How do I know if my child needs speech or language therapy?
We work with individuals aged 2-22 (older patients seen by SLP's discretion) who for one reason or another have difficulty communicating what they want to communicate. This could look like a child who others struggle to understand, or it could look like an autistic child who doesn't innately understand how to read a social situation or how to approach and interact with potential friends. It could look like someone who stutters and is starting to withdraw to avoid having to speak to others, or it could look like a child who is nonverbal (doesn't talk) and thus only has their actions to be able to communicate their feelings and needs. There are more examples, but all come down to this; those whose quality of life could be improved from SLP services are those who from no fault of their own struggle to communicate the feelings, words, or complete messages that are inside of them.
My name is Hope Keenan, and I am a state and ASHA certified speech and language pathologist (MA CCC-SLP) with the ability to analyze and deconstruct current communication abilities and patterns, create a tailored program of communication improvement, and implement that plan with efficiency, compassion, professionalism, and positivity.
Speech
Articulation Needs "Shouldn't he be able to say that sound by now?"| For children who have a difficult time pronouncing some speech sounds. Perhaps they sometimes have a hard time being understood by others.
Stuttering "Isn't this just going to go away on its own?" | Stuttering sounds like repetitions, prolongations, or blocks in the natural flow of speech.
Phonological Disorders "She knows what she's saying, but even we have a hard time understanding her"| Phonological disorders reflect a patterned switching of sounds ("I pet tat!"), deletion of sounds ("O" for "go"), or distortion of sounds.
Language
Receptive Language "Isn't it just selective listening?"| Refers to how your child understands language (what you and others say to/around your child)
Expressive Language "People have a hard time following what my kid is saying"| Refers to how your child uses words to express themself.
Pragmatic Language "My kid just can't read social situations." | Refers to children who struggle to understand and use spoken language and nonverbal body language in socially appropriate ways.
Autism
Autism Spectrum Disorder | Autistic individuals represent a beautiful spectrum of abilities. As an Autist myself, I have a strong passion for working with children and adults on the spectrum to improve communication within the individual as well as within the family and the community. From pragmatic language work (see Language) to using alternative methods to communicate (sign language, pictures, Alternative and Augmentative Communication Devices) to being able to read, interpret, and respond to social situations, an SLP is an essential part of your team in expanding your or your child's inter-personal abilities.
*Autistic Advocate*
I know that oftentimes parents of autistic children or autistic folks themselves could really use someone with lived knowledge to help guide, grow, and interpret. As an autistic adult and parent of neurodiverse children, I have a unique insight and experience in supporting a variety of autism-related challenges. I do this work not as a speech-language pathologist, but as an Autist (but an Autist well informed in the development of language and speech!).
Voice
Voice | Your vocal folds live inside your larynx (voice box). When we speak, we engage muscles that bring our vocal folds close together; once you add airflow from your lungs, the resulting vibration is the sound of your unique voice! Voice work includes rehabilitation after vocal overuse (teachers, singers, etc.) as well as work with muscle tension dysphonia, gender-affirming voice, and puberphonia.
Special Populations
Children with diagnoses that result in a functional difference of the structures of the hearing or speaking mechanism| This includes but is not limited to individuals with Cleft Lip or Palate, Down Syndrome, Velo Pharyngeal Insufficiency (VPI), being Deaf or hard of hearing, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, VCFS, Rett Syndrome, Developmental Delay, and more.