Speak Speech Therapy

08/31/2026

08/28/2026

Communication Cannot Wait for Speech.

Believe me—as a pediatric speech-language pathologist, I understand wanting your child to develop verbal speech. In many cases, that is one of our goals, too.

But if your child is not yet talking, there is a reason. Our job is not simply to keep asking them to produce words until they do. We have to build the foundation that supports communication and, when possible, verbal speech.

That means making sure your child understands what is being said to them and has a reliable way to express themselves.

So please understand that introducing sign language does not mean your child’s speech therapist has given up on verbal speech.

In fact, sign language may be one of the tools we use while working toward verbal speech.

We are not necessarily trying to make your child a fluent signer. We are giving them a way to communicate right now while we continue supporting their speech and language development.

And the same is true for AAC.

AAC does not mean we are giving up on speech. It means we refuse to make communication wait for speech.

Your child’s speech therapist may be modeling signs, pictures, gestures, AAC, vocalizations, AND verbal speech because we share the same ultimate goal:

We want your child to have a voice—and we want to give them a way to use it while that voice is developing. ❤️

08/26/2026

🚨 Your child’s picky eating may be telling you something.

Behind the scenes of a Speak Speech Therapy feeding session! 👀🍓🥕

Today, I’m preparing for a child who has started accepting some solids but remains very selective about which foods he will eat. His mom noticed that he seems to prefer red, orange, and pink foods, so we’re using that information to help guide today’s food exploration.

For this session, I prepared several options with different flavors, textures, colors, and levels of oral-motor demand—including dragon fruit, carrots, squash, yogurt melts, mango sticks, and an easily dissolvable cracker offered through a feeding tool for safer, controlled access.

When we work on feeding, we’re looking at much more than whether a child takes a bite. 👏

We consider:
🍓 What does the food look like?
👃 What does it smell like?
👅 How does it feel in the mouth?
🥄 What textures does the child tolerate?
🦷 Can they chew effectively?
🫦 Are they pocketing food in their cheeks?
🤍 What sensory characteristics seem to increase or decrease their willingness to engage?

Feeding therapy is about understanding the whole eating experience and meeting the child where they are—not forcing them to eat.

If your child is struggling with age-appropriate foods, has difficulty chewing, swallows food whole, pockets food, or has significant food selectivity, you don’t have to figure it out alone.

📞 Speak Speech Therapy: 832-356-5152

Because there is nothing quite like the stress of wondering, “Is my child actually going to eat?” ❤️

08/18/2026

One of the most unpopular recommendations I make as a speech-language pathologist? High-tech AAC for children who are minimally speaking or who primarily communicate through echolalia. 👀📱

And no—AAC does NOT mean I’ve given up on spoken language.

In fact, for many autistic learners, AAC can be an incredibly valuable tool for supporting language development and spoken communication.

As SLPs, we know that visual supports can make language more concrete, accessible, and easier to process. One of the reasons my team and I love using TD Snap is because it provides access to a robust vocabulary that we can use while modeling language throughout a child’s day.

For children who are gestalt language processors and use echolalia, we can pair spoken language with visual icons, vocal intonation, music, and meaningful language models to help them understand and eventually generate more spontaneous communication.

✨ We aren’t replacing speech. We’re giving the child another pathway to language.

And here’s something I wish more parents knew:

You don’t have to wait until your child “fails” at speech before introducing AAC.

AAC can be introduced alongside spoken language and can provide immediate access to functional communication while speech continues to develop.

If your child is minimally speaking, uses primarily echolalic language, or has difficulty producing spontaneous functional communication, an AAC evaluation may be worth considering.

💬 Have questions about AAC or wondering whether your child may be a candidate?

📞 Speak Speech Therapy: 832-356-5152

Save this post and share it with a parent who needs to hear this. ❤️

08/15/2026

🚨 If someone tells you that AAC will prevent your child from talking… they’re not following the evidence.

This week alone, I encountered multiple behavioral professionals discouraging the use of high-tech AAC because of the belief that it will make a child “dependent” on their device or stop them from developing verbal speech.

The research says the exact opposite.

For more than 30 years, study after study has shown that access to high-tech AAC is associated with:
🗣️ Increased vocalizations
💬 Growth in verbal speech
🧠 Stronger language development
👂 Improved receptive language

If your child is speaking in 1-2 word phrases but clearly understands far more than they can express, they deserve a communication system that allows them to share their thoughts today—not years from now.

Here’s the reality:
If we never give a child access to AAC, we’ll never know what they were capable of communicating.

AAC doesn’t replace speech.
It supports speech.
Most importantly, it gives children a voice while speech continues to develop.

If you’ve been told not to pursue AAC, seek a second opinion from a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist with expertise in AAC.

At Speak Speech Therapy, we specialize in comprehensive AAC evaluations and matching each child with the communication system that best fits their individual strengths and needs.

📞 832-356-5152
🌐 www.speakspeechtherapy.com

08/14/2026

🚨 The biggest mistake I see after an autism diagnosis? Parents are told to start ABA… when they should be asking about speech.

One of the most confusing parts of an autism diagnosis is figuring out which providers your child actually needs—and why.

Here’s the difference:

🧩 ABA specializes in behavior. It was developed by psychologists and focuses on teaching skills through structure, repetition, and consistency.

🗣️ Speech-language pathologists specialize in communication. We evaluate and treat how a child understands language, expresses wants and needs, develops social communication, and, when needed, build functional communication systems using speech, AAC, gestures, and other evidence-based supports.

If your biggest concern is communication, don’t wait. Start with a speech-language pathologist.

The first five years of life are a critical period for language development. While children can absolutely make progress after that, building a functional communication system often becomes more challenging as they get older.

✨ ABA, speech therapy, and occupational therapy each play an important role—but they are not interchangeable.

Your child’s team should work together so they can communicate, learn, and become as independent as possible.

❤️ Communication isn’t just another skill. It’s how your child tells the world who they are.

08/13/2026

SLPs can support dysphagia as well as selective eaters who may be experiencing ARFID! For more information, please shoot a DM or call our office at 832-356-5152.

08/10/2026

🚨 If your child uses an AAC device, you NEED to know about this account! 💬✨

I recently stumbled across Village on TikTok and their YouTube channel, The AUSOME Village, and I’m so glad I did.

They’ve created engaging songs and videos that make learning and using high-tech AAC fun, interactive, and meaningful.

Whether you’re:
🩵 A parent of an AAC user
🍎 A special education teacher preparing for a new school year
🗣️ A speech-language pathologist
🤝 Or anyone supporting an AAC communicator…

…these videos are a fantastic way to practice navigating a high-tech AAC device while building language in a natural, engaging way.

One of my favorite parts is that these songs also give parents a glimpse into their child’s perspective as they communicate using their AAC system. It’s a wonderful tool for modeling, learning, and building confidence together.

If you’re supporting an AAC communicator this school year, this account is absolutely worth checking out!

Have you heard of The AUSOME Village yet? Let me know what you think! 💙

08/09/2026

✨ Target Dollar Spot is SO good this week! 🎯

Come shop the first week of August 2026 Target Dollar Spot with me! I found so many amazing therapy and classroom finds, including:

🎡 Carnival & fair-themed activities
🧩 Hands-on manipulatives
🍎 Back-to-school essentials
👩‍🏫 Circle time materials
✋ Affordable fine motor toys
🏃 Gross motor activities

Whether you’re a speech therapist, OT, teacher, homeschool parent, or just love educational finds, these are budget-friendly gems you won’t want to miss.

🏃‍♀️ Run to Target before the Dollar Spot flips completely to back-to-school—these items won’t last!