit his ability to have more flexible gestalts?

If initiations aren’t validated by someone familiar with gestalt language processing, it can look that way.
We might see terms in documentation like:
🚫 “perseverating”
🚫 “non-communicative repetition”
But that’s not a child deficit.
That’s a gap in clinician understanding.

Because once he’s validated…
✨ watch how regulated
✨ how open
✨ and how ready he is for gestalt expansion

So remember 👇
Validate first. Expand second.
It will completely change your clinical game ♾️🔥


♾️


Only a feeding therapist could end up here… anything to keep them wondering 🤔.
01/30/2026

Only a feeding therapist could end up here… anything to keep them wondering 🤔.





01/28/2026

I walked with the monks for peace. And I did it as a speech therapist, a woman, a mom, and a human being.

For centuries, when there is unrest, Buddhist monks do not shout or argue.
They walk—silently—embodying peace, unity, and compassion.

The Dhammacetiya Venerable monks are walking 2,300 miles from Texas to D.C.
A silent demonstration for a country that is hurting.

Right now, our nation is bleeding.
Families are living in fear.
Parents are afraid to go to work or bring their children to school.
Medical care is being delayed.
Children are missing learning, play, and safety.
Chronic stress and cortisol are shaping everyday life.
So the monks walk.
And I walked with them—to listen, to learn, and to move forward with clarity and courage.

I cannot separate what is happening in our country from my work as a speech therapist.
Therapy is an act of service.
At its core, our job is to create safety—because no skill can grow in fear.

What ICE is doing in this country stands in direct opposition to that value.

It violates my ethics as both a human and a therapist.
Every person deserves to feel valued, loved, and safe.
Period.

01/22/2026

When the new special interest toy hits hard 🦸‍♂️💥
The minute a new special interest cycles in, I’m already on the hunt for anything that taps into it 👀✨

This gem of a find did it all:
🦸‍♂️ honored his special interest
🎯 embedded therapy goals
🏃‍♂️ invited movement + regulation

We were fully in love.

If you’re still trying to steer clients away from their special interests…
please pause and reconsider.

Let’s look at the actual impact of steering away:
🚫 decreased therapeutic motivation
🚫 negating sense of self by discouraging passions
🚫 ruptures essential therapeutic trust
🚫 forced, unnatural therapy flow
🚫 reduced internal motivation to communicate when the learning space no longer feels safe

And the positives of steering away?
Let’s see…
There are none.

Special interests aren’t a barrier.
They’re the bridge. 🌉✨





01/20/2026

As food textures become more complex, a child’s motor planning has to be more precise in order to safely break down, control, and swallow each bite.

In the first clip, the spoon triggers a tonic bite reflex → the tongue elevates without any chewing occurring→ the swallow happens too quickly.
Even though this child has the skills, the way the bite starts, impacts his control of the food in his mouth.

When a bite begins reflexively, it’s hard for the body to shift into motor planning mid-bite.
Some kids stay reflexive through the swallow.
Others try to shift — but the movements aren’t as coordinated or efficient.

So we made one tiny change:
👉 we offered the orange from the front and asked him to bite a piece from the whole.

That small shift invited his system to plan every step:

bite

control the fruit with his tongue

bring it to his teeth

chew with control

swallow safely

…and then enjoy that proud smile at the end 💛

Takeaway:
If a utensil, technique, or food is activating a primitive reflex, don’t be afraid to change your approach to support motor planning.

Primitive reflex patterns take more effort — and become less efficient as textures get harder.
Motor planning makes movement more efficient, safer, and less fatiguing.





01/16/2026

What the last day of an intensive really leaves behind.

It looks like cleaning.
It feels like remembering.

Every tool, surface, and “mess” holds a story of growth, safety, and bravery.
Heavy with goodbye — light with hope for what’s ahead. 🤍





01/15/2026

Therapy happens on a schedule — but connection doesn’t. ⏰🤍

As we were cleaning up, my client held onto one last game piece. When I asked him to put it in the box, he said, “No.”

In that moment, I had two choices:

1️⃣ Insist on compliance and risk leaving him with a “yuck” feeling that could carry into his day.

2️⃣ Honor his boundary (I asked — he answered), stay in relationship, and wait for a moment that felt easier for him.

I chose option 2. 🌱
We shifted to something that captivated him (also targeted his goals, bonus), the piece naturally slipped from his hand, and as we left the room I quietly tucked it back into the box.

He walked out regulated, connected, and ready for the rest of his day — carrying skills, not stress. 🫶✨

Sometimes the most therapeutic move is respecting the “no.”





01/14/2026

Interoception matters in feeding therapy 🧠👄

Interoception is how we notice and respond to sensations inside our body—and it’s a big part of safe, confident eating.

Today we worked on helping this little one notice and clear wet vocal quality using a strong cough. The video is a little longer so you can watch the full progression of what happened.

His mom shared a concern many families recognize:
Sometimes he’ll have a wet voice and not seem to notice it.

So here’s what we did 👇

Build awareness first
👂 “Do you feel it?”
🐸 “It sounds like there’s a froggy in your throat.”
🌀 “Do you feel the wiggles in your throat?”

When he coughed:
✨ “Did you feel that?”
✨ “The froggy is gone!”

Practice the skill (outside of eating)
🎭 Playful back-and-forth coughing
🧻💨 Tissue paper in front of the mouth to see the airflow

Talk through the mechanics
🫁 Strong belly
😄 Big proud chest
👄 Mouth open

Pair language with action
🗣️ “That was a good cough.”
🗣️ “Ooo, I coughed!”

This is how we connect sensation → action → language.

What biological functions do you support in therapy or at home? 💭





01/12/2026

When the body is doing something new (and a little scary), communication often reorganizes to support it. 🧠💬

Today was this little one’s last day of regular therapy—and it felt like a full-circle moment. ♾️

As she navigated a new motor challenge, the way she accessed her communication deepened in real time. 🤸🏿‍♂️➡️💭

She drew on language to:
• describe the movement she wanted to try 🗣️
• tune into interoceptive sensations and link them to emotions ❤️‍🩹
• advocate for herself (“not brave”) ✋🏿
• direct caregivers in how to support her body 🧭
• clarify when she was misunderstood 🔁
• collaborate toward one shared goal 🤝
• celebrate herself when she succeeded ✨

This kind of motor task layers demand:
stress + motor planning + inner dialogue + multiple voices offering input
→ a real challenge for auditory processing and regulation 👂🏿⚡️

Through it all, her body received rich proprioceptive input, and her confidence grew as she learned how to move herself through challenge 💪🏿🌱

If you’re feeling stuck with functional activities that naturally invite communication, consider gross motor play like this.
This bar created space for leadership, collaboration, and self-advocacy to emerge organically 🌈

Address

Cary, NC

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+19198026122

Website

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Get to Know C.U.E.

About Us:

C.U.E. is a small private practice owned by a speech-language pathologist. We conduct therapy with a strong focus on researched based, and functional treatment approaches. Therapy is conducted in the client’s natural and unsterile environment so skills learned are immediately applied to daily life. We specialize in language disorders, individuals on the Autism Spectrum, and treating in Spanish. However, we are passionate about treating children and families with a variety of needs.

Our Promise:

To provide high-quality therapy that achieves your family's goals through researched based treatment techniques. We recognize caregivers and family as the most valuable tool to help children achieve their highest potential. Caregivers and family members will feel empowered to support their loved one through education, modeling, and cuing, so treatment techniques are easily integrated into daily activities.