Triad Speech Therapy LLC

07/22/2024

Late elementary and middle school students have fun working on idioms with these fun visuals!

06/28/2024

The joy in my job is the tender wonder in the eyes of my clients ❤️

06/16/2024

05/11/2024

01/18/2024

As a parent, sitting in the therapy room watching your child complete their speech evaluation might bring up a multitude of emotions and questions...

"Are they doing okay?"
"Should I have worked with them more?"
"Did I read enough books to them?"
"What if they really do need speech therapy?"
"What will that even look like?"
"Will they hate it? Love it?"
"Will they feel "different" from their friends because they have to have speech?"

Breathe, mama. Deep breaths.

First, I want to assure you that if you're bringing your child in for an evaluation, you're doing just fine. I already know how much you care and how your heart feels like it might burst sometimes because you love them so much. I know you'd do anything to see them succeed and find their "muchness" in the world.

Second, speech isn't a bad thing! To put your mind at ease, here's what you can expect AFTER the evaluation.

1️⃣We will talk and I'll give you my first impression. But, I'll need to score and analyze the assessment before we go any further. I will need a little bit of time to do this.

2️⃣After I've scored and analyzed the assessment along with all of the information you've shared with me to get a clear picture of your *whole* child and all of their needs and goals, we will talk about recommendations. I'll give you a report to take home with you with all of the information on it.

3️⃣If your child needs therapy, we will pick a time for you to come each week. If they don't need therapy, I'll give you some tips and ideas to help them continue to soar through life!

4️⃣At your first visit, I will work on building rapport and the foundation of a relationship with your child. We will work on speech and language, but the relationship we build to help them trust me and buy in to the process of speech therapy is vital!

5️⃣I'll give you activities you can use as practice at home.

As we go through the therapy process, we will make adjustments based on what we see working and what may not be working. Each child is unique & deserves therapy that meets their individual needs. We will work as a team to help them live as their fullest self and succeed in all areas of their life!

01/16/2024

☃️ January’s here – and it comes with a flurry of new vocabulary!

How many can you and your kiddo sprinkle into conversations this month?

Each word offers a little challenge to enhance your child’s vocabulary…

☃️ Can you read a story about a sleigh ride or snowman?

☃️ Can you throw snowballs (real or the crumpled-up paper kind, you pick!)?

☃️ Can you put on your mittens and walk in the chilly air together?

💜 Challenge accepted?

Let's see how many words you can check off the list.

Share your successes in the comments and let's celebrate your child’s language growth together!

01/15/2024

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Triad Speech Therapy will be closed on January 15th.

This is a time to reflect on Dr. King's legacy of courage, justice, and the relentless pursuit of equality.

💜 Let's all take a moment to honor his memory and reaffirm our commitment to building a world rooted in understanding, acceptance, inclusivity, and love.

01/12/2024

Does your kiddo LOVE practicing their L sound? If not, they're not the first one... So, I've got tips for you to practice the L sound at home with your child & make it FUN!

We make the L sound by lifting our tongues up behind our front teeth & turning on our voice by vibrating our vocal cords.

Most children can correctly say the L sound in words by 5 years of age. If a child is having trouble making the L sound, it might come out sounding like a W or Y sound.

But don't worry - SLPs are trained to help children who have trouble with their L sound!

To get the fastest improvement, we encourage you to bring your child to therapy each week & practice daily with your child!

Here are 5 ways to make this practice easy AND fun:
1️⃣ Play hot & cold
🔥 Print off the L words, cut them up into squares, & hide them!
🔥 Your child will have so much fun running around to find the words.
🔥 Let them know if they're "hot" or "cold" as they search
🔥 Once they've found one, say the word & encourage them to repeat it after you

2️⃣ Sing songs with the L sound
🎵 Bonus: you can do this ANYWHERE, ANYTIME! From cleaning up toys, riding in the car, or taking a walk - it's always a good time to sing!
🎵 For example: try singing "Mary Had a Little Lamb," or make up a silly song of L words

3️⃣ Take a walk
🌲 Search for & name things you see that have the L sound
🌲 Once you start looking, you & your child will probably see L words everywhere!
🌲 leaves, lawnmowers, clouds, & balls, or say 'hello' to neighbors/friends.

