Pediatric Speech Therapists Specializing in Speech Sound Disorders & Stuttering in Chicago
Our pediatric speech therapists provide individualized speech therapy for childhood apraxia of speech, articulation and phonological disorders, and stuttering. We combine specialized training with therapy that keeps kids engaged, moving, playing, and practicing skills they can use outside the therapy room.
Pediatric Speech Therapy Built Around Your Child
At Strive to Thrive Therapy, we look at the whole picture when a child has difficulty speaking clearly. Our speech therapists consider how your child produces sounds, plans and coordinates speech movements, and puts sounds together into words and conversation.
We balance focused practice with play, movement, and activities your child enjoys. Depending on their needs, that might mean practicing speech through play, alternating blocks of speech practice with movement, or collaborating with our occupational, physical, or myofunctional therapists.
The goal is to make therapy functional and meaningful while helping your child build skills they can use in everyday life.
Motor Speech Disorder Specialists
Childhood Apraxia of Speech Therapy
Childhood apraxia of speech, or CAS, is a motor speech disorder. A child with CAS knows what they want to say, but their brain has difficulty planning and sequencing the movements needed to produce speech accurately and consistently.
We often explain it to families as the pathways between the brain and mouth still being "under construction." Your child needs support building those pathways so the movements for speech can become more accurate, connected, and consistent.
CAS looks different in every child, which is why both the evaluation and treatment need to be individualized.
What Are the Early Signs of Childhood Apraxia of Speech?
Some parents notice differences early, such as limited babbling or a late start to talking. Others begin to have concerns around ages 2 to 3 when their child's speech continues to be very difficult to understand.
Signs of childhood apraxia of speech include:
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Saying the same word differently from one attempt to another
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"Searching" or groping movements when trying to say a word
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Errors with both consonants and vowels
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Difficulty sequencing sounds together
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Speech becoming harder to understand as words and sentences get longer
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Knowing what they want to say but having difficulty producing it clearly
These signs don't automatically mean your child has CAS. A comprehensive motor speech evaluation can help determine what's contributing to your child's speech difficulties.
How Is Apraxia Therapy Different From Other Speech Therapy?
Articulation therapy often focuses on helping a child correctly produce specific speech sounds. With childhood apraxia of speech, we also need to address the planning and coordination of the movements required to put those sounds together.
For children with childhood apraxia of speech, we look at the whole speech movement and may work on:
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Consonant and vowel accuracy
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Moving smoothly from one sound to another
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Sequencing sounds and syllables
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Coordinating movements across words and phrases
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Producing speech consistently
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The rhythm, stress, and flow of speech
Our goal is to help your child develop the motor plans they need to produce clearer, more consistent speech and carry those skills into everyday communication.
Getting the Right Diagnosis
Childhood Apraxia of Speech Evaluations
Differential Diagnosis
Not every child with unclear speech has childhood apraxia of speech. A comprehensive speech evaluation helps us understand your child's speech profile, determine whether their characteristics align with childhood apraxia of speech, and identify the type of therapy that fits their needs.
During a speech evaluation, our childhood apraxia of speech specialists will:
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Observe your child during play
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Collect a speech and language sample
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Listen to your child produce words, phrases, and sentences
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Complete an oral mechanism examination
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Look closely at how your child plans and produces speech movements
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Determine which prompts and cues help your child produce speech more successfully
When CAS is suspected, we will also use dynamic assessment and may incorporate the DEMSS (Dynamic Evaluation of Motor Speech Skill), Mayo 10+1 Criteria, speech and language sampling, and the ASHA Consensus Characteristics of Childhood Apraxia of Speech.
What Happens After the Evaluation?
Following the evaluation, we will meet to review the results and discuss your child's speech profile, whether their speech characteristics align with a specific diagnosis, and what we recommend next.
If therapy is recommended, we will use the evaluation results to develop detailed goals based on your child's current skills and the sounds, sequences, and speech movements they still need to develop.
