Speech Therapy - Frisco, TX

I don't have time to read the responses before responding so I apologize if I repeat. Contact ECI. They will do a free eval and free therapy if needed. My daughter needed physical therapy and ECI was great!

A friend of mine used ECI (early childhood intervention). They were recommended to her by both her pediatrician and babysitter. One location is Baylor House in Waxahachie. She said you can call the below #’s. She didn’t have their direct number at the time when I mentioned this to her. This list is some of the teachers. Maybe they can direct you.

ECI DAWN ###-###-####

VESHIA ###-###-####

I hope this helps!

Jen ###-###-####

First, I would like to applaude you for your concern. There is so much current research that does not follow the old school ideas of "later developing sounds" not being addressed until certain ages. There is also a lot of current research that links articulation difficulties with certain struggles found with learning to read (I believe these journal articles can be found on the ASHA web site).

A speech evaluation is a non-invasive procedure that could only lead to two outcomes - your peace of mind knowing that your child is developing in a typical manner, or the information you need to help your child develop those areas of concern.

I have been practicing speech-language pathology for 15 years. I would recommend the evaluation. Although I conduct evaluations, your evaluation through the school district would be free. I suggest you find out if your district will conduct a standardized speech-language evaluation, and not simply a play -based analysis. That way you will know what to expect, if you should desire to go that route. Be sure to ask if the district does summer testing, that way you may not have to wait until the fall.

Please let me know if you should have any further questions ###-###-####), and don't let the mounds of paperwork the school has scare you. I used to conduct the assessments for a school district. The program is funded by the government - and that will mean a lot of paperwork!

If you are interested, I have a parent-child articulation camp. It will run 7/30-8/2. Every child will have activities designed specifically for his/her sounds. The camp will run from 9:30-11:30, and is located in Plano. For additional information, I invite you to visit www.startherapyprograms.com, and read the Sizzling Sound Camp portion of the summer schedule.

Good luck! Your child is fortunate to have a mother who is striving to be his advocate.

Regards,
S.

I second the advise to go with the school district. Once you get your child started with the school, they will keep them in the program as long as your child needs services including after they start kindergarten. And it's free. I know that every district is different in how they handle things but I have had a very good experience with my school district's program.

For me, the private route hasn't been any better than the school district's services but you can always get an evaluation from a private speech therapist and compare to what the school gives you just to make sure they line up. That's what I did and it gave me peace of mind when both evaluations said the same thing.

J., you are doing the right thing to seek help for your child! My daughter had speech problems, and even though her pediatrician said to wait, I had her evaluated at Plano ISD. Plano came highly recommended, it was free, so I thought I had nothing to lose. She was immediately enrolled into their early intervention program at Barron Elementary. She attended their speech class. Thought it was the greatest thing at the time. Now, she's going into second grade, and she struggles with every academic subject that involves language comprehension. The school still provides speech therapy, but it's not enough for her to stay up with her peers. She is currently receiving additional therapy with a private therapist, something we should have done much earlier in the game. Five years ago, I wish I had a resource like Mamasource to advise me. The moms have provided you with great info! I don't know the extent of your child's speech problem, but based on our experience, have your child tested with the school district if they do for free. If you feel that they are not doing enough, trust your gut feeling. Read up on speech delay, and consider other sources that can help your child. Star Therapy sounds great (wish I had known about them earlier in the game). Callier Center at UTD is an awesome resource as well as Our Children's House, Shelton School, and other's mentioned. They provide testing, play therapy, and some of the best therapists around. You can do this with your school district. This makes sure that your son is getting the best services that he deserves.

Both my boys had apparent speech problems (minor like yours seems to be) when they were younger, but they resolved as they matured. I think you can work on this at home, as well. Definitely, ask the pediatrician - ours said you didn't need to worry until they were older (i.e., older than 6 or 7 - boys are slower to mature). But, from your posting the problem doesn't sound like you need intervention yet. If you can generally understand what he's saying and he understands what you're saying, then I wouldn't worry at this point. If you are perceiving problems in the comprehension area as well, then it could be a auditory processing problem and you'd really want someone to evaluate hearing, as well (i.e., he may be hearing things the way he's saying them).

A lot of Speech therapists (especially those who take insurance) do the initial eval for free and if not, your insurance should cover it anyhow. Sheryl, the SLP that responded to your post is excellent and my own son was in one of her group classes so I can definitely recommend her. Also, if you're in the Collin county area I can recommend a few others also if you're interested in the private route. My son has been in speech therapy since he was 1 and it's REALLY helped.

