A “wait and see” approach may be fine for other aspects of child development, but when it comes to speech and language development, it’s best to get an evaluation by a licensed Hermosa Beach speech therapist as soon as you suspect there may be an issue—even if your pediatrician says otherwise.

We don’t mean to disparage pediatricians. There are many great ones out there, but they are generally not experts in speech and language development. They may not have read the research about the importance of early intervention for speech and language delays. Starting your child in speech therapy early can be beneficial for several different reasons.

Speech Therapy Now May Mean Fewer Challenges in School

You may be thinking, “Why does it matter if my child gets speech therapy now or later?” Or you may be of the mindset that if you wait, your child can get speech therapy through the public school system. However, when a child starts school with communication issues, it can often lead to other academic challenges, creating sort of a domino effect. For that reason, it is best to work on your child’s speech issues before they enter school. Also, speech therapy in South Bay schools requires that your child is pulled out of class to receive therapy, causing him or her to miss valuable classroom time. With an early start, you may be find that your child has no need to continue in special education once they reach school age because their delay has already been completely overcome!

Early Intervention Can Help Achieve Better Outcomes

In some cases, it has been shown that starting speech therapy at an early age is necessary to achieve optimal results. Especially when there is a more severe issue, early intervention is key! Waiting to start speech therapy could mean that your child’s speech and language development never reaches its full potential.

Consulting with a Speech Therapist Can Help Your Own Peace of Mind

If your pediatrician or another health professional has told you to wait, but you still have concerns about your child’s speech and language development, you should go ahead and contact a Hermosa Beach speech therapist for a consultation. A speech language pathologist from Lil’ Chit-Chat can meet with you and your child for an evaluation, and we will always be completely honest with you. If we have no concerns about your child’s speech development, we’ll tell you. But if there are issues that should be addressed by a speech therapist, we’ll determine the best therapy plan, based on their age and specific challenges.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have concerns about your child! We would love to talk with you! If you’d like to set up a consultation, we can set up a time to send a licensed speech language pathologist to your Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, or Manhattan Beach home to evaluate your child. We hope to hear from you soon!

Why Do Schools Need Speech Therapists?

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) require that public schools offer services, at no cost, to students who have been determined to have a speech or language impairment (or any other eligible disability). If a child is eligible for speech therapy services at school, and has speech therapy as a part of their Individualized Education Plan (IEP), their school is legally required to provide this service.

Why Would Schools Use Online Speech Therapy, Rather Than Have a Therapist on Staff?

While most school districts staff licensed Speech Language Pathologists to provide therapy in their local schools, some are out of compliance with the law because they don’t have a qualified speech therapist on hand for children in need of therapy. This may be because they have had difficulty filling the position because of the school’s location (which is sometimes the case in rural or inner city areas), or simply because the position was suddenly vacated, and the school has not yet been able find a qualified replacement.

To ensure that a school district remains in compliance, Lil’ Chit-Chat is now offering online speech therapy with our licensed Speech Language Pathologists. The beauty of online therapy, is that we can work with any school, regardless of where they are located or where our speech therapist is located, as long as the therapist is licensed to work in the state in which the school is located, as well as the state in which he or she is located.

Even schools that are currently in compliance with the law can benefit from contracting with Lil’ Chit-Chat for online therapy because it allows them to provide another option to parents of children with speech and language delays—one that doesn’t involve their children missing class to attend therapy. Contracting with Lil’ Chit-Chat for online speech therapy can also benefit smaller districts that only have a few children in need of speech therapy services, since then they wouldn’t need to staff a full-time therapist.

In addition, online therapy is a great option for students not attending their local public school, such as those attending an online school, or those in charter schools or private schools who would have to leave their campuses during the day to attend therapy sessions somewhere else. For these types of students, teletherapy can be an extremely convenient option. Therapy sessions can be tailored to the students’ schedules and allow them to not miss out on large amounts of class time.

