Welcome
Welcome to the world of Speech and Language development! Every year, millions of American children receive therapy from over 200,000 certified Speech Therapists. It is estimated that 8% of US children have experienced a speech or language disorder in the last 12 months. That is almost 1 in 10 or at least one student in every classroom. 25-45% of typical developing children demonstrate feeding and swallowing problems. In other words, this is common. You are NOT alone. Your child is NOT alone.
We Are Here To Help
While it probably seems overwhelming right now, it won’t always feel that way. You are going to learn a lot about how speech and language development works for your child, for your family, and for everyone. For instance, did you know it takes about 100 muscles of the chest, neck, jaw, tongue and lips in collaboration to say a single phrase? This takes coordination of more neurons than necessary for contracting the muscles in an athlete's foot! Or that singing and music build the exact same brain circuitry needed for language skills? Now you know. And soon you will know much more!
Our family-centric approach at Paradise Valley Speech Company includes educating the parents. We will provide you with tools, activities, and ideas to complement your child's therapy outside of our sessions.
Speech and Language development is broad and complex. There are many terms you may hear, whether medical, physical, diagnostic, or practical. We will always make sure these are defined for you in plain language. And most importantly, we will always explain what they mean for your child and their plan.
Step-by-Step
01.
Screening.
If you are unsure if your child needs help, start here. A 15-minute screening can tell us if a full evaluation is necessary. It's free. It's non-invasive. It's non-committal. But it will give you an understanding of your child's strengths and areas of need.
02.
Evaluation.
This is the first step towards starting therapy. An evaluation is a consultative, interactive session between you, your child, and your Speech Therapist. After this 1 hour, in-person meeting, we will build a complete plan for treatment. This plan, created with your input, will be based on the assessment results and will guide strategies used in therapy.
03.
Therapy.
Depending on your child's needs and the realities of your family life, therapy could be recommended for 1-5 times per week and can range in time from 30 minutes to 50 minutes. We will work with you to figure out what works best. At Paradise Valley Speech Company, we also believe strongly in family involvement. Therapy will also include information and exercises that YOU can work on at home to supplement our sessions.
04.
Progress.
We will review your child's progress on the agreed-upon goals with you every 90 days. We will celebrate the wins and determine new goals as milestones are met. This is a collaborative, in-person process that is unique to the needs of your child.
What Next?
Contact us. We can schedule a screening or an evaluation or just talk about where you are at right now.