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, 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.

10/07/2025

✨ Why PLAY Leads the Way ✨

In child-led speech therapy, the therapist follows your child’s interests — whether that’s dinosaurs, building towers, or dancing around to Taylor Swift’s new album (which happened in my session yesterday!) — and turns those moments of joy into powerful opportunities for communication.

Whether 2 years old or 10, kids tend to be more engaged, more confident, and more likely to try and use new skills when they feel in control.

Because when it comes down to it: connection creates communication. ❤️

09/29/2025

We can feel a lot of pressure as parents to do ALL the fun “fall” things. But remember, some of the best (and easiest) ways to provide your child with a rich language and learning activity is including them in routines and even chores! Kids tend to LOVE being helpers. Yes, it may be a bit messier and take longer to complete. BUT the benefits are huge. These types of activities not only promote confidence and parent bonding but also have many language building opportunities including:

🍁 Expanding vocabulary
🍁 Understanding object function
🍁 Sequencing steps
🍁 Following directions
🍁 Understanding cause/effect
🍁 Teaching positional words (e.g. in, on, under, next to)…. And more!

09/24/2025

A “lateral lisp” occurs when air escapes over the sides of the tongue and into the cheeks instead of down the center and out of the front of the mouth. It is caused by incorrect tongue positioning which results in wet or slushy sounding speech. It typically affects airflow sounds such as S, Z, SH, and CH.

It can be subtle but it’s important to know that lateral lisps are not developmental in nature, meaning a child is unlikely to grow out of it. How do we fix it? The best course of action is speech therapy! There are several different types of strategies/interventions that work well to remediate lateral lisps which will typically be determined during a child’s initial session(s).

It is all about establishing a new motor plan for producing those airflow sounds, so the sooner we can get started, the better! 🗣️

09/11/2025

Forever grateful for being part of each family’s journey and experience. Thank YOU for trusting me with one of the most important parts of your life — your child’s communication. 💛

09/02/2025

And… we’re back to school! Our kids, whether in part-time preschool or full-time Kindergarten and above, will be spending a big part of their days with their teachers. Teachers are amazing professionals when it comes to nurturing development, including speech and language development! If you have concerns about your child’s communication or just want to check in, here are some thoughtful questions to start the conversation:

🍎 1. Have you noticed any difficulty with my child being understood by peers or adults?
🍎 2. Does my child talk at school or tend to stay quiet?
🍎 3. How do they follow directions or respond to questions throughout their day?
🍎 4. Do they ever seem frustrated when trying to express themselves?
🍎 5. If or when my child is not easily understood, how do they handle it?
🍎 6. How does my child play/engage/socialize with their peers?

💬 Teachers are great observers — and partners! Don’t be afraid to ask questions. The earlier we catch delays, the better we can support our kids, and the better the outcomes!

08/18/2025

Did you know?… You don’t always have to stick to the script when reading books with your little one! While many children’s books are written to rhyme and be repetitious (which is great for language development!), sometimes NOVELTY is what captures a child’s attention and engagement. Introducing new or unexpected elements can also improve retention of vocabulary and information! I love wordless picture books for this reason. Some of my favorites include: “Goodnight Gorilla,” “The Snowman,” “Good Dog, Carl,” and “A Ball for Daisy.” 📚

08/08/2025

How fascinating and amazing is the brain?! 🤯
As parents, caregivers, and professionals, we have the ability to grow and even rewire the brain through nurture, experiences, and learning. So much development (particularly the language pathways) occurs in the first few years of life making it an optimal time for intervention, when needed! 💪🧠💪

08/05/2025

Who can benefit from visual cues in speech therapy? 👄 …Everyone!
Whether we are working on language development with toddlers or articulation with older children, our faces (and mouths, specifically) provide great feedback on how to say words and produce sounds. When playing with your little one, try holding a toy up close to your face so they can not only hear the word but also SEE how you’re moving your mouth to say the word. With older children, visual cues during articulation practice can be very effective, as well!

08/01/2025

Sometimes our time together is short and sweet, ranging from a couple sessions to a couple months. Other times, it’s a longer journey depending on what our goals are. Regardless, it is ALWAYS a team decision when it comes to the structure, frequency, and goals for speech therapy. No one knows your child better than you. You’re driving the train, I’m there to support you along the way! 🤍

07/23/2025

Up, up, up….down!
Ready, set, go!
Peek-a-boo!
1, 2, 3,….weeee!
Wash, wash, wash your hands.
Knock, knock, knock….open!
Clean up, clean up (song).

These are all examples of “verbal routines” or predictable, repetitious phrases that are used in a purposeful and meaningful context. I incorporate these often during play and daily routines! WHY? They offer many opportunities for a child to hear the language and connect the language to the action (e.g. stacking blocks and knocking them over). These phrases are also often anticipatory in nature which makes the activity fun and exciting!

After a while, try pausing before you complete the phrase and give your child an anticipatory look. Between 12-24 months, you may hear your little one filling in the blank themselves!

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! 😉

Address

Philadelphia, PA

Website

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

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