Child Language & Developmental Speech

09/18/2025

At the heart of every strong relationship—whether at school, work, or home—is communication.

At our Charlotte-based speech and language therapy practice, we believe that every individual deserves the opportunity to express themselves clearly and confidently. That’s why we're dedicated to helping children and adults improve their speech, language, and communication skills in a supportive, personalized environment.

Why Speech and Language Therapy Matters

Speech and language challenges can affect anyone—from toddlers struggling with their first words to adults recovering from strokes or traumatic brain injuries. Early intervention and consistent support can make a profound difference in building effective communication skills that last a lifetime.

Some of the areas we specialize in include:

Articulation and Speech Sound Disorders
-->Helping children and adults pronounce sounds correctly for clearer speech.

Language Delays and Disorders
-->Supporting those who have difficulty understanding or using language, both spoken and written.

Social Communication Skills
-->Helping clients navigate social interactions, make friends, and develop confidence in everyday conversations.

Fluency and Stuttering Therapy
-->Guiding individuals who struggle with stuttering toward more fluent, confident speech.

Why Charlotte Families Choose Us
-->Our practice is proud to serve the greater Charlotte, NC community with compassionate, evidence-based speech therapy.

We offer:

One-on-one therapy sessions tailored to individual goals,
Experienced, licensed speech-language pathologists (SLPs)
Flexible scheduling, including after-school and weekend appointments, Supportive parent training and home practice resources

Getting Started

If you’re concerned about your child’s speech development or you're an adult experiencing communication challenges, don’t wait. Early assessment and intervention can lead to significant improvements.

We offer free initial consultations to help you better understand how speech therapy can support your or your child’s growth.

Ready to take the next step?
Contact us today to schedule an evaluation or speak with one of our licensed speech-language pathologists. Your voice matters—and we’re here to help you use it.

09/09/2025

🌟 We’re Here to Help Your Child Find Their Voice! 🌟

At CLADS, we specialize in speech and language therapy that’s personalized, compassionate, and rooted in evidence-based practices. Whether your child is working on articulation, language development, social communication, or fluency — we’re here to walk alongside your family every step of the way.

🗣️ Services we offer:
✅ Speech sound/articulation therapy
✅ Language delays and disorders
✅ Social communication support
✅ Stuttering/fluency treatment
✅ Parent coaching and support

We believe every child deserves to be heard — clearly, confidently, and authentically. 💬💛

📍 Now accepting new clients
📆 Flexible scheduling options available
📞 Contact us today to schedule a consultation!

08/12/2025

How to work on articulation skills with your child

Practice a little bit each day: take 10-15 minutes a day to work on your child’s speech sounds with them. Consistency is key!

Model your child’s sounds: if your child incorrectly produces their speech sound, model it correctly for them to imitate. For example, if your child asks for the toy ‘nake’, say “Oh, you want the sssssnake!” Always reinforce your child for their efforts!

Use a mirror: a mirror provides your child with immediate visual feedback. Sometimes a child may think they are saying the sound correctly so it’s important for them to visually see their tongue and lip movements!

Be patient: your child’s speech sounds are not going to develop overnight. It takes lots of practice to learn a new skill! Try to make practicing fun so that your child does not become frustrated.

Incorporate games & books: find activities your child enjoys with their speech sound! For example, If your child is working on the K/G sound, use books such as “Kiss the cow!” or “The Grumpy Cat!”. There will be so many opportunities throughout the book to practice!

07/28/2025

Did you know- It is recommended that children under the age of 2, should not be exposed to screen time?

-For children aged 2 to 5 years, the Health Department recommends limiting screen time to 1 hour per day.
-Ways screen time can negatively impact your child’s development
-Taking time away from other healthy activities such as, active play, social interactions, using your imagination, and learning
-Children can become addicted to electronic devices just like adults. Screen time can increase your child’s dopamine level in your brain, which will lead your child to want more screen time.
-An abundance of screen time can cause obesity levels, speech delays, low achievement in schools and low attention levels.
-Too much screen time can also result in a lack of full range eye movement

Alternatives to screen time for children 2 and under
-Tummy time, crawl, walk, explore environmental surroundings
-Relaxing time with books and calming toys
-Sensory bin- fill a plastic container with either sand, rice, beans, or water. Put small toys in the bin so your child can find them
-Take a walk- explore new textures while walking (grass, mud, sticks)
-Go to the park

Alternatives to screen time for children ages 2 and up
-Read books
-Play games, learn new sports
-Participate in imaginative play
-Ride a bike/scooter
-Explore outside
-Finger paint or playdough
-Water play
-Puzzles
-Play dress up

Ways to have positive, healthy screen time
-Screen time should take place during the day and not right before bed, this can disrupt your child’s onset of sleep and result in a tired child.
-Video call family members, peers, and family friends
-Watch an age appropriate TV show or movie with your child.
-Pause the show/movie and ask
-Where does this take place? Who is in the story? Why did they do that? How do you think they feel? What do you think will happen next? Was that the right thing to do?
-Limit the screen time- set a timer for your child so they know how much time they have remaining. Take away all devices before bed
-Use screen time as an award (i.e. after you clean your room, you can play your game for 20 minutes)
-Be a good example, follow similar limits with your screen time and have no screens allowed in certain rooms of your house
-Choose educational games and videos for your child to watch and play on the screen
-Delay giving your child their own device for as long as you can

07/25/2025

We hope that everyone is enjoying their summer! We cannot believe how fast it is going!

