Kare 2 Communicate
Speech & Language Therapy
Welcome to Kare 2 Communicate’s Pediatric Speech Language Therapy! We’re here to help you understand this special type of therapy, its associated disabilities and milestones, and what to expect during therapy sessions.
Speech and Language Therapy can be beneficial for a wide range of disabilities, including Autism Spectrum Disorder, Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, and other genetic disorders. It can also help individuals with stuttering, voice disorders, aphasia, dysarthria, and dysphagia.
We’ve compiled more information regarding several of the more common associated disorders below, but as always, your therapist will be able to address your specific conditions.
Remember, every individual is unique, and therapy is tailored to meet their individual needs.
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Articulation Disorder
Apraxia
Language Delay
Phonological Disorder
Stuttering/Fluency Disorder
Pragmatic/Social Communication Disorder
Augmentative and Alternative Communication
Your Child Might Benefit from Speech and Language Therapy If...
Consider the following questions to help determine if speech therapy might be helpful:
Do you have difficulty understanding your child?
Are you worried that your child is not talking as much as other children their age?
Is your child frustrated or embarrassed about their speech?
Does your child have a hard time understanding new concepts or following directions?
When talking, does your child have a hard time getting the point across?
If you answered yes to any of the above, KARE 2 COMMUNICATE, LLC has answers, we can help!
What is Speech and Language Therapy?
Pediatric Speech and Language Therapy is a specialized approach that focuses on improving a person’s communication skills. It’s all about helping individuals express themselves effectively and understand the speech of others.
This therapy is often recommended for individuals who may be experiencing difficulties with:
- speech,
- receptive language,
- expressive language,
- voice,
- fluency.
Our therapists use a variety of techniques to teach children the essential skills needed to be confident and successful communicators. Speech-language treatment plans and goals are developed and implemented based upon your child’s needs.
What to Expect in Speech Therapy
In speech and language therapy, expect to communicate, listen, and practice a lot! Therapists use a variety of techniques to improve speech, language, voice, and swallowing skills. Each session is tailored to the individual’s needs and can include activities to improve articulation, language comprehension, voice quality, and swallowing safety.
We offer effective, results-based individual therapy. Parent/Caregiver involvement is essential for a child’s communication success, so parents are encouraged to observe and participate in therapy sessions. You’ll be involved in setting goals and given strategies to help continue development at home.
Remember, the journey of communication is not a race but a beautiful process of growth and discovery. We’re here to support you every step of the way!
Milestones in Speech Therapy
Speech and language milestones are behaviors or skills seen in infants and children as they grow and develop. These include:
- cooing,
- babbling,
- saying first words,
- and using sentences.
While every child develops at their own pace, significant delays in reaching these milestones can be a sign of a speech or language disorder.
Speech and Language Therapy can help individuals reach these milestones at their own pace in a supportive and nurturing environment.
Language Development
Birth to 6 months
- Reacts to loud sounds
- Turns head toward a sound source
- Watches your face when you speak
- Vocalizes pleasure and displeasure sounds (laughs, giggles, cries, or fusses)
- Makes noise when talked to
6 – 12 months
- Initiates vocalizing to another person
- Has different vocalizations for different emotional states (e.g. anger, contentment, hunger)
- Understands “no-no”
- Babbles (says “ba-ba-ba” or “ma-ma-ma”)
- Tries to communicate by actions or gesture
- Imitates novel sounds or actions
- Understands 3 to 50 words
- Vocalizes during play and to the mirror
12 – 18 months
- Attends to a book or toy for about two minutes
- Follows simple directions accompanied by gestures
- Answers simple questions nonverbally
- Points to objects, pictures, and family members
- Says two to three words to label a person or object (pronunciation may not be clear)
- Tries to imitate simple words
- Requests objects by pointing, vocalizing, or using word approximations
- Answers simple wh-questions (who, what, when, where and why) with a vocal response
- Average receptive (understands) vocabulary of 200 words or more by 18 months
- Average expressive (spoken) vocabulary of 50 to 100 words by 18 months
Meet Your Therapists
Teresa Erickson: Owner/SLP
Teresa founded KARE 2 COMMUNICATE (K2C) to assist families in Chapel Hill, Durham, Roxboro, and surrounding areas with obtaining quality speech therapy services in 2015, added special instruction services in 2020, and Occupational Therapy in 2022.
As an SLP, Teresa works with children in their natural environments, including homes, preschools, and daycare centers. The practice focuses on making sure that every client receives the most appropriate services and that K2C maintains a high standard of excellence. Providing solutions that allow children to reach their full potential in all areas of social, communication, behavioral, cognitive, motor, and motor skills. Our goal is to enhance the success of all our clients.
Teresa is a Pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist who holds a Master’s degree in Communication Disorders, is ASHA-certified (CCC), and is licensed in the state of North Carolina. She participates in continuing education on relevant, timely topics as well as on current therapy techniques and approaches to provide up-to-date services according to best practices.
Judith Witowski-Argentine: Speech-Language Pathologist
Phoebe Mouthrop: Speech-Language Pathologist Assistant (SLP-A)
Home Therapy Sessions
Daycare Therapy
Sessions
Tele-Therapy
Sessions
Patient Forms
The following are a few forms for current, new, and general inquiries.
Our forms are HIPPA Compliant, ensuring the privacy and security of protected health information (PHI).