Find Out More About Online Speech Therapy for School Children

If you’re a parent who thinks online speech therapy would be a good fit for your child (maybe you find your student is falling behind because he or she is missing class, or perhaps group speech therapy doesn’t suit your child’s personality), don’t hesitate to contact your local school district and request that they contract with Lil’ Chit-Chat to provide online therapy for your child. If you’re a school or school district that could benefit from working with a quality online speech therapist, contact us at Lil’ Chit-Chat. We’d love to talk with you about the various options available and how we can help your school or school district be in compliance, while still providing quality, individualized speech therapy services.

Featured Interview in VoyageLA,

Recently, Lil’ Chit-Chat owner Sabrina Conway was contacted by VoyageLA, an online publication dedicated to sharing the stories of the people and businesses that make Los Angeles unique. They wanted to interview Sabrina to find out more about her as a small business owner, and also to learn more about Lil’ Chit-Chat and how it’s making an impact in the South Bay.

The interview, which you can read here, allowed Sabrina to talk about her approach to speech therapy and how she has turned her experience and passion into a thriving business. She also talked about how Lil’ Chit-Chat caters to the specific needs of its clients, and also offers some unique programs, like online speech therapy and a Parent Enrichment Program.

We want to thank VoyageLA for taking the time to get to know Sabrina and Lil’ Chit-Chat, and for shining a light on small businesses that are doing great work throughout the Los Angeles area.

Lil’ Chit-Chat Given Menifee Award for Small Business Excellence

Lil’ Chit-Chat was also recently recognized for the work we are doing in the Menifee area with our speech therapy clients. The Menifee Small Business Excellence Award Program chose Lil’ Chit-Chat to receive the 2017 award for speech therapists in Menifee!

According to the official press release issued by the Award Program, “Recognition is given to those companies that have shown the ability to use their best practices and implemented programs to generate competitive advantages and long-term value. These are small businesses that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and our community. These exceptional companies help make the Menifee area a vibrant and vital place to live.”

We work hard at making sure our business is an asset to the communities in which we are located, and we are grateful to the Menifee Small Business Excellence Award Program for recognizing Lil’ Chit-Chat as a business that is making the city of Menifee a better place to live and work!

Speech Therapy for Children in Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, and Menifee

If you are looking for a pediatric speech therapist in the South Bay, or in south Riverside County, we would love to talk with you. Our speech therapists have experience working with children with all types of speech and language challenges and can develop a personalized plan for your child that addresses his or her specific needs. Contact us today to have your questions answered or to set up an appointment for an evaluation.

If you’re like most of our pediatric speech therapy clients in Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, and Torrance, your child likely just began receiving speech therapy at the beginning of the school year. With only a couple of months of therapy behind them, they are just now starting to gain some serious momentum toward their speech and language goals. Taking a break from speech therapy now can put a halt to all of that momentum.

You may be thinking: “Our family gets so busy over the holidays. We won’t have much time to work with our child in between therapy sessions anyway, so why even bother with therapy right now?” However, there is plenty you can do with your child to further their speech and language development, even with a hectic schedule. The holidays in particular offer some great opportunities to work with your child in the areas of speech and language. There are new things to see and more people to interact with, giving you a chance to incorporate new words into your child’s vocabulary. In addition, your child may also receive some new toys that will open up new opportunities for play-based learning.

If you’ve been thinking of starting your child in speech therapy, but have decided to wait until the new year begins to have your child evaluated by a speech therapist, we’d like to ask you to reconsider. If your child is delayed in their speech or language development, there is no better time to start them in therapy than now! We say it all the time, but it bears repeating: early intervention is key when it comes to speech and language development! If you’re not sure if your child actually needs therapy, we’d love to talk with you, answer any initial questions you have, and schedule a consultation with one of our licensed speech therapists in the South Bay.

We know it’s a busy time, or if it’s not busy for you yet, it will be soon! But don’t put off something as important as speech therapy for your child. You’d be surprised at the progress your child may be able to make in just a few short months, and you won’t ever regret the time you invested in your child’s speech and language development.

