My approach is neuroaffirming, play-based and child-led, which means I respect and celebrate your child’s unique way of learning and experiencing the world. I follow their interests and cues and focus on highlighting their strengths and unique ways of learning, rather than trying to “fix” their differences. Furthermore, by allowing the child to guide activities rather than having an adult direct all activities, connection feels easy, trust is established, and the child is typically much more motivated to engage! This creates a supportive environment where growth feels both natural and enjoyable. Lastly, play-based simply means that we play during therapy! Whether that is during drill work, after we complete a difficult task, or play is incorporated throughout every element of the entire session, incorporating play into every session is very important to me and is in my opinion the best way that children learn.

Of course, there are times when more structure is needed or sessions begin to veer off-course. When this happens, we adapt! I listen to your child, their/your concerns, and do my best to offer a constructive, yet supportive environment where growth is the focus. As we continue to get to know one another, it will be clear what works best for their learning style and I will follow suit!

Please keep in mind that growth looks different for every child. I will meet your child where they are at and respect their unique pace, while fostering a nurturing, supportive environment for them to progress.

Great question! Let’s break it down. There are two types of lisps. The first is called a frontal lisp. This occurs when your tongue touches your front teeth or is in-between your front teeth causing a sound distortion (ie, /s/ might sound more like a /th/ sound). It is developmentally appropriate for a child to have a frontal lisp up until a certain age. Sometimes they resolve over time, but sometimes speech therapy is necessary.

The second type of lisp is a lateral lisp. This occurs when air escapes out of the sides of your mouth, causing a sound distortion that is ‘slushy’. This type of lisp is not developmentally appropriate at any point. Speech therapy is necessary for this type of lisp.

Speech therapy for lisps in children can be very effective by utilizing cognitive reframing and phonetic shaping to help the child to recognize they are not producing the correct sound and to help them accurately produce the correct sound.

If your child has a lisp but you’re unsure if they might benefit from speech therapy, let’s chat!

Yes! Unlike school-based services, which often require specific academic or eligibility criteria, Play on Words Pathways LLC speech therapy is available to any child who could benefit from intervention - there are no qualifying limitations or restrictions.

Yes! Sometimes speech services at school simply aren’t enough. Collaboration with the school-based SLP is a great way to support your child’s overall progress.

Yes! Many children who do not qualify for EI still experience speech and language difficulties and would benefit from intervention.

The frequency of speech therapy sessions per week will be determined once the initial evaluation has been conducted and areas of need are determined. Typically, sessions are recommended on a weekly or bi-weekly basis or two times per week. Certain diagnoses might call for several times per week.

Please remember that every child’s needs are different; we will work together to determine the appropriate amount of therapy to support progress. The length of time your child will need to spend in speech therapy is dependent upon various factors including, but not limited to, level of support, readiness/responsiveness, attendance, and carry-through with home programming/homework.

It is also not uncommon for patients to take therapeutic breaks to encourage carryover of skills across environments. Just like adults, children need ‘vacations’ from speech therapy every so often too!

I am based out of Grafton, MA and serve many areas in Worcester county, and a select few in Middlesex county. If you live outside of these counties, it may be possible to meet up at a more central location such as a library or park, or we can explore telehealth as an option. I’m more than happy to discuss this with you so please reach out to me if this is something you are concerned about and we can make something work together!

*Please note that a travel fee may apply based on your location

Grafton, Worcester, Northborough, Shrewsbury, Millbury, Northbridge, Sutton, Westborough, and Upton*.

Depending on other sessions that may be located in the same area(s), I may also be able to travel to Auburn, Uxbridge, Douglas, Hopkinton, Southborough, Hopedale, Mendon, and Milford.*

If your town is not listed above, please reach out and ask! If I am already traveling close to your area, I would love to be able to make it work.

*Please note that a travel fee may apply based on your location

Possibly! Once your intake paperwork is complete, we will schedule the evaluation. If we determine that your child needs services and I am a good fit for your child, I will reach out to the daycare or school to inquire about partnering with them.

By choosing to offer private pay services, I am able to treat children based on the results of their comprehensive evaluations without any limitations imposed by insurance, regardless of the level of support that is required. Many insurance companies limit the amount of speech sessions per year, the frequency of services, and/or certain diagnoses covered under speech and language services. With private pay, I am treating your child based on his or her true needs and not just what insurance approves. The best part is that parents can also be more actively involved in therapy decisions since limitations aren’t imposed by insurance. To summarize, my time will be devoted to investing in your child’s individualized treatment plan and ongoing progress rather than on working through claims and/or denials from insurance companies.

However, please note that I am able to provide superbills to families who wish to submit for possible reimbursement themselves.

Please visit the Investments page under the Helpful Info tab or message me directly for pricing. You can click on the ‘Contact’ button at the top of this webpage to inquire.

*Please note that a travel fee may apply based on your location

Play on Words Pathways LLC is private pay only & does not participate with insurance at this time as we are considered an out-of-network provider. The most common ways to pay include cash, credit card, check, or by using your HSA/FSA funds.

Payment is due at the time of the session.

A superbill is an itemized receipt provided by Play on Words Pathways LLC that lists the services, diagnoses, and CPT codes your child receives during therapy sessions. You can submit this form to your insurance plan for possible reimbursement.

Please note that there is no guarantee that reimbursement will occur; partial or full reimbursement is unique to each health insurance plan and is the responsibility of the child’s family to determine speech therapy benefits/exclusions.

It depends. If you are planning to submit a superbill to insurance, it is recommended that you obtain a referral from your child’s physician. If you do not plan to submit a superbill, you do not need a referral.

Absolutely not! The world of speech therapy is entirely new to so many parents and caretakers. I am here to answer any questions you may have and to give you an idea of what you can expect. There is no obligation to move forward with an evaluation if you are not ready. Either way, the initial consultation is entirely free and meant to allow you to voice your concerns and get to know me to determine if I might be a good fit for you and your child!

You’ve come to the right place! Google searches and word-of-mouth are common ways to find speech therapy for toddlers and speech therapy for children. Play on Words Pathways LLC would be happy to work with you and your child!