Speech Therapy
Serving Cupertino, Los Altos, Menlo Park, Mountain View, Sunnyvale. Speech Therapy
Services
Screenings
Screenings typically are for 45mins to 1hr. At the end of the screening, the clinician will discuss the findings and any recommendations. Diagnosis are not given during a screening; however, a complete evaluation may give a diagnosis. If the clinician is recommending a full evaluation, 50% of the screening fee will be applied to the total evaluation rate. Usually a phone conversation can determine if a screening or full evaluation is necessary.
Evaluations
We have a variety of evaluations available depending on the needs of your child. We offer the following types of evaluations:
- Speech (standardized articulation test and report - approximately 2 ½ hours total time spent)
- Language only (includes a few standardized tests along with a language sample and report – approximately 4.5 hours total time spent)
- Speech and Language (both of the above – approximately 5 hours total time spent)
- Apraxia of Speech (standardized test along with a language sample – approximately 3 hours total time spent)
We also offer a Dynamic Assessment. This is for children who are unable to take standardized tests. Children with Downs Syndrome or autism are examples of children who would likely be good candidates for a Dynamic Assessment. The Dynamic Assessment may take up to 6 one-hour sessions to determine appropriate recommendations and goals. A Dynamic Assessment is also known as diagnostic therapy and includes observations of the child’s spontaneous communication, interactions with their parent and the clinician.
Please ask a clinician about the rates of an evaluation.
Therapy
We do both individual therapy or group therapy (Social Communication). The individual therapy sessions are generally an hour, 50 minutes of therapy time and 10 minutes to discuss how the therapy session went. Weekly homework is provided to parents to practice skills outside of the therapy room. Parents are always welcome to attend the therapy session, as long as the child is able to attend to the activities. Group therapy will be no more than 3 children per group. The groups will be created, depending on a child’s language level and/or abilities to be a part of a group. If you’re interested in a group therapy, please talk to a clinician.
Consultations & IEP Attendance
We do offer consultations to other professionals (teachers, other school staff, psychologists, day care providers, etc.) regarding your child and his/her progress in our clinic. It is important for your child’s “team” to all be on the same page so that your child will have maximum success in all environments.
If you want us to attend an IEP to help support you or share our observations and progress about your child, we are available for that; however, this usually requires us to cancel our clients, so please give us at least two weeks notice.
Our Speech Therapists:
Sarah Paulson, M.A., SLP-CCC
Sarah graduated from San Jose State University in 2002 with her master’s degree in Speech Pathology and has been working full time as a speech therapist for the past 7 years. She was on the board for the Santa Clara County Speech and Hearing Association for 3 years (2004-2006) and was very involved in the organization. Sarah is also certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and licensed by the California Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Board. She also participates in on-going continuing education in order to keep up with the most current research and techniques. During the summer of 2006, she attended Michelle Garcia Winner’s Center for Social Thinking Mentor Program and has attended many seminars focusing on “Social Thinking.” Sarah has worked with the Early Intervention population (0-3) for the past 6 years and is a vendor through San Andreas Regional Center (SARC).
Sharon Spieler, M.S., CF-SLP
Sharon received her master's degree in Communicative Disorders from San Francisco State University. She holds a Rehabilitative Services Credential which allows her to practice speech language pathology in the school setting. Sharon has a bachelor’s degree in Women’s Studies, and a master’s degree in Applied Linguistics and English Language Teaching and Learning. Sharon is trained in the SCERTS model (Social Communication, Emotional Regulation, Transactional Support) for treatment of children with autism spectrum disorders. Prior to joining The Reading Clinic, Sharon worked in The San Jose clinic of The Center for Speech, Language, and Occupational Therapy (CSLOT), where she provided assessment and individual treatment services as well as treatment in the Early Intervention Clinic (EIC).