Speech Therapy and Feeding Therapy
Therapy is an interactive and lively experience with First Ideas for Speech and Feeding!
Speech Therapy
Speech therapy looks different for toddlers and preschoolers. In our sessions, we will be playing with your child’s toys, on the floor, in your home, which has been proven to make kids more comfortable. No sterile, scary “doctor’s” office!
You are always given ideas for how to work on your child’s goals in your daily routines and activities, so your child makes the fastest progress they can.
Julie’s specialties include:
Down syndrome
Apraxia
late talkers
Low tech AAC
complications from complex medical issues (prematurity, genetic differences, Cerebral Palsy)
tongue tie (oral motor re-training)
Tiny Talkers Program: Encouraging First Words though Imitation and Play
If you have a 16-24 month old child and they are not imitating frequently and your ‘mommy gut’ says they are not keeping up, Tiny Talkers could be the first step before therapy!
In these 4 week classes, Julie will teach you:
to understand the language level of your child
talking for understanding vs for imitation
why asking too many questions can be a conversation ‘stopper’
intentional use of sounds, gestures, and words
choosing the right books for YOUR child
a variety of easy to use strategies and techniques to use in your daily routines and activities.
Tiny Talker Groups are starting Feb. 17th at Our Place LKN. There are 4 sessions to complete, each is only $25.
Feeding Therapy
Your child might need Feeding Therapy if:
they are not transitioning easily to solids
they have complex medical needs
you have been told they are ‘picky eaters’, but you just have a feeling it’s more than that
need an evaluation of motor skills due to a possible tongue tie (ankyloglossia)
they need oral motor strengthening to develop the desire to eat harder to chew foods.
Other Services Offered:
~Professional mentorship for new therapists
~Professional classes for interested pediatricians, ENT’s, Pediatric Dentists for a variety of topics.
Feeding Therapy: A Closer Look
Julie will complete a holistic evaluation in your home, assessing your child’s strengths and needs, family dynamics, previous medical history, and feeding environment.
She will watch your child eat the foods currently in their diet and encourage you to video a meal time for her to observe. Evaluations take about 90 minutes. From there:
Each therapy session is 45 minutes with direct parent involvement
We schedule “off line” time to talk about things we don’t want to discuss in front of your child (they understand more than we realize)
We make a plan every week to determine what is the most important thing to work on that week.
Julie’s approach follows the Responsive Feeding Therapy guidelines. We will never force feed your child! We honor each child’s history, their current skills and fears, and work towards decreasing fear around change and making mealtimes more enjoyable for EVERYONE!
Speech and Language Therapy: A Closer Look
If you want a child to talk or imitate more, they need to be comfortable and relaxed and confident. That’s what Julie strives to give your child. First, trust is built by coming to your home. Our work looks like play, because it’s through play that we build motivation to imitate and talk. What you might see is:
moving around the room, not sitting in one spot
specially designed cards and activities for kids a little older (apraxia cards)
using your child’s toys in new ways: new vocabulary
strategies for you to increase opportunities for communication
having siblings and pets to play with us, too (when appropriate)
time at the beginning to talk about the past week’s successes or challenges
time to talk at the end of the session for your day’s “take aways”
Tiny Talkers Parent Coaching Program
With Tiny Talkers you are given practical, hands on training and information you can use throughout your daily routines and activities, create frequent opportunities for your child to imitate your sounds, gestures, and words! More practice, means more chances to succeed!
written information so you don’t need to take notes (you will be learning so much)
time for YOU to practice the chosen strategies for that session. It takes some practice to change old habits.
It’s the perfect bridge between the '“wait and see” approach and starting speech therapy!
Tiny Talker GROUPS are starting on Feb. 17, 2024 at the indoor play space, Our Kids LKN, in Mooresville. $25 per session or $100 for all 4 lessons, each about 45 minutes.
We Are Accepting New Clients for In-Home Speech Therapy near Mooresville
The Wait and See approach is outdated. TRUST YOUR INSTINCT if something about your child’s speech or feeding skills doesn’t seem ‘right’ to you! You are the expert on your child!