Child engaged in speech therapy session

Finding Every Voice

Speech-Language Pathologists are licensed and certified professionals who identify speech, language, and feeding/swallowing disorders and develop interventions to improve skills in these areas.

We work one-on-one with individuals who have difficulty expressing thoughts, feelings, or needs — or difficulty being understood by others. Our therapists help patients communicate effectively, often using gestures, pictures, and electronic devices alongside spoken language.

Disorders We Treat

Articulation Disorders Difficulty producing speech sounds correctly, making it hard for others to understand what's being said.
Fluency Disorders Interruptions in the flow of speech, such as stuttering or cluttering.
Language Disorders Challenges with understanding language (receptive) or expressing thoughts and ideas (expressive).
Feeding & Swallowing Difficulty with oral motor skills for eating, drinking, or safely swallowing food and liquids.
Speech therapist working with young child

Pediatric Speech-Language Therapy

Our pediatric speech-language pathology program provides comprehensive evaluation and treatment for children from birth to 18 years of age.

We address speech, language, swallowing, feeding, and oral motor skills — helping children develop the communication skills they need to connect with their world.

Augmentative & Alternative Communication (AAC)

For individuals with severe communication impairments resulting from stroke, brain injury, neurological diseases (ALS, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's), or developmental disabilities (Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome), we offer comprehensive AAC services.

We utilize both low-tech communication aids and high-tech speech generating devices, customized to each patient's unique needs. Every AAC evaluation assesses speech, language, physical, and cognitive skills to determine the most appropriate communication method.

Patient using augmentative communication device

Conditions We Treat

Down Syndrome Speech therapy addresses oral motor challenges, language development, and intelligibility. Cerebral Palsy We work on speech clarity, feeding skills, and alternative communication methods as needed. Brain Injury Therapy helps rebuild language, cognitive-communication skills, and swallowing function. Autism Spectrum Disorders We support language development, social communication, and functional communication skills. Cleft Palate Specialized therapy for speech sound production and resonance issues related to cleft conditions. Hearing Impairment Supporting speech and language development for children with hearing loss. Developmental Delay Early intervention to help children catch up on speech and language milestones. Dysphagia Treatment for swallowing difficulties to ensure safe, comfortable eating and drinking.

Success Stories

Meet Auggie

Auggie started speech therapy at URS in January following placement of PE ear tubes due to recurrent ear infections. With the improvement in his hearing abilities as a result of the tubes, direct speech and language intervention from our Speech Language Pathologists, and follow-through by mom at home and by his classroom teachers here at URS, Auggie has begun to use signs, vocalizations, and words to communicate his wants and needs.

In just over a month, his progress is nothing short of amazing! He will sign "more" and "bubbles" to make requests, wave hello and goodbye, make lots of animal sounds ("roar" is his favorite!), and say "uh oh".

We are so proud of Auggie and can't wait to see what he learns next!

Meet Silvan

Silvan has been receiving speech therapy while in the child care program at URS since he was almost 2 years old. He started off with just a few words and has made such great progress expanding his vocabulary, putting words together to make phrases and sentences, and meeting several other language goals.

He is now almost 5 years old and is working on just a few sounds to improve his speech intelligibility before he starts kindergarten this fall. In therapy, he earned a cup for every time he used the L sound correctly and ended up with an amazing castle!

He is such a hard worker in his therapy sessions and is so proud of the progress he has made!

Silvan with his cup castle celebrating his L sound progress

Meet Our Speech-Language Pathologists

Speech-Language Pathologists Katie Oxender and Karlee Ferrier

Katie Oxender

MA/CCC-SLP

Karlee Ferrier

MA/CCC-SLP

Ready to Get Started?

Contact us to learn more about Speech-Language Pathology at URS.

937.853.5431
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