Speech First, LLC

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Speech First, LLC

Lindsay Petersen, M.A. CCC-SLP/L offers comprehensive evaluations, private in-home speech therapy, a

Speech First, LLC is owned and operated by Lindsay Petersen, a Pennsylvania State licensed and nationally certified Speech-Language Pathologist who provides private, in-home speech therapy to the greater Philadelphia region. Lindsay has extensive experience assessing and treating clients with receptive/expressive language impairments, articulation and phonological disorders, fluency disorders, fee

ding delays and disorders, and communication delays and disorders associated with developmental delays, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Childhood Apraxia of Speech, hearing loss, and neurological impairments. She is trained in the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), American Sign Language, and Auditory Verbal Therapy strategies and techniques. Lindsay believes in a multidisciplinary team approach to therapy and thus encourages collaboration with parents, caregivers, teachers and other professionals to provide the most optimal and successful treatment plan for her clients. Her practice is based on providing the highest quality of service to her clients and their families while working to achieve their speech and language goals.

07/16/2025

Two questions I am frequently asked when it comes to articulation: “at what age should my child be producing the ___ sound?” “Do you think they need speech?”
While there are “norms” for when speech sounds develop, there are also many other variables that come into play when determining if we should start working on articulation. Here are my top 5:

1.) CLARITY of speech (aka speech intelligibility): we look for a child’s speech to be understood 100% of the time by age 4. If speech sound errors are affecting how clear a child’s speech is at 4/5 years old, we definitely want to start addressing it!

2.) The TYPES of errors a child is making: this gives us (SLPs) a lot of information. Are there patterns of errors? Is it isolated to one or two sounds? This will help us determine the appropriate treatment approach, as well.

3.) What is the child’s EMOTIONAL response when not understood: Are they getting frustrated? Do they seem aware when not easily understood? Does this impact their interactions at school, with peers, etc.?

4.) CASE HISTORY: what is the child’s developmental history? Is there any family history of speech or learning differences? I also always ask about hearing. Hearing and speech are intrinsically linked!

5.) AGE: There is a reason this one is last! The age of a child can give us *some* guidance but it is not the be-all and end-all for determining if/when speech therapy is warranted. For me, I always look at the combination of: age + types and number of errors + overall clarity when making my recommendations!

07/14/2025

About 6 years ago, I taught my first course in the graduate program at LaSalle University. 36 future speech-language pathologists sat staring back at me on my first day and I remember immediately being brought back to the days when I was one of them.

It’s a long road to become an SLP: 4 years of undergrad for speech pathology + 2 years of graduate school + a fellowship year before we can even apply to be licensed and certified.

But the reality is, we’re never finished learning. This field is incredibly dynamic and humbling. While almost 17 years of practice has given me extensive knowledge and experience, I know the best way to serve my families is to continue learning, growing, and evolving.

One question I was frequently asked? Which was easier: the “doing” of speech therapy or the “teaching” of it? That answer is for another day! 😉

06/17/2025

All children grow and develop at different rates, and this includes siblings!! All factors can be exactly the same yet we see polar opposites in personalities, interests, and even speech and language skills. I think most families can relate to the varying degrees of sibling differences!

Many of the siblings with whom I’ve worked have completely different needs and goals. But even when only one child in the family is receiving speech, siblings are always welcome to join in on the fun!

06/09/2025

Join us for a morning of language and learning with your littles! Led by Lindsay Petersen, a pediatric speech-language pathologist, this session is designed to demonstrate speech and language building strategies through natural play. Questions about your child’s development? Lindsay is there to answer them! This session is complimentary with open play. 🗣️

05/30/2025

One of my clients is off to sleep away camp all summer several hours away. We’ve hit a great stride in speech and don’t want to lose momentum. The solution? Teletherapy!

Virtual sessions are a great option when distance/time/therapist availability are obstacles to receiving services. The best part? Research supports its efficacy when compared to traditional in-person speech therapy!

05/27/2025

I know we can easily obsess over counting words when a toddler starts talking (parent perspective! 🙋🏼‍♀️). However, I do find the exercise of jotting words down helpful for two reasons:

1.) Toddlers need at least 50 words in their vocabulary before they are able to start using two-word combinations.
2.) Word lists help us see what TYPES of words a toddler is using. Nouns? Verbs? Descriptors? Most toddlers’ vocabularies will be heavily weighted in nouns to start but we should see them start to expand into other word types.

Verbs, in particular, are important for language development as they are the heart of phrases and sentences. Sentences NEED verbs to link nouns and provide both action and context to what a child is saying.

WHEN do these language skills develop? We like to see toddlers start combining words by 2 years. Verbs start to emerge by this age, as well! Questions about your child’s development? DM me or schedule a free 30 minute consultation!

05/19/2025

The legendary Fisher Price piggy bank! 🐷 This toy has been toted around in my therapy bag for over a decade and is a true fan favorite. Its simplest use teaches the little ones cause and effect, but there are tons of speech and language concepts that can be incorporated through play. Some of my favorites are: spatial concepts (in, out); verbs (open, close, push, etc.), requesting (more, my turn, me); modeling attribute + noun (e.g. blue dog, yellow duck); and body parts.

This is one of my favorite toys to gift, especially for a first birthday! 😊

Oh and one more tip: I like to either take out or let the batteries run out for toys. This keeps distractions and stimulation low, while focusing more on adult-child interaction!

05/08/2025

Years later, this one still gets me 🥺🥺
Throughout undergrad, grad school and those first few years of clinical practice, many many hours are spent studying, memorizing, and researching to understand the HOW of what we do. But this right here is the WHY. 🩵

04/23/2025

Where did the name “Speech First” come from??
During college breaks, I worked at an outpatient practice that offered pediatric speech, physical, and occupational therapy. I was often the one who answered the phone and scheduled the appointments. Many of the children we saw received multiple therapies. Countless times when parents called, they would say: “Let’s schedule speech first.”

It was not that the other areas of development were less important by any means (I personally wouldn’t be the therapist I am today without all I’ve learned from other disciplines!). However, I quickly realized for these parents, the ability to communicate with their children was paramount. I understood this even more deeply when I became a parent myself.

Communication = connection and it can come in many different forms. That is the beauty of this field and I feel so fortunate to be a part of it. ❤️

04/14/2025

Just when we had our school, sports, work schedules down, the realization hits that summer is upon us!

As a working parent, I understand the need to quickly pivot when schedules change. Flexibility is key and that is what I aim to offer my families, especially during the summer months. Speech at camp? Speech at grandparent’s house? Speech sessions with cousins or friends? Let’s do it! That is the advantage of a mobile practice and I’m happy to make it work for you. Booking for summer now!

04/09/2025

I never take for granted the trust given to me from families with whom I work. You are (literally) opening the door and welcoming me into your lives to help your most precious gift - your child! Every family is special to me and hearing your feedback means the 🌎!

03/25/2025

“Blue Hat, Green Hat” by Sandra Boynton is one of my all time favorite therapy books! Why? It is simple, repetitive, and there are SO many different language concepts that can be modeled and learned. From the basics of body parts, clothing, and colors all the way to more abstract concepts like “why,” “what’s wrong?” and “what happened?” Plus, every child loves the anticipatory….“oops!!” IYKYK. I’ve gone through at least 4 copies of this book over the years! 📚

Address

Philadelphia, PA

Website

http://www.speech-first.com/

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