If you’re ready to get started, contact Lil’ Chit-Chat today. We hope to hear from you soon!

We’re not looking for just any speech therapists, though. We want therapists and SLPAs who are passionate about what they do and who love working with children. Since we believe in early intervention when it comes to speech therapy, we accept clients as young as 18 months old for private therapy, so therapists should be comfortable working with toddlers and preschoolers, as well as with school-age children.

Any therapist we hire also needs to be willing to work with the families and caregivers of our clients (even including them in the therapy sessions) and working in their Temecula-area homes. We believe strongly in family involvement in the speech therapy process, knowing that when the family is on the same page as our therapists and supporting their efforts in between sessions, our clients are able to progress toward their goals much faster. We also believe that conducting speech therapy sessions in our clients’ homes helps them become comfortable with their therapists more quickly.

The current speech therapists on our staff have a variety of backgrounds—having worked in schools, hospitals, and other private speech therapy clinics. We always do our best to match the experience, skills, and training of our therapists with the individual needs of our clients to achieve the best outcomes for our clients. We also encourage our therapists to continue their education and learn new techniques and methods that will help them become better therapists.

We take our work seriously, but we also make sure to incorporate “fun” into our therapy sessions to help keep our young clients motivated and encouraged to reach their goals. We use a play-based therapy model that has worked well for us and for our clients.

If you are interested in applying for a position as a speech therapist with Lil’ Chit-Chat, we’d love to hear from you! Or if you know of someone who may be interested in applying, please share this page with them. Candidates can contact us through our Careers page to get the process started. We hope to hear from you soon!

During this time off, you may see a loss of momentum when it comes to your child’s progress, but this doesn’t have to be the case. There are many things you can do as a parent to make sure your child continues to progress toward their speech and language goals.

Unstructured Play is Great for Development

The school months are filled with lots of structured activities—in speech therapy, in the classroom, and in any after-school activities in which your child may be involved. Summer is a good time to give your child the opportunity to engage in unstructured play—that is, play that is undirected by you or anyone else. Give your child some simple materials or craft supplies and see what they come up with. Take them to a safe area where they can just explore until their heart’s content. Invite a friend or two over to play so they can practice communicating and socializing with peers in a casual environment.

Whatever activity your child is engaged in, make sure you are working alongside them to improve their communication in a way that keeps things fun and lighthearted. Ask questions, introduce new words related to what he or she is doing, and encourage critical thinking as they work through situations.

Summer Activities that Can Enhance Speech and Language Development

Summer activities present great opportunities for teaching and practicing vocabulary in new environments. Taking your child to the beach, the pool, on a hike, or on a trip will allow you to introduce new words and concepts, and also will give your child many chances to ask and answer questions, practice following directions, engage in critical thinking, and socialize.

Just like in unstructured play, keep the communication practice fun during your family’s summer activities. Make it a natural addition to what you’re doing, rather than turning a fun activity into a “lesson.”

As a parent, you are your child’s number one teacher! Your child’s speech therapist can give him or her the tools needed to develop their speech and language skills, but you teach your child how to engage with the world. Look for opportunities every day to teach and practice communication skills, but don’t forget to have fun!

If you’d like to supplement you summer activities with some private speech therapy, contact Lil’ Chit-Chat. Our speech therapists come to your Manhattan Beach or Redondo Beach home and involve family members in your child’s speech therapy sessions. You can also contact us with any initial questions you may have or to schedule an evaluation of your child. We hope to hear from you soon!

The featured interview with Sabrina appeared in a special section of the publication titled “All About Kids.” Sabrina was the only pediatric speech therapist to be featured, along with several schools, play facilities, and pediatrician offices, all of which are dedicated to the wellbeing of children in the South Bay area. Sabrina was also prominently featured on the magazine’s Facebook page, Our South Bay, which is followed by more than 22,000 people.

