Contact me for…
Speech / Articulation
Language Delays / Disorders
Stuttering / Cluttering
Communication Disorders
Voice Disorders
You can email me directly for questions or to schedule a free consultation: aimee@soundwavesspeechtherapy.com
Additional Resources
Below are free resources and printable handouts for communication impairments and disorders.
Speech & Language
Toddler to School Age Milestones:
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Children under the age of 3 may quality for free Early Intervention Services through WA State.
Red flags for communication include not babbling by 9 months, not using gestures to communicate, not speaking by 18 months old, showing limited vocabulary development, or if you have concerns about their hearing or overall development. More information about communication milestones can be found in the following free parents handouts* from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association:
Note: These milestone checklists are designed to help you know what to expect as a child grows and develops—and to know when to seek the guidance of an audiologist or speech language pathologist. When reviewing the milestones, also consider the age ranges below and above a child’s age. *These milestones are not meant to be a screening or diagnostic tool. Please reach out if you have questions or concerns.
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Difficulty communicating at these ages often looks like frustration for both the child and caregivers. At Sound Waves Speech and Language Therapy, I can assess a child’s ability to speak, listen, and understand language, identify strengths and weaknesses in these abilities, as well a diagnosis communication impairments.
More information about communication milestones can be found in these free parents handouts* from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association:
Note: These milestones are designed to help you know what to expect as a child grows and develops—and to know when to seek the guidance of an audiologist or speech language pathologist. When reviewing the milestones, also consider the age ranges below and above the child’s age. *These milestones are not meant to be a screening or diagnostic tool. Please reach out if you have questions or concerns.
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Do not wait until age 8. Here’s why:
For trouble producing the R sound, many schools and pediatricians will wait to recommend speech therapy services until 8 years of age; however research supports starting intervention by age 6. The reason is intelligibility. English is full of R sounds and if a child or teen cannot produce them correctly, they may have a difficult time being understood. This can result in social-emotional challenges such as frustration and/or embarrassment.
R sound errors can also impact phonological awareness, a critical skill for reading development. By the third grade, students are expected to be proficient in both reading and spelling. If a child does not produce an accurate R sound, these skills may be impacted.
Stuttering / Cluttering
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Free Stuttering Handouts* and Resources:
See RED FLAGS in the following section for more information.
*Sourced from Stuttering Therapy Resources — from their website: STR is a specialty publishing company dedicated to helping speech-language pathologists increase their comfort, confidence, and competence in working with people who stutter. Our resources are filled with real-world, practical ideas that SLPs can use immediately to provide stutter-affirming assessment and therapy practices for people who stutter and their families.
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Children may have periods of increased dysfluency between two to five years of age. This can be seen during significant leaps in their expressive language skills. This can look like:
Excess filler words (um, uh, and, etc.)
Repeating words, sounds, and phrases
Needing more time than usual to find the right words to speak
While many children may move through these leaps without any intervention, if a child has negative feelings about their speech, is showing signs of physical struggle to complete their words or sentences, or having a difficulty time communicating in general, an evaluation is recommended.
Additional information information handout*: How long should we wait before recommending therapy for preschool or young school-age children who stutter?
See RED FLAGS in the following section for more information.
*Sourced from Stuttering Therapy Resources — from their website: STR is a specialty publishing company dedicated to helping speech-language pathologists increase their comfort, confidence, and competence in working with people who stutter. Our resources are filled with real-world, practical ideas that SLPs can use immediately to provide stutter-affirming assessment and therapy practices for people who stutter and their families.
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Free Stuttering Handouts* and Resources:
See RED FLAGS in the following section for more information.
*Sourced from Stuttering Therapy Resources — from their website: STR is a specialty publishing company dedicated to helping speech-language pathologists increase their comfort, confidence, and competence in working with people who stutter. Our resources are filled with real-world, practical ideas that SLPs can use immediately to provide stutter-affirming assessment and therapy practices for people who stutter and their families.
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Speech therapy for stuttering can benefit people at all ages.
At Sound Waves Speech and Language Therapy, there is a lot I can do to help alleviate the emotional impact of stuttering and help clients communicate more easily and freely. I following the latest evidence-based practice, which supports stuttering as a form of neurodiversity. Neurodiversity refers to the natural variation and differences in how human brains process information, learn, and behave. To best serve my teen and adult clients, I strongly affirm diversity of communication in both the evaluation and treatment of stuttering.
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Stuttering Red Flags from the Stuttering Foundation. Seek an evaluation if the individual who stutters:
Has a family history of stuttering
Has consistent periods of dysfluency lasting longer than 6 months
Stuttering starting after age 3½
If they have negative feelings about their speech
If they show signs of physical struggle to complete their words or sentences
If there are other speech and language related concerns
Lunch and Learn
Contact me to schedule an in-person training on any of the following topics:
When to refer
Child Speech & Language Developmental Milestones
Neurodiversity affirming Stuttering Interventions for school-age children, teens, and adults
Voice Disorders and Vocal Health
Fostering Communication Development
Caregiver Training for Child Speech & Language Development
Speech therapy for older children and teens: R, S, & later developing sounds