- Sep 25, 2018

Little List: SLPs and Feeding Therapists

Photo credit: www.jumpaheadpediatrics.com

As a parent, questions about your child's speech, development, and feeding skills can be really stressful. Is my child talking enough? Is something wrong? Is my child understanding enough? Is my child eating enough? How am I supposed to get him/her to eat more variety? Is this reflux going to last forever? He won't take a bottle, I've tried every one! She gags every time I give her a purée! Is my child making sounds correctly? My child doesn't seem to understand directions, is he just not listening to me? My kid's friends sound a lot clearer than he does, is that normal? I don't always understand what my child is saying. My child is hitting and biting at school, is there a bigger problem?

The questions can go on and on. And, sometimes we are quick to ask a friend or even a local FB community these questions in the hopes that someone will just ease our mind and tell us that their kid was the same and "grew out of it". BUT we have to trust that mommy-instinct. If you think your child *might* be having difficulty in any speech-language or feeding area, then a consult with a properly trained speech-language pathologist would be beneficial. SLPs are highly trained with many different specialties and areas of expertise. A quick phone call to any of the therapists listed below can get you headed on the right path.

As an SLP myself and a mom, I know the stress related to getting started. While I focus my time now on the blog instead of taking on private clients, I am ALWAYS happy and willing to chat with any local mom about any SLP or feeding concerns. Just reach out and I'll let you know if I think you should seek an evaluation and even try to point you in the direction of the therapist that is right for you. xo-Cassie