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SmartPalate International Announces Acquisition of CompleteSpeech

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Give the Gift of Speech 100% Tax Deductible with special bounce depreciation allowance when you place order and provide payment before December 30th, 2011 -More Info Here Graduate 95% of your case load in 20 sessions or less by utilizing SmartPalate technology How??   *Receive 15% discount and Save up to $500 on the SmartPalate System. + *Buy a two-user system and get an additional Smartpalate! A $300 value! Contact Us Now!!

 

Infographic: Schools Save Money with the Palatometer

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Does My Child Have A Speech Or Language Problem?

Does your child need a translator to be understood? Do they struggle in social interactions with other kids? Do you wonder if this is just a phase or an indication or a more serious problem? If so, you're not alone. Many parents aren't sure if their child's language abilities are developing normally, and everyone they ask seems to have a different opinion: "Oh, don't worry, she will grow out of it," or "He should see a speech therapist right away about that." So should you be concerned with your child's progress? I've rounded up some tips to point you in the right direction.

Understanding the typical milestones of speech and language development is a good place to start. The University of Michigan has a detailed list of major milestones. For example:

3-4 months: Random babbling

1 year: Says a couple of words, understands simple instructions

2 years: Uses short phrases

3 years: Uses short sentences and has a vocabulary of about 1000 words

4-5 years: Carries on simple conversations, asks and answers questions, and is understood by strangers. 

Kids that don't meet these milestones might suffer from hearing loss. A quick diagnosis is crucial for creating strategies to help a child develop vocabulary during their first two years. Vocabulary is the foundation upon which future language acquisition is built. Early identification of hearing problems vastly increases the chances of future success.

If you suspect that your child has a speech problem, it is a good idea to get them screened by a certified speech-language pathologist. The therapist will be able to give you a second opinion and recommend the best course of action. They can also give you tips for helping your child at home as well as homework activities. Young children begin to understand language before they start using it, so speech therapy can be effective even at a very young age. Getting your child screened by a certified professional can help you have the peace of mind that you've done everything they can to help.

Check out these other resources for more information and parenting tips for speech and language development:

"Late Blooming or Language Problem" - American Speech-Language-Hearing Association

"Speech and Language Delay and Disorder" - University of Michigan

"Does My Child Have a Speech & Language Disorder?" - Pamela Thomas Joseph, SLP

"Does Your Child Need Speech Therapy?"

School-Based Therapy vs. Private Practice and How to Make the Jump

Last week I tweeted about a great article on starting your private practice that got a lot of attention. While many SLP’s thrive in a school environment, there are a lot of people that are interested (or at least curious) about the experience of starting and running a private speech therapy practice. If you’re currently working in a school setting, you might be wondering what it would be like to set your own hours, charge higher rates, and run your own business. You may have entertained visions of hundreds of clients chanting your name with perfect articulation as you lean out your Hummer to give high fives to the adoring throng. Or maybe fear held you back as you imagined living underneath a bridge after watching your private practice implode and selling your kidneys to cover your debts.

To learn a little bit about the pros and cons of school vs. private practice, I sat down with Ann Dorais, a local SLP in private practice to get her take on it. Ann worked in schools for four years while seeing clients in their homes on the side. Today she has a permanent office and a thriving private practice.

Working in schools definitely has some pros:

• Security and stability
• Paid holidays
• Time off in the summer
• Regular hours
• Great way to get a lot of experience with a lot of different kids.

And some cons:

• Large caseload
• Constant intensity and potential for burnout
• Pressure to remediate so many students
• You don’t get to work closely with the child’s family

Working in private practice has its own benefits:

• Working with fewer clients
• The flexibility to set your own work time and days
• A relaxed atmosphere
• You can choose what to specialize in
• Better interaction with parents and one-on-one time with kids means more progress in a shorter amount of time

And it has some downsides:

• Billing insurance companies can take time (Ann suggests that if you work with insurance, have parents pay up front)
• You have to find clients on your own
• The size of your practice is limited by the amount of time you can invest

 

So if private practice offers more money, more flexibility, and better client remediation, why don’t more people make the jump? The answer of course is fear. Let’s take a look at some common fears that people have as well as some resources to make it a little less scary.

 

1. The business stuff.

You probably became an SLP because you thought speech language pathology was fascinating, or you like to work with kids, or you just want to make the world a better place. I doubt many SLP’s have visions of ruling a corporate empire. Words like cash flow, limited liability, and rules of incorporation might be way more intimidating than apraxia, dysfluency, and electropalatography.

 

2. The cost.

There are initial investments and ongoing expenses of running a business. In uncertain economic times like these, a new expense is nothing to sneeze at.

 

3. Possibility of failure.

No one wants to end up under a bridge without kidneys. What if the clients just don’t materialize?

 

Those are all valid concerns. Here is what Ann had to say about each of them.

