My child isn't communicating like other children his/her age. Should I wait for him/her to "grow out of it?"

No, parents should not “wait and see” if concerns go away or continue. Children may miss months of valuable therapy.  The earlier services begin, the better. Schedule an appointment to evaluate your child's communication skills as soon as possible.  It is always better to be safe than sorry! Untreated deficits can develop into academic, social, and behavioral difficulties down the road. Please visit my Speech & Language Milestones page for more information as to whether your child is reaching his/her respective goals.

How do I know if my child needs to have his speech and language skills evaluated?

Typically, physicians or teachers will notice a delay or disorder in a child's communication skills. They may recommend that your child be evaluated. Parents may also notice a delay in speech-language skills, and should discuss their concerns with their child's doctor and teacher, or contact a speech-language pathologist for an evaluation. Please visit my SLP Referral page for more information as to when it may be necessary to speak to a speech-language pathologist.

My child receives Speech Therapy in school.  Why should we seek private therapy?

School based therapy primarily addresses concerns that have an educational impact on the child’s school performance.  Private therapy allows for a different service pattern than what is typically offered in other settings (individual vs. group, daily vs. weekly, etc). Private therapy also allows parents to be more involved in their child’s treatment and progress.

My child was dismissed from speech therapy at school. I feel my child still needs treatment, what can I do and why was my child dismissed at school?

School districts operate under separate guidelines than private practitioners.  For a child to receive speech and language therapy in the schools there must be an “educational impact” and they must focus on educational goals and objectives. Connecticut State guidelines dictate eligibility criteria for Service Delivery in schools; often times a child is found ‘ineligible’ for school based therapy, yet there is still a concern.  If you feel that your child still needs speech and language services, you have the right to pursue private treatment from a speech-language pathologist in a private practice setting.