Services for Growing Communicators
Our Services
Language Therapy
Language is so much more than words. It is understanding what others say, putting thoughts into sentences, telling stories, asking questions, and making sense of the world. Language therapy addresses both sides of communication — what your child understands (receptive language) and what they are able to express (expressive language).
We work on building vocabulary, sentence structure, following directions, answering questions, and the back-and-forth of conversation. For school-age children, we also address the language skills that support reading, writing, and learning in the classroom.
Understanding How Your Child Learns Language
Children don't all learn language the same way — and understanding your child's learning style is one of the most important parts of how we approach therapy at Shoreline Speech Therapy.
Analytic Language Processing Analytic language processing is what most people think of as "typical" language development. Children who learn this way start with single words, then combine two words, then build up to longer sentences piece by piece. They learn language from the parts to the whole — one word at a time, building toward bigger ideas.
Gestalt Language Processing Gestalt language processors learn language differently. Instead of starting with single words, they start by taking in whole chunks of language at once — often phrases or sentences they have heard before. You might notice your child repeating lines from movies, TV shows, songs, or things they have heard adults say. This is called echolalia, and it is not a problem to be fixed. It is actually how gestalt language processors communicate and learn. Over time, with the right support, gestalt language processors learn to break those chunks apart and mix and match them to create their own original, flexible language — which is the ultimate goal.
Why This Matters Gestalt language processing is commonly seen in autistic children and other neurodivergent learners, though it is not exclusive to any diagnosis. Traditional therapy approaches that focus on single words and drills are not always the right fit for a gestalt language processor — and in some cases can actually slow progress. At Shoreline Speech Therapy, we assess how your child processes language and build a therapy plan that works with their natural learning style, not against it.
AAC
Every single child deserves a way to communicate. Not just to get their basic needs met — but to laugh, tell stories, ask questions, and connect with the people around them. For children who are not yet speaking, or whose speech is not meeting their communication needs, AAC can change everything.
What Is AAC? AAC is a broad range of techniques, strategies, and tools that support children with communication difficulties who may have little or no intelligible speech. Think of it as giving your child more ways to talk — not replacing speech, but adding to it. AAC can involve little to no technology, such as providing a child with a board of pictures they can point to, all the way up to high-tech devices that generate speech for them. There is no one-size-fits-all — the right system is the one that works best for your child and your family.
AAC is truly multimodal — it supports your child in using every possible way to communicate, including any existing speech, vocalizations, gestures, and signs. And here is something important: there is no "too young" age for AAC. Early exposure to multimodal communication supports language and cognitive development. You do not have to wait until your child is older or has "tried everything else" before exploring AAC.
"Will AAC Stop My Child From Talking?" This is the question we hear most often from families — and we want to address it directly. The answer is no. Research strongly indicates that AAC does not hinder the development of speech, even at the very earliest stages of language acquisition. In fact, evidence suggests that AAC intervention does not hinder speech production but instead may actually increase speech production in children.
You Are Part of the Team Research shows that parents and other communication partners are absolutely able to learn strategies for communicating with children who use AAC — and that is a huge part of what we do. We do not just set your child up with a device and send you home. We teach you how to use it alongside them, how to model AAC in everyday moments, and how to build communication into your daily routines in ways that feel natural.
Early Intervention
The first three years of life are the most important window for communication development — and the earlier we step in, the bigger the difference we can make. Early intervention services are designed for children from birth through age three who are showing delays or differences in how they communicate.
We work closely with families during this stage because you are your child's most important teacher. Sessions focus on building communication foundations through everyday routines, play, and family coaching so that progress happens all day long — not just during therapy.
What We Work On
First Words and Sounds Some children are slow to babble, slow to point, or slow to say their first words. We work on building the very foundation of communication — the sounds, gestures, and early words that everything else grows from.
Play-Based Communication At this age, play is everything. We embed communication goals into your child's favorite activities so that learning feels natural, not like work. A therapy session might look like playing with blocks, reading a book together, or singing a song — and that is completely intentional.
Parent Coaching This is one of the most important parts of early intervention. You spend far more time with your child than any therapist ever will, which means the strategies you use at home, at the grocery store, and at bedtime matter enormously. We teach you exactly how to support your child's communication throughout your everyday routines so that progress happens all day long — not just during sessions.
A Note for Families Who Have Been Told to "Wait and See" We hear this often. And while some children do catch up on their own, research consistently shows that earlier intervention leads to better outcomes. If your gut is telling you something is worth looking into, it is always better to check and be reassured than to wait and wonder.
Who this is for: Infants and toddlers who are not babbling, not using words, not pointing or gesturing, or who seem to understand less than other children their age.
Fluency
Stuttering is more than repeating sounds or getting stuck on words — it can affect how a child feels about speaking, their willingness to participate in class, and their confidence in social situations. Fluency therapy addresses all of it.
What Is Stuttering? Stuttering is when the natural flow of speech gets interrupted and about 5% of all children go through a period of stuttering, and most begin between the ages of 2 and 3 — right in the middle of a big language growth spurt. So if your child just started stuttering and they are a toddler, you are far from alone.
What It Might Sound or Look Like Every child is different, but here are some things parents commonly notice:
Repeating sounds or syllables — "I w-w-w-want that"
Repeating whole words — "I I I want that"
Getting stuck or frozen — mouth open but no sound coming out
Stretching a sound out — "Iiiiii want that"
Blinking, tensing up, or moving their head when trying to get a word out
Avoiding certain words or situations because speaking feels hard
Getting frustrated, shutting down, or not wanting to talk as much as they used to
When Should I Reach Out? Trust your gut first — parents' instincts are usually right, and you do not need a doctor's referral to contact us. That said, here are some signs that it is a good idea to reach out sooner rather than later:
Stuttering has been going on for more than 6 months
It seems to be getting worse, not better
Your child is a boy — boys are less likely to recover on their own
There is a family history of stuttering
You are noticing physical tension, eye blinking, or other struggle behaviors
Your child is starting to avoid speaking or seems embarrassed or frustrated by it
How We Help We take a whole-child approach to fluency therapy. That means working on the moments of stuttering themselves, but also on the confidence, resilience, and communication tools your child needs to thrive — in school, in friendships, and in life. Our goal is for your child to feel free and confident as a communicator — whatever that looks like for them. Family involvement is a core part of the process — what happens at home and in school matters just as much as what happens in the therapy.
Speech Therapy
Every child deserves to be heard — clearly and confidently. Speech therapy focuses on the sounds your child makes and how accurately they produce them. Whether your child is leaving off the ends of words, substituting one sound for another, or is difficult to understand even by people who know them well, speech therapy can help.
Speech sound disorders are an umbrella term referring to any difficulty or combination of difficulties with perception, motor production, or phonological representation of speech sounds and speech segments. There are several distinct types, and identifying the right one is essential to choosing the most effective treatment approach. Some examples of Speech Sound Disorders include:
Articulation This is when a child has difficulty with specific sounds. Think "wabbit" instead of "rabbit," or "tat" instead of "cat." Most kids outgrow some sound errors on their own — but when they don't, a speech therapist can help.
Phonological Disorders This is when a child follows an incorrect sound rule across many words without realizing it. For example, dropping the last sound off every word — "ca" for cat, "do" for dog, "cu" for cup. It's not just one sound, it's a pattern.
A speech therapist can help Sessions are play-based and child-led, so your child is having fun while doing the hard work of learning to communicate clearly.
Who this is for: Children who are difficult to understand, leaving sounds off words, or who have been told they have an articulation or phonological disorder.