Why Speech Therapy Isn’t Always the 1st Step

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When it comes to childhood delays, Speech Therapy (ST) is one of the most common recommendations. While ST is an important part of your child’s pediatric therapy journey – for children with behavioral, sensory, or learning concerns, it’s not always the 1st step that needs to be taken.

Speech therapy helps your child communicate, build confidence, and express themselves easier. Yet we have found that some children struggle with the rigor of speech therapy because of their other pediatric milestone delays.

Meeting Your Child Where They Are

Part of our job at PLTA Center is to learn who your child is and create an individualized plan that sets them up for success.

When a child has sensory needs that cause them to lose focus during therapy sessions, they will have to work much harder and may not enjoy it as much. So if we first address sensory or behavioral needs with Occupational Therapy, or ABA, your child’s speech success will come much easier!

OT or ABA May Be Needed First

If your child struggles to focus, remain seated, or has oral sensory issues, speech therapy may be difficult for them. While you may be eager to grow your child’s communication abilities, it can be tough for those little ones who can’t focus easily. Depending on the unique struggles of your child, we are able to offer sessions for Occupational Therapy (OT) or Advanced Behavioral Analysis (ABA) Therapy as a 1st step! This allows us to make a distinctive plan for your child so that when it comes time to attend speech, they feel more relaxed, focused, and ready to do the work.

How Do We Know What’s Needed?

Here at PLTA we have developed a unique method of interviewing families to discover your child’s strengths and struggles. During your first meeting with our team, you’ll meet with all 3 of our therapy professionals so we can create a birds-eye view of your child’s developmental journey. When we meet your child where they are, we can better plan for their needs as we help them flourish into the one-of-a-kind child that they are!

PLTA Center

We create individualized treatment plans to support your child’s communication, social-emotional abilities, motor skills, and more.

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