Speech First, LLC

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Philadelphia, PA
Speech First, LLC

📍 Wayne, PA: Private in-home and in-school speech therapy. Providing services to children and families throughout the Main Line and beyond for over 16 years.

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, feeding 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.

01/23/2026

In addition to a million “crib kisses” 🥹, something that became integral to my son’s bedtime routine at a very young age was narrating his day back to him. It consisted of us (the adult) listing 4-6 things that happened during his day (many times, routine and/or mundane things… by the way!).

We started doing this BEFORE my son had the language skills to do it himself which took the pressure off and allowed for a great opportunity to model rich language and connect with him.

This is another seemingly simple task that has huge benefits to a child’s development, including: strengthening working memory, sequencing, and storytelling skills; building language (past tense, vocabulary); supporting emotional regulation; and aiding with sleep transitions.

It’s especially helpful for later talkers because it incorporates REAL events and doesn’t require a response. Eventually, your child will be able to contribute… and/or correct you when you get something wrong! ☺️

01/15/2026

Finishing speech therapy is a huge milestone — and while sessions may end, our connection doesn’t have to. This is what it is all about: supporting a child and their family over time, even long after therapy wraps up.

Sometimes families reach out months (or even years!) later with:
• A quick question about a sound or skill
• A new concern that popped up with age or school expectations
• Or just an update to say, “They’re doing great!”

No matter the reason, I genuinely love hearing from you! 🩷

01/02/2026

Happy New Year! 🎉 I find January to be a great checkpoint for children’s skills. They may have had several months in school, daycare, storytimes and playgroups and you (or teachers) are noticing some differences/difficulties with their speech, language, or social skills. Now is a perfect time to get it checked out - either for peace of mind or to get started helping your little one. SO much change, development, and progress can happen in a short amount of time given the right tools and support. It is never too early (or late) for intervention!

12/31/2025

✨ So very grateful for this dream job, working with dream families. Thank you, as always, for trusting me with your most precious gifts. Looking forward to 2026! ✨

12/22/2025

Giving: stressed out mom energy - holiday edition.

… you are seen!

And if your child suddenly decides this is the week to: talk nonstop, not talk at all, melt down over the wrong cup, forget every skill they’ve been working on… it’s normal!

Friendly reminder from your SLP:
✨ Perfection is never required
✨ Progress doesn’t pause for the holidays
✨ Connection > doing all the things

11/19/2025

This holiday season already has been feeling like this! 😴 Between school events, family gatherings, shopping, travel, and all the festive things… this time of year can feel like a whirlwind. 🦃🎄✨

If our speech therapy routine or schedule has to change, that’s okay. Skills don’t disappear just because routines shift a bit. Short breaks are normal. Kids thrive when they’re regulated, connected, and having fun—things the holidays naturally bring.

And if you thrive on routine, we can ALWAYS be creative in fitting our sessions into the chaos!

11/14/2025

If I had to choose one tool that consistently supports children’s (of all ages) communication skills… it would be BOOKS 📚 They’re simple, accessible, and incredibly powerful.

BUT, not all kids love books right away — and that’s okay! Here are some quick tips to make reading more fun and low-pressure:

✨Choose books about their interests.
✨ Keep it short — even 1–2 minutes makes a difference. You can build upon this time.
✨ Try interactive books (flaps, textures, sounds)
✨ Make it playful with silly voices and motions; act out the story!
✨ Let your child turn pages or pick the book.
✨ Try reading in new places — bath, outside, snack time, parked in the school carline.
✨ Use pictures of your child - if you have the means, print out some pictures of your child and glue them on paper. Create a story based on the pictures and it will be an instant hit - kids LOVE looking at pictures of themselves! I use this trick in speech therapy often when working on verbs (i.e. action words)!

11/11/2025

There are a few common myths I hear often when it comes to speech and language development. This is a biggie!

The reality is: boys and girls follow the same developmental track and milestones. For any child, boy or girl, intervention works best when started early! Waiting it out because of a myth can delay support that makes a big difference later on.

If you have questions about your child’s speech and language development, the best resource to utilize is a speech-language pathologist 🩵

11/04/2025

The ✨BEST✨part of this job.

10/27/2025

1️⃣ Targets the True Breakdown
Every child’s speech sound errors come from different underlying challenges — like motor planning, phonological patterns, or articulation placement. Using the right approach ensures we’re treating the WHY, not just the what.

2️⃣ Improves Generalization
When therapy aligns with the type of speech sound disorder, kids don’t just learn a sound — they learn how to use it naturally across words, sentences, and conversation.

3️⃣ Builds Lasting Speech Clarity
An evidence-based, well-matched approach helps children develop speech skills that stick — reducing frustration and boosting confidence in every conversation!

This is why personalized plans are so important. Effective therapy isn’t one-size-fits-all—it’s child-by-child, sound-by-sound, step-by-step! 👟👟

10/22/2025

🌈 Did you know play develops in stages? I recently had a parent come to me concerned that her almost 3 year old tends to play NEXT to his peers instead of WITH them.

Here’s how play skills grow over time:

👶 Solitary Play (0–2 yrs)
Playing alone — exploring toys, textures, and sounds. A stage of discovery!

👧 Parallel Play (2–3 yrs)
Playing next to another child, but not yet together. Early social awareness starts here.

👦 Associative Play (3–4 yrs)
Kids begin to share toys and ideas, but the play isn’t organized toward a common goal.

👫 Cooperative Play (4–5 yrs+)
Now we’re working together! Children plan, take roles, and collaborate — a huge step for language, social, and emotional growth.

How else can we help? Ensuring your child has the language and communication skills needed to engage to socialize and engage with their peers. Questions about your child’s development? Let’s chat! Send me a DM and we can set up a free consultation! 😊

Address

Philadelphia, PA

Website

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

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