In the interview, Sabrina was able to articulate what makes Lil’ Chit-Chat unique among speech therapy clinics in the South Bay area. She talks about how the speech therapists at Lil’ Chit-Chat customize a therapy plan for each and every child, and provide support to families throughout the entire therapy process.

She also made a point of saying that at Lil’ Chit-Chat, our speech therapists don’t just help children through their present challenges, but set them up to be successful for the rest of their lives. When talking about what you can expect when you work with Lil’ Chit-Chat for your child’s speech therapy needs, Sabrina said in the interview, “We provide a safe and supportive environment where a trusting therapist-child relationship is established from the start. When we arrive to your child’s session, the kids are eagerly waiting to engage with their clinician.”

Sabrina’s passion for helping children with speech and communication challenges is evident throughout the interview. She shares this passion with all of the speech therapists at Lil’ Chit-Chat, who truly love working with children and making a difference in the lives of South Bay families.

You can read the entire featured interview in Southbay Magazine here.

If you’d like to get in touch with Sabrina to find out more about Lil’ Chit-Chat’s approach to pediatric speech therapy or to schedule an evaluation of your child in your South Bay home, contact us through our website, or give us a call at (877) 450-6757.

Parent Enrichment Program in Menifee, Canyon Lake, Lake Elsinore, and Temecula

Recently, Lil’ Chit-Chat started a Parent Enrichment Program in the Menifee area. It is designed to help parents of children with special needs related to speech and language development. Our goal with our Parent Enrichment Program is to give parents the tools they need to help their children achieve their speech and language goals and meet their speech and language milestones. When speech therapy is supplemented by knowledgeable parents working with their children in between therapy sessions, progress can happen much more quickly. Our Parent Enrichment sessions are customized based on individual or group needs, and can be held anywhere in the Menifee, Canyon Lake, Lake Elsinore, or Temecula areas. Read more about our Parent Enrichment Program and the types of families that can benefit from it here.

Low-Cost Screenings for Preschoolers

Lil’ Chit-Chat is also partnering with a large local church and its preschool to offer low-cost screenings for the preschool’s children. Our licensed Speech Language Pathologists will conduct the screenings and offer recommendations to parents based on the results. At Lil’ Chit-Chat, we believe strongly in early intervention when it comes to speech therapy, and this is one way we can help children get the speech therapy help they need before they enter the elementary school years. Even if the parents don’t choose to come to Lil’ Chit-Chat for speech therapy services, we want to give parents insight into their children’s speech and language development during their critical preschool years.

Local Recognition for Lil’ Chit-Chat Speech & Language Therapy

Even though our speech and language therapy clinic has only been operating in the Menifee area for a short amount of time, we’ve already received local recognition, which is very encouraging to us.

Back in October, Lil’ Chit-Chat founder Sabrina Conway was featured on the front page of The Californian, an insert that is included in the San Diego Union-Tribune for readers in the cities of Temecula, Murrieta, Menifee, and Canyon Lake. The article focused on Lil’ Chit-Chat’s boutique approach to speech therapy that creates individualized therapy plans for every client. Read more here.

Just last month, in January, Lil’ Chit-Chat won the “Menifee Small Business Excellence Award” for Speech Therapists, presented by smallbusinessexcellence.org. These awards go to outstanding small businesses that serve their local communities, and that help make them more vibrant and vital places to live.

It really is our desire at Lil’ Chit-Chat to be a valuable resource in the community. As speech therapists, we have a passion to provide high-quality, personalized, in-home speech therapy services to families in the area. We’d love to talk with you and answer any questions about our approach to speech therapy, or to set up a time to evaluate your child in your Menifee, Lake Elsinore, Canyon Lake, or Temecula home to see if he or she could benefit from speech therapy.

We work with great families, many of whom are asking for additional information and resources to help their children achieve their speech therapy goals. Because of this, Lil’ Chit-Chat has decided to launch a Parent Enrichment Program. This customized educational program is designed to empower parents in the areas of speech and language development.

