Carolina Kinder Development believes that at the heart of speech and language is connection.   Connecting and communicating, not fixing.  Fixing can imply a basic wrongness.  Our approach is to first assess the detailed strengths of what a child can do; what strategies the child uses as “work-arounds”; and work from that starting point.  For those areas that need addressing, we label them as “not yet,” with confidence that everything is possible.

Our approach is to observe.  And listen. We also use simple assessments—which help us learn about a child’s abilities.  We apply our years of education and experience to engage children and set up experiences that support the child to communicate better.   The thread of connection and communication is woven into every session.  

Areas we address within pediatric speech therapy and language development:

• Oral/motor concerns related to speech-sound production
• Early language development/skills (infancy through the early years)
• Parent education for carry-over of skills 
• Articulation Disorders
• Receptive and/or expressive language delays
• Communication disorders (processing, memory)

 

What to look for?

How do I know if my child needs speech-language therapy?

• Does your infant struggle with eye contact, alerting to hearing name called, demonstrate limited or no babbling?
• Does your toddler struggle with following directions in play/known routines?
• Does your toddler struggle with alerting to hearing name called?
• Does your toddler have limited language/communication that results in frequent communication breakdowns?
• Does your toddler (18+ months) have a limited expressive vocabulary (less than 10-20 words) and/or is not yet using single words or the occasional 2-word phrase?
• Does your toddler struggle with production of early speech sounds (eg., vowels, p, b, m, n, t, d)?
• Does your child (3+ years) have limited expressive language and/or is not yet using 3-4 word phrases or sentences?
• Does your child struggle with focus/attention or appear to “tune out” frequently?
• Does your child struggle in loud environments or have an aversion to certain sounds?
• Does your child (5+ years) struggle with producing speech sounds accurately?
• Is your infant, toddler, child a mouth breather?
• Is my child talking enough at 18 months?

What to expect on your first visit:

Pediatric Speech-Language Evaluation: 12-36 months

If your child is between the ages of 12-36 months you can expect a more informal assessment. Your visit will entail parent interview, observation of your child in play and interactions, as well as the use of some formal and/or informal testing measures to gain a clear picture of your child’s current level of functioning compared to age-matched peers. Session length: 1 hour

 

Speech-Language Evaluation: Toddler through 7-year-olds

If your child is 4 years or older you can expect a more formal evaluation depending on the ability of your child to participate in standardized testing. Your visit will entail a parent interview, observation of your child, as well as the use of informal tools, in addition to more standardized testing measures, to gain a clear picture of your child’s current level of functioning compared to age-matched peers. Session length: 1 hour

 

We will submit all claims to your insurance provider. Often times insurance does not cover pediatric speech therapy. Call us for details on insurance coverage.