At Small Steps Speech Therapy, I provide individualized speech and language services that are personalized and focused on functional communication skills that carry over into everyday life.
Support for clients who have difficulty with:
Speech sound production (articulation and phonological delays)
- Difficulty being understood by others, errors include:
- Substitutions: using one sound in place of another (e.g., “wabbit” for “rabbit”)
- Omissions: leaving sounds out of words (e.g., “ca” for “cat”)
- Distortions: producing a sound incorrectly (e.g., a lisp)
- Additions: inserting extra sounds into words (e.g., “buhlue” for “blue”)
- A phonological process is a predictable pattern of sound errors that children use as they learn to talk. Instead of having difficulty with just one sound, a child may simplify whole groups of sounds in similar ways. These patterns are a normal part of early speech development, but they typically fade as a child grows.
- Examples of phonological processes include:
- Fronting: saying “tat” for “cat”
- Final consonant deletion: saying “ba” for “ball”
- Cluster reduction: saying “poon” for “spoon”
- Stopping: saying “tun” for “sun”
- Fronting: saying “tat” for “cat”
- When phonological processes persist beyond expected ages or significantly impact intelligibility, speech therapy can help. In phonological therapy, the focus is on helping children learn sound patterns and rules of speech to improve overall clarity and understanding.
- Examples of phonological processes include:
- Developing clear and confident speech
Articulation therapy focuses on helping children learn how to correctly move their lips, tongue, and jaw to produce specific sounds clearly and confidently.
Language Therapy
- Receptive Language;
The ability to understand words, directions, questions, and information. This includes following directions, understanding vocabulary, and making sense of what others say. - Expressive Language:
The ability to use words, phrases, sentences, and gestures to communicate thoughts, needs, and ideas. This includes vocabulary development, sentence structure, and storytelling skills. - Pragmatic (Social) Language:
The use of language in social situations, such as taking turns in conversation, using appropriate greetings, staying on topic, and understanding social cues. - Vocabulary (Semantics):
Understanding and using words with meaning, including word relationships, categories, and concepts. - Grammar (Syntax & Morphology):
The rules that govern how words are combined into sentences, including word order, verb tenses, plurals, and sentence structure.
Sessions are designed to build strong foundational skills while supporting real-life communication.
Early Intervention
Therapy for infants and toddlers focusing on:
- Early communication and interaction
- Play skills
- Parent coaching and strategies to use at home
Families are active participants in therapy, ensuring progress continues beyond sessions.
Parent Education & Coaching
Parents and caregivers are an essential part of the therapy process. I provide guidance, tools, and strategies that help families confidently support their family members’ communication skills throughout daily routines.
Teletherapy Services
(not yet available)
Will be convenient, high-quality speech therapy delivered online for families who prefer services from home. Teletherapy sessions are interactive, engaging, and tailored to meet the same goals as in-person therapy.
Small Steps Speech Therapy 