Speech Therapy
At Little Leap Learning, speech therapy is about helping young children find their voice and feel proud using it. Our warm, experienced speech-language pathologists work one-on-one with your child through games, songs and storytelling to make communication fun and meaningful. Every session feels like play, but behind the fun are carefully chosen strategies designed around your child’s unique needs and pace.
Whether your child is learning to say their first words, forming longer sentences, or improving clarity, our goal is to make every moment feel empowering for both your child and you.
Why Speech Development Matters in Early Years
Strong communication skills open every other door in a child’s development. When a child can express themselves clearly, they connect more easily with others, learn more confidently and handle emotions more calmly.
Foundation for Social and Emotional Growth:
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Making Friends: Clear communication helps children join play, express ideas and build stronger peer connections.
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Emotional Expression: When children can describe their feelings, they experience fewer meltdowns and more calm.
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Managing Frustration: Verbalizing needs (“I’m tired” or “I need help”) helps reduce emotional outbursts.
Paving the Way for Academic Success:
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School Readiness: Speech and language development directly support literacy skills like reading and writing.
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Understanding Instructions: Children can easily follow directions from parents and teachers.
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Active Participation: Confident communication helps children engage in classroom discussions and play.
Common Signs Your Child May Need Speech Therapy
Early intervention is key! If you notice any of these patterns, it's often a good idea to consult our speech-language pathologist:
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Delayed Milestones:
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Around 12 months: Not babbling, using gestures (like pointing or waving) or saying a few simple words (like "mama" or "dada").
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By age 2: Not combining two words into short phrases ("more milk," "daddy go").
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Between ages 2 and 3: Only repeating what others say (echolalia) rather than creating their own phrases.
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Difficulty with Understanding and Expression:
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Difficulty understanding simple questions or instructions (e.g., "Where is your shoe?" or "Go get the ball").
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The child becomes frustrated, angry, or points a lot because they can't communicate their needs or wants.
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Limited vocabulary compared to their peers.
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Unclear Speech (Intelligibility):
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Their speech is very hard for people outside the family to understand by age three.
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They frequently substitute, omit, or distort sounds in their words (e.g., saying "wabbit" for "rabbit").
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A sudden loss of speech or language skills at any age.
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What Causes Speech or Language Delays?
Every child grows at their own speed and that's okay. Sometimes delays happen because of hearing issues, developmental differences, or just not being exposed to enough language at home. Whatever the reason, our therapists take time to figure out what's going on and build a plan that makes sense for your family.
1. Developmental & Neurological Factors
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Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): Differences in social communication and interaction often involve language delays.
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Global Developmental Delay (GDD): When a child is slower in reaching milestones across several areas, including communication.
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Specific Language Impairment (SLI)/Developmental Language Disorder (DLD): A language difficulty that occurs without an obvious cause like hearing loss or an intellectual disability.
2. Physical & Sensory Factors
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Hearing Loss: A child must be able to hear language clearly to reproduce it. This includes temporary loss from frequent ear infections (otitis media).
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Oral Motor Difficulties: Issues with the coordination of the lips, tongue, jaw and palate.
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Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS): Difficulty with the brain signals needed to plan and execute speech movements.
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Dysarthria: Weakness in the speech muscles (often related to conditions like Cerebral Palsy).
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Structural Issues: Such as a cleft palate or a tongue-tie (short frenulum) that restricts tongue movement.
3. Environmental Influences
Lack of Language Exposure: Limited, consistent and rich verbal interaction with caregivers can slow development.
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Family History: Communication difficulties often have a genetic component and can run in families.
How We Support Speech at Little Leap Learning
Our therapy sessions are warm, playful and personalized. We use a mix of research-backed methods and engaging, interactive activities that make communication feel natural not forced.
Your child may work on:
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Articulation: Learning to pronounce sounds and words correctly.
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Language Building: Expanding vocabulary and forming sentences.
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Listening & Comprehension: Following directions, understanding questions and recalling stories.
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Oral-Motor Skills: Strengthening muscles used for speech and feeding.
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Parent Coaching: Teaching families simple, practical ways to encourage speech at home.
Every plan is created around your child’s pace because progress happens best when learning feels fun, safe and joyful.
How Parents Can Support Speech at Home
You don’t need to be a therapist to support your child’s language development, everyday moments are the best opportunities.
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Talk Through Your Day: Narrate what you’re doing (“Now we’re washing hands!”).
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Read Together: Look at pictures, name objects and repeat simple phrases.
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Play & Model: Use short, clear sentences during play and expand on your child’s words (Like “Car go!” to “Yes, the red car is going fast!”).
Our therapists will guide you with personalized home strategies and regular updates so you can continue progress between sessions.
Don't Wait & See: Early intervention provides the best possible outcome. If you are noticing signs of delay, an assessment is the most important first step.
Next Step: Free Consultation. Schedule a no-obligation call with our intake specialist to discuss your concerns and learn how a personalized online therapy program can help your child thrive.
