Pediatric Speech Therapists Specializing in
Language & Literacy Therapy in Chicago
Comprehension & Expression
Language Delays & Disorders
Children with language disorders can have a hard time understanding what others say and using words to share their own thoughts. Language therapy helps your child understand what they hear and say what they mean.
Therapy starts with a thorough evaluation to identify your child's specific language challenges. We also connect with your child's teachers to learn how these challenges show up at school. That way, during therapy, we target the skills and strategies that help your child succeed outside the therapy room too.
Using written, visual, and kinesthetic approaches, we help your child:
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Understand basic concepts, vocabulary, directions, and questions
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Increase vocabulary and sentence length
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Use complete and grammatically correct sentences
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Tell stories that are organized and clear
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Develop the language skills for successful reading and writing
Social Skills • Self-Regulation • Self-Advocacy
Neurodiversity-Affirming Therapy for Autistic Children, Teens, & Adults
Autistic children, teens, and adults can find it hard to understand, interpret, and use spoken and nonverbal communication in social situations. They may also have a hard time advocating for themselves so others understand their needs. Therapy helps your child communicate in ways that work for them and share what they need.
Therapy starts with getting to know your family. Together, we identify the goals that matter most to you and your child's unique needs. During sessions, we use neurodiversity-affirming strategies that keep therapy motivating and centered on your child, with plenty of chances to learn about the world around them.
Using a neurodiversity-affirming approach, we help your child:
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Understand their own perspective and the perspectives of others
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Start conversations and keep them going back and forth
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Understand and navigate social situations
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Share attention and play cooperatively with others
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Build self-regulation and self-advocacy skills
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Learn self-help and life skills for school and work
Attention • Organization • Time Management
Executive Function &
Cognitive Linguistic Impairments
Children, teens, and adults with executive function challenges or cognitive differences can find it hard to pay attention to what's important, organize their space, and set priorities. They may also have trouble keeping track of their actions and finishing tasks on their own. Therapy helps your child build the skills to manage daily tasks with more independence.
Executive function therapy is individualized for children, teens, and adults. We teach these skills directly, then practice them across different activities and settings so they carry into everyday life.
Using visuals, verbal explanations, and videos, we help your child:
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Plan, sequence, and organize tasks
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Build attention and memory skills
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Manage time
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Build self-regulation and stick with goals
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Prepare for work through job coaching, on-site observations, and consulting with employers
Birth to 3 • Parent Coaching • First Words
Early Intervention
Early intervention is for children from birth to age 3 who have delays in communication, social skills, or play skills. Therapy helps your child build new ways to communicate.
Sessions are always centered on your family's values, goals, and specific needs. We use a parent-coaching approach because early intervention works best when parents have the skills and knowledge to support their child at home. You're invited to join sessions and learn new ways to support your child's development during everyday routines.
Through everyday routines, we help your child:
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Communicate with gestures or pictures
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Copy play actions and sounds
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Communicate using sign language
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Say first words or new words
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Learn more words and use them to communicate
Reading • Writing • Spelling
Literacy Instruction
Our brains are hardwired for language, but not for reading and writing— which is why many students require explicit and systematic literacy intervention to succeed.
We take an individualized approach when addressing literacy challenges because each student has different strengths and abilities across the literacy domains. We will take a look at some of your child's work samples and formally assess their reading fluency, comprehension, and writing skills in order to make a treatment plan. Your child will receive tailored support as they move from phonemic awareness and phonics to writing letters, syllables, words, and paragraphs.
Our literacy interventions focus on building skills that will directly improve your child's ability to reach grade-level standards and experience success in their future educational and professional endeavors.