Friendly reminder, you can always work on speech and language development!!

Try asking your child open-ended questions about their day! Open ended questions will help you learn more about their day, increase their conversational skills, and enhance your relationship with them.
Below are some open-ended questions you can ask after each day!

What made you smile today?
What was the hardest part of your day?
What made you laugh today?
What did you eat for lunch? Or What was your favorite part of lunch?
Tell me about what you read today or What did your teacher read to you today?
Show me what you learned today
What special did you go to today? (gym, music, art)
What did you do at specials?
Who did you sit next to at lunch today?
Who did you play with during recess today?
Did you ask your teacher any questions today?

If your child is demonstrating a difficult time recalling parts of their day, reach out to their teacher. His/her teacher will let you know some of the lesson plans for the week so you are able to ask more specific questions.

These questions are also a great way to navigate how your child may be feeling at school and if they are developing friendships.

Enjoy your day!

05/28/2025

We cannot believe it is almost the end of school?!?! Where has time gone! Want to avoid the summer slide? Reach out now to continue services this summer!!

04/30/2025

Some fun speech therapy activities are perfect for younger kids who enjoy active games.

Hopscotch Word Fun.
Draw a hopscotch on the sidewalk or driveway and write target words in each box.

I Spy
One player chooses an item in the room that all players can see, then offers clues so that the other players can guess the item they are thinking of. The player who guesses correctly has to use the word in a sentence.

The Alphabet Game
While driving in the car or walking around your neighborhood, have the player try to find all the letters of the alphabet on signs. Older players can record each letter they find on a piece of paper. See how long it takes to get all 26! For an added challenge, have them say a word that starts with each letter they find.

Bury Objects or Picture Cards
Hide objects or speech cards in a sandbox at the playground or under a pile of leaves, and have the player find them. When they do, have them pronounce the object’s name or the word on the card. To add another element to this game, have them use the word in a sentence.

Word Search
Find a word search that is appropriate for the player’s age, as there are many difficulty levels. When they find a word, have them say it aloud.

Hide-and-Seek with Words
Have the player find word cards you place around the house. When they find a card, have them pronounce the word on the card. For those who can’t read, use cards with pictures.

Articulation Station App on the ipad
The Articulation Station app by Little Bee Speech is designed for kids ages 4 and up. The app offers practice at the word, sentence, and story levels. Kids love to play the games on this app.

04/08/2025

Did you know, we do it all :)

03/31/2025

🥳🥳🥳

03/26/2025

Happy Wednesday! If you are interested in continuing services over summer, please reach out! We will be running an Early Bird Special through the end of April! Fill out the following form and we will reach out to you!

If you are interested in continuing speech services over summer, please take a moment to fill out this Summer Speech Interest form and we will reach out to you with specifics about scheduling!

03/18/2025

Happy Tuesday!

Check out the following Tuesday Tips!

Production of the /r/ sound is trickier than other sounds since visual cues are not as obvious as, say, the /p/ and /b/ sounds. So, it helps to have your child understand the correct tongue placement. Have your child feel the sides of their tongue with a finger. Next, have your child try to touch the sides of their tongue to their top back teeth. Finally, have them turn on their voice and you should hear a simple /r/ sound.

Once this has been mastered, you can now try what many speech therapists do and have your child pretend to be a pirate and say, “arrrr!” *(Since /r/ is typically mastered by the age of 7, this strategy is better suited for older children who have more sensory awareness).

* To help increase or encourage your young child’s expressive language development, one tip is to model the correct (or “adult”) phrasing without directly correcting your child. For example, if your child says, “doggy run,” you could respond by saying “Yes, the doggy is running!” Or, if your child asks, “want milk,” you could respond with, “I like how you said, ‘I want milk please.’” This strategy not only shows your child how to produce the correct phrasing, but it allows a very simple conversational back and forth that can encourage further language and social development.

Games such as Chutes and Ladders or Candy Land are excellent activities for children. They have simple directions and incorporate turn-taking, both of which are fundamental skills needed for every child’s development. The simple rules help children develop their understanding of following multi-step directions. The turn-taking helps children understand the back-and-forth nature of conversation. Also, it is important to describe the events taking place and to give your child the chance to do the same. For example, with Chutes and Ladders, you can say, “Oh look, you got a four. Count with me: one, two, three four…oh no! You’re going down the slide.” Remember, it’s okay not to let your child win all the time.

03/11/2025

Tuesday Tips :)