We succeed at treating the toughest cases.
Here's why.
Over the last 26 years, I have seen speech and feeding therapy techniques that work well for a majority of cases. However, when I see cases with kids that struggle with motor and sensory issues and are non-verbal, the typical techniques often don't work. Parents usually give up hope that their child will ever be able to say a single word or perform feeding tasks on their own.
​
This is why I have developed my own techniques for helping children who have are non-vocal and have never been vocal to becoming verbal. The techniques I have developed over the years are especially useful for children with apraxia, dysarthria and for children on the autism spectrum. The techniques are so effective that speech therapists from around the country request our training and even request on-site visits for their toughest cases.
The Motor
Sensory
Approach
The Difference?
Our Approach
Over the years we realized that the "watch me, copy me" approaches to therapy are only effective in patients with developed sensory and motor skills. So how do you teach children with apraxia, dysarthria, and children on the spectrum to become verbal when they have never performed the tasks you want them to copy?
​
Our Motor Sensory approach is what defines us. Not only do I use this in my clinic with my patients, we train other speech therapists around the country our approach when nothing else has worked.
How We Make The Pieces Fit
For You And Your Family
OPT
Oral Placement Therapy
At Crossroads Therapy Clinic, we incorporate a number of different motor sensory techniques in order to help children become verbal. In non-verbal children especially, we focus on helping them find their voice by first helping them understand how the muscles in their mouth, lips and tounge work .
​
OPT (not to be confused with Oral Motor Therapy) is used to improve articulator awareness, placement (dissociation, grading, and direction of movement), stability, and muscle memory; all of these are necessary for the development of speech clarity. We use OPT for speech as well as feeding therapy.
OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY
Occupational Therapy
Our attention to your child's motor skills is essential to everything we do. Before speech and feeding occur, your child has to be physically comfortable in the therapy environment. They have to be physically ready before, during, and after speech and feeding treatments.
​
Occupational therapy is a critical part of the overall treatment. Our Occupational Therapists often treat your child along with our speech and feeding therapists in order to enhance your child's overall wellbeing and the effectiveness of therapy.
NEUROLOGY
Neurological Intervention
Understanding overall brain function is crucial to effective speech and feeding therapy. If there are neurological blockers to speech and feeding, we need to address these in order to make progress.
​
Crossroads therapists have specialized training found in few other speech and feeding clinics in the United States. This is why we are able to diagnose and treat children who often do not respond to traditional therapy techniques.
FEEDING
Feeding: SOS and SOFFI Method
There is a big difference between picky eaters and problem eaters. Knowing the difference can mean the difference in your child getting the nutrition they need.
​
At Crossroads Therapy Clinic, our specialists have received intensive training on SOS and SOFFI training to help you and your little ones have a much better meail time experience. Our years of training and certifications in feeding set us apart from other clinics, especially when it comes to the most difficult of eaters at any age.
MYO
Myofunctional Therapy
Speaking and eating therapy without proper training of the facial muscles often leads to longer, ineffective speech and feeding therapy. Myofunctional therapy is an exercise training program for the muscles around your face, mouth, and tongue. These exercises are designed to improve issues with talking, eating, or breathing.
​
At Crossroads Therapy Clinic, our specialists have extensive myofunctional therapy training. Some of us even have the highly coveted Certification of Myology (COM®) offered by the IAOM. This certification often takes years of study and practical clinical work.
TOTS
Tethered Oral Tissue Training
Sometimes speech and feeding can be impeded by the very structure of your mouth. Under your top lip and your tounge you have a folds of tissue called frenula. If your frenula are overdeveloped, you or your child may not be able to move their tounge properly to form words or latch on when feeding.
Crossroads Therapy Clinic has spent years training and helping therapists and clients understand tethered oral tissues and why they are important to your child's feeding and speech therapy. We work with other doctors as well to make sure pre and post frenectomy procedures succeed and lead to successful speech and feeding.
EVALS AND TRAINING
Parent and Therapist Training and Evaluations
The time we spend with your children pales in comparison with the time they spend in therapy. Our team approach to your child's health is what ensures quick results without future relapse.
​
Our clinic not only trains parents, but we also train other therapists. Our methods are so effective, speech therapists from all over the world request us to come to their clinics and professional training events to provide continuing education as well as hands on, one-on-one training with their toughest cases.
​
What we do and what we know is too important not to share.