We will also recommend treatment frequency and identify the approaches, prompts, and cues that helped your child most during the evaluation.
You will also receive a detailed written report of the assessment results, diagnosis, and recommendations.
Working with Childhood Apraxia of Speech Experts
What Does Childhood Apraxia Therapy Look Like?
Children with CAS need repetition and practice to learn new speech movements. But that doesn't mean therapy has to feel repetitive to your child.
Our speech therapists use principles of motor learning while incorporating your child's interests, play, and movement. A session might include focused blocks of speech practice followed by play, practicing words within an activity, moving through an obstacle course, or working alongside one of our occupational or physical therapists when appropriate.
At Strive to Thrive Therapy, we don't use one specific treatment approach for every child. Our speech therapists are trained in DTTC and PROMPT, giving our team multiple ways to support your child and adjust our approach based on how they respond during therapy.
Depending on your child's needs, treatment may incorporate:
DTTC (Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing)
Uses auditory, visual, and tactile cues to help your child learn speech movements. The amount of support changes as your child becomes more successful.
PROMPT
Uses tactile and kinesthetic cues on your child's face to support the movements needed to produce speech.
Kaufman Speech to Language Protocol
Helps children build speech gradually, moving from approximations toward more accurate productions of words.
Why Work With a Childhood Apraxia Expert?
Childhood apraxia of speech can be complex to identify and treat. It takes specialized training to look beyond individual sounds and understand how your child plans, sequences, and coordinates the movements needed for speech.
Our pediatric apraxia specialists have advanced training in evaluating and treating CAS. Strive to Thrive founder Anne Hodits is recognized by Apraxia Kids for Advanced Training and Expertise in Childhood Apraxia of Speech and provides continued mentorship and training to our team around CAS evaluations and treatment.
This gives your child access to a team that understands speech as a motor skill, can identify where breakdowns are happening, and can create a treatment plan around their individual needs. Anne and our team also continue to learn from current research, conferences, clinicians, and researchers specializing in CAS.
The Strive to Thrive Difference
Our team is deeply invested in childhood apraxia of speech, engaging in ongoing training to bring the latest evidence-based treatments to you and your family.
Apraxia Kids Recognized Expertise
Our team is led by a clinician recognized by Apraxia Kids for Advanced Training and Expertise in Childhood Apraxia of Speech.
Apraxia Kids Boot Camp Graduate
Our practice leadership includes completion of the intensive Apraxia Kids training and mentorship program focused on CAS evaluation and treatment.
Every Speech Therapist is DTTC-Trained
Every speech therapist at Strive to Thrive has completed training in Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing (DTTC), a motor-based treatment approach used with children with childhood apraxia of speech.
Ongoing Training & Mentorship
Our pediatric apraxia specialists receive continued mentorship and training around CAS evaluations and treatment.
FAQs About Speech Therapy for Childhood Apraxia
What is the Apraxia Kids Boot Camp?
Apraxia Kids Boot Camp is an intensive, advanced training program from Apraxia Kids, the leading nonprofit dedicated to childhood apraxia of speech.
The program is also known as the Apraxia Kids Intensive Training Institute. Speech therapists are selected to take part. They receive mentorship in diagnosing and treating CAS, complete an in-depth case study, and get ongoing feedback from leading clinicians and researchers from around the world.
What's the difference between a speech delay and apraxia of speech?
A speech delay means speech is developing in the usual order, but more slowly than in other kids the same age.
Apraxia is a speech disorder, which means speech is developing differently.
Many children with a delay catch up. Children with CAS need direct therapy to learn the movements for speech.
Will my child outgrow apraxia of speech?
Childhood apraxia of speech does not go away on its own.
The brain's system for planning speech movements has to be taught how to move from one sound to the next. That takes practice with feedback from a speech therapist, and that's what apraxia therapy provides.
Does insurance cover apraxia therapy?