4️⃣ Color small pictures that have L words in them
🖍 Ask your child's SLP for L words to practice - they might even print a coloring page out for you!
🖍 Encourage your child to color the picture, then say the word & ask them to say it after you

5️⃣ Play detective around the house
🔍 Find items that have the L sound
🔍 For example, if your child is working on the L sound at the beginning of words, find lamps, laundry, or legos at home!

Have you noticed your child is past the age when they should be making the L sound or is having trouble making it or other sounds? Give me a call today! I would love to meet you & see if I can help your kiddo! (502)-373-2540

01/11/2024

Have you ever wondered what your child's SLP is doing in a session?

It looks like they're just playing with your young child!

Even though it might look like they're playing, your child's SLP is actually using this strategy to practice their goals and promote their speech & language development...in a way that's FUN!

What are some of the benefits of using play in therapy?
Let's find out! ⬇️

1️⃣ Exploration through play is how humans learn.
🌟 Think about when you get a new kitchen gadget or tool for work. How do you figure out how to use it? You might read the directions, but ultimately, you'll play around with it to learn through trial and error how to best use your new gadget.
✨ Kids enjoy exploration! They'll be engaged, pay attention, & want to participate.

2️⃣ It provides lots of language opportunities!
🌟 While your child is having fun, they begin to feel more comfortable and at ease. This helps them feel safe enough to try new things, like saying & repeating sounds & words.

3️⃣ You carry over therapy play activities at home with your child too!
✨ Your SLP can teach you what to do & focus on at home
🌟 Don't be afraid to observe sessions & ask questions
✨ This will not only promote your child's speech/language...it can also strengthen your interactions with your child!
🌟Our SLPs want to help & teach you how you can support your child's speech/language development.

PLUS, there's loads and loads of research that shows that children learn best through play. So, we're not just here to have fun with your kiddos, we're truly teaching them through play.

If you think your child might benefit from using play in speech therapy, give us a call today to learn more and set up an appointment!

What's your favorite way to play and interact with your child at home? Leave us a comment below! ⬇️

01/10/2024

You might hear SLPs talk about cues... but what exactly are they? In short, cues are little reminders or hints that we give children to help them learn. But they're not just for SLPs! Parents can use them too!

Here are 6 different types of cues that SLPs & parents can use at home to help support their child’s articulation goals.

In order from most support to least support:

🌟Tactile cues- With this cue, the adult or SLP is using touch to teach the correct placement of articulators. You can use your fingers or tongue depressor to help the child “feel” where to move their tongue, lips, teeth, & jaw.

🌟Imitation- For this cue, the adult or SLP is saying the target sound/word aloud at the same time as the child. This requires a slower rate of speech, to allow the child to process what the adult is saying & replicate it in the same way.

🌟Delayed Imitation- Here, the adult or SLP can say aloud the target sound/word & then say another phrase or pause before the child attempts to repeat the same target. For example, say “more, what do you want?” Then the child says “more”.

🌟Visual Cue- This cue can come in various ways; pointing to the target sound/word's placement on yourself, a picture representing what the sound looks like (i.e. a snake for “s), or just simply the letter or word you are targeting written down.

🌟Verbal Cue- Just as the name implies, the adult or SLP uses a verbal command only to help the child accurately say their target sound or word. For example, “tongue up” when targeting the sounds T & D.

🌟Initial Reminder- Finally, an opening cue can be provided at the start of working on a sound such as “remember to focus on your S sound”. This would be the only cue provided & the last step before the child is independent in saying a target correctly!

Try these out at home with your kiddos!

Which ones work best? Share in the comments.

01/09/2024

Hey Moms, I see you.

I see your love for your child. I see how you want the best for them. I see your excitement, pride, & joy.

But, I also see your...
💜 Fear
💜 Guilt
💜 Uncertainty
💜 Sleepless nights

I’m there with you…I'm a mom too. But I know we wouldn’t trade it for anything - it’s the best job in the world.

Behind our sleepy eyes, we have full hearts & unconditional love for our littles! We're doing the best we can!

We really just want the best for them. We want to know that…
💜 They’re making friends
💜 They’re meeting their developmental milestones
💜 They’re not being bullied
💜 They’re on track with speech & language

I just want you to know that I'm here for you. If these thoughts have been keeping you up at night (or just hanging out in the back of your mind)…it doesn’t have to be that way. Let me put your mind at ease!

Give me a call and we can figure out if your child should come in for a full evaluation or not.

I partner with you & your entire family, to design the best treatment for your unique child!

📱Call or send me a DM today to get started!📱