CUE Communication Universally Empowers

CUE Communication Universally Empowers We offer in-clinic (or onsite small radius around downtown Cary) language, regulation and feeding intensive services to children 0-18 years of age.

We offer virtual consultation to families around the world

Neuroaffirming care isn’t about avoiding hard things. It’s about making hard things accessible.Luci’s providers didn’t d...
08/13/2026

Neuroaffirming care isn’t about avoiding hard things. It’s about making hard things accessible.

Luci’s providers didn’t dismiss her fear, force compliance, or make her prove she could tolerate something overwhelming.

They listened. They accommodated. They adapted.

And because she felt safe and respected, she was able to do something that initially felt impossible.
This is what neuroaffirming medical care can look like.

08/09/2026

There is a magic window to try straw drinking. When the volume from the bottle feels a bit too slow but the suck reflex is still present. Straw drinking can be learned without any targeted supports for the mechanics.

Sometimes the change from something comforting and familiar can feel big, so we showed her the connection between the straw cup and her bottle. As curiosity (and maybe a bit of fear of the unknown) was building, we created positive associations with the straw cup, allowing it to be near her while she engaged in the comforting bottle feeding.

The mechanics weren’t our starting point.

The first step was helping this cup feel safe.

We intentionally chose a slow-flow, soft silicone straw so some of the sensory experience of the bottle ni**le stayed familiar. Instead of changing everything at once, we maintained familiar sensory input and safe swallowing flow while introducing a new motor experience.

Then we bridged that with a little fun with the straw cup.

Finally, when her interest peaked, her mom offered the milk through this new cup. You can see with that first sip she wasn’t sure what to do—but then she tasted the milk, and a combination of reflexive movement and emerging motor planning took over, and she was off—drinking independently.

A new skill for a lifetime unlocked today.

08/09/2026

Somewhere along the way, GLP stopped automatically meaning Gestalt Language Processing.

Now I type the whole phrase every single time because I refuse to compete with the GLP-1 algorithm.

Dear GLP-1,
Respectfully, I’d like my acronym back.

Signed,
Every speech-language pathologist creating content about Gestalt Language Processing. 😅

08/09/2026

One of the most important things we can validate in feeding therapy isn’t just emotions—it’s a child’s experience of their own body.

When a motor plan is easy to access, I celebrate it. Their body already knows it felt efficient. My response simply reinforces that feedback: *Yes, that worked. That felt safe. Let’s remember that.*

But when a sip is hard, I don’t pretend it wasn’t.

Have you ever caught yourself saying, “You’re okay,” when a child is feeling anything but okay?

Although it comes from a place of reassurance, it can create conflict between what their body is telling them and what they’re hearing from us. If drinking felt effortful, frustrating, or scary, they already know that.

Instead, try validating their experience.

*”That looked really hard.”*

Then help them make a plan.

Review the motor plan. Offer more support. Adjust the environment. Give them a strategy for the next attempt.

When we’re working on modulating tone, not every sip will feel the same. Some will be efficient. Others won’t. Both experiences give us valuable information.

Confidence isn’t built by convincing a child that something felt easy when it didn’t.

It’s built by helping them trust their body’s feedback, knowing you’ll listen when something feels hard, and giving them a plan to make the next attempt feel safer.

07/11/2026

This little guy wandered over to an adaptive chair in my clinic, climbed in, and said, “Let’s go.”

As I pushed him around, I couldn’t stop thinking about the little boy who had been sitting in that very same chair the session before.

I wished they could have met.

One of my favorite parts of treating in inclusive classrooms is watching children build community. They learn from each, share their strengths with others, discover new perspectives, problem solve through communication barriers, and navigate challenges together.

As the only in-person therapist, my clients rarely get those opportunities at the C.U.E. clinic.

This moment reminded me that some of the most meaningful learning doesn’t happen between a therapist and a child.

It happens between children.

I don’t just want to build a clinic.

I want to build an inclusive community.





07/11/2026

He didn’t stop moving to engage.

He didn’t stop spinning to answer questions, ask questions, make observations, or connect with another person.

Because listening doesn’t mean still.

I still hear adults tell kids it’s “time to listen” when they’re moving, fidgeting, or looking somewhere else. I still hear movement talked about as something that needs to be earned.

But our bodies aren’t distractions from learning.

They are part of learning.

I like to let my clients be the experts on their own bodies.

This guy can expertly notice another person, answer questions, ask questions, and share observations while spinning in circles.

And he does it with confidence.

Why?

Because he attends a beautifully neuroinclusive school that has empowered him to trust his body while he learns.

Stillness is not a prerequisite for listening.





07/11/2026

Sometimes an established gestalt carries far more meaning than a “higher level” flexible gestalt.

We looked at lichen under a microscope.
She smiled and said, “It looks like under the sea.”

Then she started singing.

In that moment, the last think I wanted to do was support gestalt flexibility.

It was about connection, shared meaning, joy, and linking a new experience to something already deeply understood and familiar to me and her school aide.

Sometimes one familiar gestalt can have 100 times more impact than a novel sentence.

That feels pretty magical.





07/11/2026

Twice during our sessions, she spotted ants. 🐜 🐜

Not because I directed her attention there.
Not because it was part of the plan.
She noticed them.

From these tiny moments came commenting, describing, predicting, wondering, comparing, shared perspective of us and the ants and shared attention.

Language isn’t something we only practice with flash cards or structured activities.

It grows through connection.

Through curiosity.

Through noticing the world around us.

Sometimes the most meaningful language opportunities are the ones we never planned for.

The ants didn’t know they were part of a speech therapy session, but they gave us exactly what we needed.





07/11/2026

As we navigate life with our PDA/autistic daughter, my husband and I frequently divide and conquer. Sometimes that means one of us co-regulates. Sometimes it means creating space for our youngest to feel safe and seen. Sometimes it means supporting each child in being exactly who they are and needing what they need in that moment.

Because of that, it can be difficult for all of us to be together in the same space and experience a moment of peace or joy at the same time.

So when it happens, we notice.

We pause.

We soak it in.

These micro-moments feel almost magical—like spotting a unicorn.

A few minutes on a dock.
A wagging tail.
Everyone settled.

Nothing extraordinary.

And yet, everything.

I am grateful for every second.





07/11/2026

The best part of the squishy craze?

My daughter gets to be part of something that’s popular while also supporting her sensory needs.

No choosing between belonging and regulation.

No masking her needs but rather leaning in to them.

Just a kid enjoying the same trend as everyone else—while honoring what her body needs. 💛♾️





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Cary, NC

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm

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+19198026122

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