It depends on your plan. Strive to Thrive is in-network with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois PPO, UnitedHealthcare, Cigna, and select BCBS HMO plans.
If we're out-of-network for your plan, we provide a superbill you can submit to your insurance for possible reimbursement.
How often does a child with childhood apraxia need speech therapy?
The frequency of therapy depends on your child's individual speech motor needs.
We make recommendations after the evaluation based on your child's current skills, treatment needs, and how they respond to different prompts and cues.
Do you offer childhood apraxia therapy online?
Yes. Strive to Thrive provides childhood apraxia of speech therapy in person at our Arlington Heights clinic and through teletherapy for families throughout Illinois.
Speech Therapy for Articulation, Phonological Disoders, & Stuttering
Clear Speech in Sounds, Words, & Conversation
Speech Therapy for Articulation & Phonological Disorders
Speech therapy helps children who have trouble saying certain sounds speak clearly and confidently. We build research-based methods into fun, interactive activities that fit your child.
At Strive to Thrive Therapy, we treat the whole child. So when it helps, our speech therapists work alongside our myofunctional therapists to address the underlying causes of your child's speech difficulties.
One-on-one speech therapy helps your child:
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Say sounds correctly in syllables, words, phrases, and sentences
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Increase overall speech clarity
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Develop awareness of errors and self-correct
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Say sounds like s, r, and l more clearly
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Communicate with confidence and self-advocate
Treating Stuttering & Fluency Disorders
Speech Therapy for Stuttering
Speech therapy helps children who stutter communicate effectively and with confidence.
We combine research-based methods and fun, interactive activities to keep your child engaged in learning.
Our pediatric speech therapists help your child:
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Develop strategies for smoother speech
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Talk with less tension and effort when they stutter
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Understand their stuttering so it feels less scary
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Say what they want to say, without avoiding words or situations
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Communicate with confidence and speak up for themselves
FAQs About Speech Therapy
Is it normal for toddlers to mispronounce words?
It can be. Some sound errors are a normal part of learning to talk, and others point to a speech disorder. The type of error matters, which is why an evaluation with a speech therapist gives you a clear answer.
At what age should my child say most sounds correctly?
By ages 3 to 4, most people outside the family can understand a child's speech. Some later sounds, like r and th, may still be developing. If you're unsure whether your child's errors are typical, a speech evaluation gives you a clear answer.
Is stuttering something kids grow out of?
It depends. Periods of bumpy speech are common in young children. If your child stutters often for 3 to 6 months, an evaluation with a speech therapist can tell you whether support or treatment is recommended.
Does insurance cover speech therapy at Strive to Thrive?
It depends on your plan. Strive to Thrive Therapy is in-network with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois PPO, UnitedHealthcare, Cigna, and select BCBS HMO plans.
If we're out-of-network for your plan, we provide a superbill you can submit to your insurance for possible reimbursement.
What's the difference between a speech delay and a speech disorder?
A speech delay means your child's speech is developing in the usual order, but more slowly than other kids the same age.
A speech disorder means speech is developing differently. Many children with a delay catch up.
Children with a speech disorder usually need speech therapy to make progress.
How do I know if my child needs speech therapy?
If people have a hard time understanding your child, a speech evaluation is a good next step. Other reasons to check in include sound errors that affect how clearly your child speaks and frustration because talking takes so much effort.
Many parents also have a gut feeling that their child's speech sounds different. An evaluation with a speech therapist gives you real answers.
Strive to Thrive Therapy is Located in Arlington Heights, IL
Speech Therapy for Children in Chicago and the Northwest Suburbs
Strive to Thrive Therapy provides speech therapy for childhood apraxia of speech, articulation disorders, phonological disorders, and stuttering for children ages 2 to 18. Our team is led by Apraxia Kids Boot Camp graduate Anne Hodits, M.A., CCC-SLP/L. Our clinic is in Arlington Heights, IL, and serves families in Chicago and the northwest suburbs. We also offer online speech therapy anywhere in Illinois.