Page 57 - North State Parent March 2021

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NORTH STATE PARENT FAMILY RESOURCE GUIDE SPRING/SUMMER 2021 HEALTH
Full Circle Speech Therapy:
Early Intervention For Children At Every Age
BY JENNA CHRISTOPHERSEN
The first smile. The first word. The first step. Watching a child develop is one of the greatest joys
of parenting. But what happens when you’re concerned about your child’s development? Early intervention for delays in speech, feeding, and sensory development can put your mind at ease, and help your child establish foundations for lifelong flourishing.
The rule of two
Elizabeth Vichi, M.A CCC-SLP, a licensed speech therapist and the owner of Full Circle Speech Therapy in Chico, CA, agrees. Elizabeth holds a NOMAS (Neonatal Oral Motor Assessment Scale) license, which certifies her to work on oral motor skills with patients as young as three weeks.
“We generally follow the rule of two,” Elizabeth says. “By the age of two, we like to see our kids using at least two hundred words, combining two-word phrases, and following two-step commands without a visual cue.”
Development at different paces
Of course, children develop at different paces, so not achieving a certain skill by a certain age doesn’t automatically indicate a problem. Your child’s pediatrician will generally recognize developmental signs and suggest an assessment. If an assessment indicates a child is more than six months behind his peers, Full Circle clinicians will usually recommend treatment.
“Early detection, education and intervention is critical for our children,” Elizabeth says. “If a parent has concerns it is strongly recommended that they do not wait. The early years of life are the foundation for the rest of a child’s academic, social and overall developmental journey.” She notes that,
“Ages zero to three are ‘the golden years’ for speech development. That zero to three or five age range is when the brain is most pliable and able to change.”
Speech therapy for older children
Elizabeth says speech intervention “can come in many forms, at any age.” Speech therapy can benefit kids in elementary through high school who struggle with articulation, stuttering or understanding spoken words. Full Circle also supports ongoing treatment for children diagnosed with autism, which can contribute to communication challenges.
Evaluation and treatment plan
At any age, speech therapy starts with an evaluation of the way the child uses the tongue, lips, cheeks and throat to eat and communicate. Based on this assessment, the therapist recommends a specific 8-to 12- week treatment plan that involves coming in for speech services once or twice a week and doing at-home exercises to meet specific goals.
“We make sure parents are fully aware of what is going to happen, what the expectations are going to be, and what it’s going to take for their children to make the most gains from speech therapy,” Elizabeth says.
Feeding therapy for children under three
In addition to speech and language therapy, Full Circle offers feeding therapy for children under three who struggle to nurse or eat. Many of Elizabeth’s patients who have developed feeding complications are only three or four months old.
“The sucking and swallowing ability of a baby is reflexive before the age of three or four months,” Elizabeth explains. “After that, eating becomes a choice.” At this point, babies have to purposefully decide to eat. If they have not created strong oral motor skills, they can develop food aversions that can lead to nutritional deficiencies.
Occupational and Sensory Integration Therapy
Families also can bring children to Full Circle for two additional therapies, spearheaded by Diona Wickum, OTR/L, OTYD. Occupational therapy helps children who struggle with motor skills like handwriting or feeding themselves. Sensory integration therapy helps children who struggle with sensory processing—difficulty responding to certain sights, sounds, tastes, textures and smells. Children may display extra sensitivity or lack of sensitivity, and their struggle to process stimuli in their environment can impede learning.
“When we target their sensory processing deficits, we’re also helping them sustain in their environment for learning other things like language and feeding,” Elizabeth explains.
From articulation to nutrition and sensation, Full Circle Speech Therapy may be your next stop on the road to a full and healthy future for your children.
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Photos by Nicole Roberts Photography