Parent Enrichment can apply to four different types of parents:

1. Parents who are not certain whether or not their child is in need of speech therapy services

Often, these parents have concerns about their child’s speech and language development, but their pediatrician has told them to “wait it out and see what happens.”

As speech therapists, we can’t stress strongly enough the importance of early intervention when it comes to a child’s speech and language development, so if a parent has concerns, they should schedule a Parent Enrichment session with one of our licensed Temecula Speech Language Pathologists. The therapist can provide strategies that the parent can implement into their child’s daily activities to facilitate speech and language development. They can also tell you if further professional intervention is necessary.

2. Parents with children enrolled in school speech therapy

Many children receive speech therapy services in public schools, which means that the parents aren’t present during (or even before and after) the therapy sessions. They may get regular reports from the school speech therapist, but some parents desire more “face time” and specific recommendations from a Temecula speech therapist. Through our Parent Enrichment Program, a Speech Language Pathologist from Lil’ Chit-Chat can meet with parents and give them insights and sound recommendations that can help their child’s progress.

3. Parents with children who recently exited speech therapy or who are about to exit

When a child exits speech therapy, it is important that the progress they have made is maintained. Our speech therapists can give parents specific recommendations to ensure that children don’t fall back into old habits and patterns.

4. Parents of children with typical speech and language development

Sometimes we get requests from parents looking for ways to enrich their child’s cognition, speech, or language development, even if their child doesn’t have a need for formal speech therapy sessions. Through our Parent Enrichment Program, our Speech Language Pathologists can work with parents throughout Temecula to develop programs that they can implement in their homes to further their children’s development in these areas.

Schedule a Parent Enrichment Session

Currently, our Parent Enrichment Program consists of private sessions in the homes of Temecula families. If you are a parent looking to work with one of our licensed Speech Language Pathologists in your home to help further your child’s speech and language development, please contact us to schedule a session.

We are also looking to expand this program and offer group sessions for parents of children with similar speech therapy needs. If you are part of a group that would like to have a Lil’ Chit-Chat speech therapist offer parent enrichment, please contact Sabrina Conway through our contact page. We would be happy to give a customized presentation to your group of parents in Temecula or any of the nearby surrounding cities. Contact us for more details.

The convention offers speech therapists the opportunity to learn about innovative speech therapy techniques and further their professional development in a variety of areas. The conference allows attendees to choose the sessions that best fit their needs as speech therapists, in order to learn from speech and language experts and converse with like-minded professionals about their work.

At the ASHA convention, Sabrina attended a great session called “PROMPT Case Studies: Achieving Functional Communication Outcomes.” The session was conducted by Amy Clark from the PROMPT Institute.

PROMT stands for PROMPTS for Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic Targets and focuses on the accurate articulation of a sound, word, or sentence by providing the appropriate movement and shaping of the child’s mouth. PROMPT has shown to be effective for both children who have yet to begin speaking, as well as for ones who have words, but exhibit difficulty with speech clarity.

Sabrina had previously completed education through the PROMPT institute and has been implementing PROMPT into her pediatric speech therapy sessions with children throughout Temecula. The PROMPT course at the ASHA conference offered Sabrina and the other speech therapists in attendance additional ways in which they could implement PROMPT into therapy sessions with clients of any age or diagnosis.

As a speech therapist serving the Temecula area, Sabrina is dedicated to ensuring that she is in the know about what is up and coming in the field of speech pathology. When a specific approach to pediatric speech therapy (like PROMPT) shows good results, Sabrina takes notice and does her research to see if that particular approach would benefit her pediatric speech therapy clients. She is also dedicated to continuing her education as a Speech Language Pathologist. She regularly attends the ASHA conference, and has received the Award for Continuing Education (ACE) from ASHA for going above and beyond the requirement for continuing education.

If you are looking for a Temecula pediatric speech therapist who is dedicated to offering the most effective approaches to speech therapy, contact Lil’ Chit-Chat. We would be happy to schedule a time for one of our speech therapists to come to your Temecula home for an evaluation of your child.