A speech therapy evaluation is the first step in determining your child’s strengths and challenges. When a child first comes to speech therapy, we do a 1-hour long assessment, which includes discussing parent / caregiver concerns, asking about your child’s medical history, and observing your child's communication skills in a new environment. Your child might participate in testing to assess their language skills, or you might complete a parent questionnaire. At the end of the appointment, your therapist will discuss their findings with you and may recommend additional therapy services.

At Pace, speech therapy sessions are personalized to each client’s goals and needs. Sessions typically last 30–60 minutes and can occur weekly or more often depending on individual goals. Therapy can be provided in individual or small group settings, combining fun, engaging activities as well as a personalized home program. 

Make sure to check out our Instagram and Facebook pages for photos and videos of some of our therapy sessions! 

• Autism Spectrum Disorder

• ADHD

• Dyslexia

• Neurological Conditions (Cerebral Palsy, Brain injuries)

• Genetic syndromes (Down syndrome, Fragile X)

• Developmental Language Disorder

• Deaf & Hard of Hearing

• Vocal Cord Dysfunction

• Cleft Palate

• and more!

Speech sound disorders occur when children have difficulty perceiving and producing speech sounds correctly. Speech sound disorders can be broken down into three categories: 

1. Articulation Disorders

An articulation disorder is when a child has difficulty making specific speech sounds clearly. For example, a child may say “thoap” instead of “soap”. These are often caused by challenges with how the mouth, tongue, or lips move to produce certain sounds. 

2. Phonological Disorders

A phonological disorder occurs when a child has patterns of speech errors, rather than just a few. These are often caused by difficulties learning the rules for how sounds work in words. For example, a child might say "tat" instead of "cat" or "pider" instead of "spider". 

3. Motor Speech Disorders

A motor speech disorder is when a child is constrained in their ability to plan, sequence and/or control movements of muscle groups that are used to generate speech due to neurological and/or neuromuscular impairment such as cerebral palsy or childhood apraxia of speech. 

How SLPs can help: Our speech-language pathologist will begin with a thorough evaluation to understand the source of your child’s speech sound difficulties. From there, they will create an individualized therapy plan that uses a combination of play-based activities and structured practice to help your child speak clearly, build confidence, and develop a solid foundation for reading and spelling development. 

Expressive language is how a child expresses their ideas—using vocabulary, grammar, and storytelling. Receptive language is how they understand what others say—like following directions, answering questions, or grasping the meaning of stories.

How SLPs help: At Pace, our speech-language pathologist (SLP) will utilize standardized assessments, play-based observations, and caregiver input to understand a child’s unique strengths and challenges. Therapy may include interactive activities, modeling, and structured practice that help kids build vocabulary, use longer sentences, and strengthen comprehension skills for both school and daily life.

Speech fluency refers to how smoothly words come out when we talk. Stuttering is a natural difference in speech where a person may repeat sounds, stretch out words, or feel “stuck” before a word comes out. Many children go through typical periods of disfluency. However, when stuttering persists and is accompanied by physical tension, avoidance around speaking, or a negative perception of themselves as communicator, an evaluation with a speech-language pathologist (SLP) can help.

How SLPs help: At Pace, our approach is stutter-affirming, evidence-based, and family-centered. For young children, sessions include play-based activities and guided parent support to build practical strategies and confidence around communication. For children and teens, therapy focuses on building confidence, talking openly and meaningfully about stuttering, and developing resilience and strategies for real-world speaking situations.

Social communication is how children use words, gestures, and body language to build friendships, share ideas, and navigate everyday interactions. Every child communicates in their own unique way, and some may find certain social situations challenging—not because there’s something “wrong,” but because their style of communicating doesn’t always match what others expect.

How SLPs can help: At pace, our speech-language pathologist can help children strengthen specific social communication skills, including emotional literacy, conversational skills, perspective taking, and conflict resolution with peers. Our approach celebrates each child’s strengths and individuality while helping them navigate social situations in ways that feel natural and meaningful to them.

AAC, or Augmentative and Alternative Communication, refers to tools and strategies that supplement (“augment”) or replace (“alternative”) a child’s natural speech to help them communicate successfully. Children may use AAC to make choices, express feelings, request needs, participate in social interactions, or support literacy and classroom engagement.

AAC can take many forms including communication boards or books, speech-generating devices, tablets, switches, or sign language. Using AAC does not prevent a child from speaking; in fact, research shows it can actually increase speech production by reducing frustration, supporting language development, and encouraging social interaction.

How SLPs can help: Our speech-language pathologists work with children to learn how to use AAC effectively across daily routines, and in social settings. Sessions focus on building functional communication skills while also supporting speech, language, and social development. We provide comprehensive AAC evaluations, create individualized therapy plans, and assist families with insurance submissions for device funding. 

Executive functioning refers to the mental skills we use to plan, organize, focus attention, remember instructions, and manage multiple tasks. Cognitive-communication includes the language skills that rely on these executive functions, such as understanding and following directions, expressing ideas clearly, staying on topic in conversation, problem-solving, and using reasoning to make decisions.

How SLPs can help: At Pace, our speech-language therapist can help kids strengthen these skills in practical everyday contexts. Therapy may involve strategies for organizing thoughts, improving memory, enhancing flexible thinking, and supporting self-monitoring. SLPs also help kids develop stronger planning, writing, and conversational skills, and can provide tools and supports to increase independence in school, home, and social settings.