J., I'm not sure where you live, but I took my son to Lakewood Pediatric Therapy when he was 3 years old. I found them through my pediatrician. They worked with our insurance (even though getting reimbursed was a little tough at first). You can go through your school district, but it may be almost a year before you can even get in IF you qualify. Check with your health insurance first and then shop around. There are many wonderful places out there, but I do recommend starting now. It will be to his benefit by the time he starts kindergarten. Good luck!

Hi J.
I would ask your pediatrician for a referral first. There is a place called OUR CHILDREN'S HOUSE in Grapevine that offers speech, PT, OT and developmental therapy. They are very nice there and the therapists are super. Definitely ask for Kendra or Sara to work with your DS.

Otherwise I would call your area's Early Child Intervention program for information.

Good luck to you and your little one.

Talk to your pediatrician. He can get you a referral
within your healthplan.

I would go the private route. I know it is more expensive but it will be worth it in the long run. Early Childhood Intervention is only for 0-35months. Start with asking your pediatrician. He/she should be able to give you a few good referrals.

Speech therapy is free through the school district. Contact your local elementary school and they will get you in touch with the proper people. Some one will come to your house for an information session, then you will be scheduled for an evaluation. My daughter has been in speech therapy since she was 4.

Looking at the sounds your son needs help with, I will let you know that "th" is not usually mastered until age 5 (late age 5 even). As far as the "y" that may be a delay, but not really sure.

Anyway, hope this helps.

J.

J. Therapy 2000 is a wonderful group of therapist who come to your house. Two of my children are in therapy with them currently and they love it and I do to. I was with another very well known therapy center and never saw improvements but after one month with therapy 2000 he made a huge diffrence. I am thankful for everything that therapy 2000 has done. My daughter see a wonderful guy for speech and she is 4yrs old. The email address is www.T2000.com .

I would contact your school district (or your local school). They should be able to help you....after all that is what you pay taxes for. :)

I would talk with your pediatrician and see where they recommend. Our Children's Baylor is in Frisco and Allen. Check with them or with you ISD (since it is summer, don't know if they do evaluations).

When my now 8 yr. old was 4, he was tested through the public school system..I went with them because they were free. However, after a yr I didn't really see any improvement. Then I tried to re-enroll him for when he was 5 and they wouldn't let me since I was homeschooling. At first I was really frustrated because I didn't want to pay for speech if I could get it for free. Well, I ended up sending him to UNT speech...what a difference. I was a little hesitant since his teachers were going to be grad students but they were great. He went there for a yr and he learned more there in one semester then he did in a full yr with the public school. It was well worth the cost.

Maybe Cooks, we used Children's Hospital in Seattle.

Hi, J.. Not sure what part of town you live in. These ladies have given you a lot of good advice. Bit of warning about going through the school district, though. If his speech is pretty good accept for the "th" and "y" then they may end up telling you that he does not qualify for services. Most of the kids that get serviced through the school system have extreme speech issues or other disabilities. What's more, if he does qualify for services through the school, they will only provide the bare minimum. You might be better off getting private speech therapy and letting your insurance cover some of it. Most insurance carriers will cover so many visits per year. Our speech therapist is Lori Sekhon at Meadowview School and Evaluation Center. She sees mostly private patients but many of the are students at the school which services Pre-K through 8th grade students with learning differences. They are located in Mesquite, but serve East Dallas, Rockwall, Rowlett, Garland, etc. Their number is ###-###-####.

Hi J.,
My son is also 3 1/2 and we just started speech therapy. We started with the school district (Wylie) which did not qualify him for the program even though his stuttering is considered "significant". It was a frustrating experience and I would just say from our personal experience a serious waste of time and energy on me & my sons part. We were told about the Callier Center @ UTD - it is a research and treatment center for speech disorders and specializes in little ones. I seriously cannot even find the words to tell you how impressed we are with this program. We feel happy now that the school district route didn't work out b/c now he has specialized individual & group time which he wouldn't have gotten through the school. At this age, you can do so much in so little time! Good luck!! Let me know if you want any more info!

Start with the school dist first (your child has to have a major speech imparment to qualify though) and if that dosnet work try Cooks Children (we go there and they are great!) and also the Child Study Center of FTW does evals too.

Contact the school district you live in services are free if you qualify. Pronouncing the th incorrectly is normal for that age though. It doesn't hurt to get him tested. they should have a Pip program or child find.