 

1. Get a good accountant.

A qualified tax professional is worth their weight in gold. They make your life infinitely easier, not only with taxes, but the day-to-day financial operations of the business. Finding someone that you can trust is a crucial investment and a sound business decision. Ann just went to a local H&R Block and has had a great experience.

 

2. The cost is lower than you think.

Imagine if you wanted to start your own garbage collection company. You would need at least at one garbage truck (if nothing else) and I bet they are pretty expensive. You would also need the proper training and certifications. Now compare that to starting your own speech therapy practice. The most important asset is your highly educated brain, and you’ve already paid to cram it full of useful information. From an expenses standpoint, you’re already 98% of the way there. You might purchase some workbooks and other teaching materials, an iPad, some apps, and hey, a Palatometer system would be a great idea too. At most we’re looking at a few thousand bucks. Considering the expected return from plying your cerebral trade for the benefit of mankind, the additional expense to start your practice is minimal.

 

3. Start small and believe in yourself!

Ann started her private practice part-time while she was still working in schools, and she says that’s a great way to begin.  She never had to go hunting for clients; her practice simply grew through referrals until eventually she had enough clients to set up her own shop. Instead of setting up a giant operation right off the bat, she recommends that you start small and your practice will grow. If you believe in yourself and the results you can produce, you can make it work. People really will pay you for your helpful expertise. You can do it!

 

Additional Resources

There are a lot of great resources out there to help SLP’s interested in starting their own private practice. Here are a few tips:

http://www.asha.org/findpro/">ASHA Find a Professional service

ASHA Frequently Asked Questions - Tons of good info here

Business Matters: A Guide for Speech-Language Pathologists – You have to purchase this one, so I can’t say how good it is but It looks helpful.

How to Write a Business Plan: A Guide for Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapy Providers – This is a great article that addresses some key points of a business plan and will get you thinking about how to set up your practice.

 

Do you have helpful tips to share about starting your own practice? Have any thoughts about working in schools vs. private practice? Tell us about your experience by joining the discussion on our Facebook page. 

 

Lives Changed: Cade’s Story

 

 

Speech Therapy: Tips for home exercises

Many parents wonder how they can help their kids with speech therapy. Sometimes parents aren't sure if their young child needs to see a therapist and would like to do some exercises with them first. Sometimes it's not possible to involve a therapist because of financial reasons or because there are no therapists nearby. Often parents with kids in therapy want to supplement the lessons with activities at home.  While it's always best to involve a professional SLP whenever possible, there are a lot of great resources on the internet for parents of kids with speech problems. I've rounded up a few to get you started.

 

http://www.speech-language-development.com/

Robert Kurtz has created a website with a ton of helpful hints. He covers areas that will be helpful to any parent of young kids. Check out the "Tips & Ideas" page for some ideas on how to build a language-rich environment to help all children learn to communicate effectively and develop vocabulary.

 

http://www.thespeechpathway.com/tips/#

For parents seeking for an in-depth resource on how to help their kids, look no further! Marcus Little has put together 18 speech therapy tips, including videos and additional resources. He has clearly put a lot of thought and effort into this site and it would probably take hours to go through it all!

 

http://mommyspeechtherapy.com/

Here are a ton of resources for parents in the form of worksheets, inspiration, and links to other speech therapy sites. This is a very well-designed and helpful site.

 

http://www.listen-up.org/oral/hints-p.htm

This site is no longer active, but it does have some tips and advice from parents on how they used different games and speech therapy techniques with their kids. It's unfortunate that it's not begin updated anymore because there is a lot of great stuff here. 

 

If anybody know of other helpful websites or forums for parents to share ideas, post them in the comments. We want to hear from you!

The Process for Getting a Stone Model Impression

The Process for Getting a Stone Model Impression
This 9-step simple presentation is provided so that all parties (the Speech Language Pathologist, the Client, and Dentist) know the process for getting an upper stone model impression.
We will walk you through every step of the way and you will be able to see how easy it really is!
1. Complete Speech sends packets that look like this to the Speech Language Pathologist.
2. The SLP then gives these to the client(s) he or she is going to have use the Palatometer.
3. The Client then sets up an appointment with the Dentist that has been approved to create the Upper Palate Impression/ Stone Model. The Client then takes their packet with them to their dental appointment.
4. When the Dentist or Technician opens up the packet, this is what they will see: Prepaid shipping box, bubble wrap for wrapping the stone model, instructions on how to make a good stone model, and shipping instructions.

5. The Dentist or Technician takes the Upper Palate Impression.

6. The stone model is then made from the stone model impression. The stone model should extend back behind the rear molars and even into the soft palate, also leaving no porosity in the teeth.
7. Once the stone model is ready the Dental Office or Technician wraps the stone model in bubble wrap and puts it in the provided shipping box.

8. Then all that is left for the Dental Office to do is put the box in the mail! 

9. The SmartPalate (custom mouth piece) is then sent to the Speech Language Pathologist so his or her client can start on their way to achieving CompleteSpeech!