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.

Often times, our speech therapy clinic receives new clients shortly after the new school year begins. Frequently, a child’s new teacher will notice that a student isn’t where he or she should be with regard to speech and language development, and suggest to parents that they should consider speech therapy for their child. Teachers are a great resource for identifying potential speech and language issues. Unlike pediatricians, teachers see children for extended time periods and have extensive interaction with them, and unlike most parents, teachers see children alongside other children of the same age, and they can clearly identify a child who may need some extra help.

For school-age children in need of speech therapy, the first stop is often the school district’s speech therapist.

There are some excellent speech therapists in the Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach areas working in the public schools. Some of the pediatric speech therapists at Lil’ Chit-Chat used to work in those very schools. But even with the best speech therapists, there are some disadvantages to having your child only receive speech therapy at school. One of the main drawbacks to public school speech therapy is the missed classroom time. Another is that public school speech therapy is typically group therapy, as opposed to one-on-one speech therapy, so your child isn’t receiving individualized attention.

If your child’s delays are minor, and if your child’s personality is conducive to learning well in a small group environment, then the speech therapy provided by the school may be adequate. However, if you think your child could benefit from one-on-one attention, or if you’d just like some additional speech therapy sessions to help your child progress more quickly, you may want to consider supplemental speech therapy from a private speech therapist in Manhattan Beach.

The speech therapists at Lil’ Chit-Chat can work with your child’s schedule and provide in-home speech therapy that is personalized for your child’s specific needs. Even just one day per week of private speech therapy to supplement the group speech therapy your child is receiving in school can make a world of difference!

In addition to the personalized, one-one-one attention your child will receive from the speech therapists at Lil’ Chit-Chat, he or she will also have the advantage of learning in a familiar environment, with family members present. We do our best to make our speech therapy sessions fun for the child, and involve parents and caregivers so they can learn how to support the child’s speech and language goals in between therapy sessions.

If you would like to learn more about the speech therapy we provide in Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach, contact us at Lil’ Chit-Chat. We’d be happy to answer any questions you may have or set up a speech therapy consultation for your child. We look forward to hearing from you!

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!

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.

Not All Children Thrive in Group Speech Therapy

Speech therapy offered in public schools is group therapy, which can bring about challenges for certain types of children. If your child is particularly shy, self-conscious, or anxious, group therapy may cause them to shut down. In the best case scenario, it will take this type of child a longer amount of time for them to “warm up” to the group and experience the benefits of speech therapy than it would if they were one-on-one with a therapist in their home, with a parent nearby.

On the other end of the spectrum, are the extremely outgoing children who see speech therapy as a time to goof off and socialize with their friends. Individualized speech therapy in your Canyon Lake home allows your child to experience therapy free from the distraction of other children.

Finally, in public school speech therapy, your child may be in a group of children with needs that are much different than their own. It is difficult for even the best speech therapist to address the unique needs of every child in their group in the short amount of time they have with them.

Individualized Attention

When you hire a Canyon Lake speech therapist from Lil’ Chit-Chat, your child gets the one-on-one attention they need. In addition, we can set up a speech therapy schedule based on what is best for your child. This can include multiple visits per week, with sessions that are an hour long each. Contrast that with public school speech therapy sessions that are usually only a half hour long, and may only be offered once a week. Even if there are only five children in the group therapy session, that only averages out to six minutes of individualized attention for your child!

Parent Involvement in Speech Therapy

Since the speech therapists at Lil’ Chit-Chat come to your Canyon Lake home for speech therapy, there is ample opportunity for you, as a parent, to be involved in helping your child progress toward their speech therapy goals. After every session, our speech therapists take the time to discuss with parents or caregivers what was done during the session, and how they can work with the child between therapy sessions. With public school speech therapy, parents may only have occasional opportunities to speak with the speech therapist that is working with their child and may not even know what is being worked on in therapy sessions.

Other Things to Consider

Like it or not, there is a certain stigma associated with children who are pulled out of class for special services like speech therapy. For very sensitive children, this could be an issue. With private, in-home speech therapy, this issue disappears and these children are free to thrive! Also, being taken out of class for speech therapy means that the child is missing valuable class time.

Public school speech therapy also has its limits. It doesn’t service very young children. As advocates of early intervention when it comes to speech therapy, we recommend addressing speech issues as soon as they are diagnosed. When children are not meeting their speech and language milestones, it is not advisable to wait until they are old enough to take advantage of public school speech therapy. The sooner they begin therapy, the better!

Please know, we are in no way trying to disparage the speech therapists that work in the local public schools. There are many pediatric speech therapists doing great work with children in the public school system. In fact, several of the therapists at Lil’ Chit-Chat either currently work, or have worked, in public schools as therapists. Children can, and do, receive quality speech therapy services in public schools throughout Canyon Lake and the Temecula Valley every day. However, we believe strongly in the benefits of private, in-home speech therapy. We’ve seen the results of both types of therapy, and know how much more progress can be made with one-on-one speech therapy, and involved parents and caregivers.

If you are interested in having your child evaluated by one of our Canyon Lake speech therapists, contact us to schedule a time for one of our therapists to come to your home for a free consultation.

Lil’ Chit-Chat in Menifee is pleased to offer special supplemental speech therapy for students during the summer months. We have found that often, if a student takes a lengthy break from their speech therapy sessions, progress stalls and momentum is lost. Some children even regress when there is a lapse in the speech therapy process. By continuing speech therapy sessions, your child can keep building on what they learned during the school year and continue advancing toward their goals.

When you partner with Lil’ Chit-Chat for speech therapy services, we will meet with you in your Menifee or Temecula Valley home to go over any paperwork you have from the school district. That way, we can determine what your child’s goals are, and how far they have already progressed toward them. We will then make an individualized plan for your child’s summer sessions that fits within the framework of their current plan to keep them moving toward those goals. Typically, we will schedule 1-3 sessions per week, depending on how far along your child is in the therapy process.

While we are a private speech pathology clinic that does not accept insurance, we do provide all of our clients with a superbill and diagnostic (DX) codes, which you can then submit to your insurance company. We have found that many of our speech therapy clients receive full or partial reimbursement from their insurance companies for our therapy services.

We’d love to talk with you about your child and how you can keep them on track with their speech therapy goals during the summer. Please contact us if you have any questions, or if you want to schedule a free speech therapy consultation in your Menifee, Murrieta, Temecula or Wildomar home.