Treatment Specialties

Our Clinical Team

Therapy they actually look forward to!

We are excited to keep in touch with this next edition of PediaSpeech Services, Inc. newsletter! We hope you and your families are safe and healthy while trying to manage these difficult times. We are all doing the best we can. In this edition, we're happy to announce vaccine updates (!!), upcoming nuptials (!!!), scheduling changes, teletherapy highlights and more. As always, thank you for the trust you give us as we treat your precious children. Our goal for them is to learn while having fun and we achieve to do that each session.

Back in the office! As of Feb. 25, all PediaSpeech staff members have received both doses of the Moderna vaccine. According to evidence from clinical trials, the Moderna vaccine was 94.1% effective at preventing COVID-19 in participants who received two doses.

New research in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that a single Moderna shot could be as much as 92.1% effective. All therapists are now working from the office at least two days per week. However, Teletherapy will continue indefinitely for those who prefer this method of treatment.

Love is in the air!

Kayla Bates was engaged to fiancé Joseph Santoro on Feb. 10, 2021. Their wedding is planned for Dec. 3, 2021!

Carly Davis and her fiancé Dulayne Cumberalander were engaged on Jan. 25, 2020 and were married on Feb. 27, 2021.

Jake Ponce de Leon proposed to Sydney Hanks on Sept. 12, 2020. Their wedding is planned for Dec. 17, 2021!

Teletherapy Techniques It has been a challenge to get younger kids to engage with the therapist during virtual therapy. Yes, we can play dynamic videos and songs but many of us missed the ability to interact with our clients using toys and manipulatives. A few months ago, I discovered the green screen! Greenscreen is a visual effects technique where images are layered together. The technique allows the actual background to be singled out and become transparent and then you can interlay your desired background. Green screen has been used in movie production for decades, but now our therapists can use it to make it seem like we are and manipulating the objects on the screen. Combining this technique with the programs like PowerPoint where multiple slides can be instantly changed to make it seem like the screen is changing based on the child pointing or talking gives the client/therapist interaction we have all been craving. Click here to see a demonstration!

Announcements

Julia Conley transitioned from part-time to full-time with PediaSpeech on Jan. 4, 2021.

Lauren Rulon moved to Pennsylvania for her husband’s job but has obtained a Pennsylvania speech therapy license and will continue to work with PediaSpeech through Teletherapy appointments.

Certification Updates

Sydney Hanks completed the SOS Approach to Feeding Conference this past winter. The online course concentrated on feeding development, evaluation and SOS treatment, with a special focus on children from six months to seven years old. Click here to learn more. Sydney also completed the Beckman Oral Motor course. The course addressed techniques for treating oral motor impairment through manipulation of facial faculties. Sydney also learned Beckman assessment criterion for determining oro-facial movement patters. Click here to learn more.

Carly Davis and Julia Conley completed the International Association of Orofacial Myology's Understanding the Orofacial Complex: The Evolution of Dysfunction course this past winter. The course teaches therapists how to treat kids with tongue thrust and reverse swallow difficulties usually identified by their dentists or orthodontists. Click here to learn more.

Returning patient protocol, best practices and check-in procedure for (in office) therapy sessions:

For the safety of everyone, if either of the first two apply, an in-person appointment will need to be rescheduled.

Have you or anyone in your household had a temperature greater than 99.0 degrees within the last 24 hours? Have you or anyone in your household been diagnosed with COVID-19 or exhibited symptoms within the last 14 days? \

Check-in protocol:

Please Note: All Therapists will wear Face Shields and/ or Masks   during the entire therapy session Our waiting area remains closed as we continue to practice safe social distancing. Call the office from your vehicle   Your therapist will come to your vehicle wearing face shields and/or masks to take the temperature of the child with a hand-held thermometer from a safe distance.   We prefer that only the child attend the therapy session if possible. (Wearing masks if they can tolerate).  If a parent must attend to assist in facilitation, he/she is always required to wear a face mask and will be seated in the treatment room only. Therapists will take the child to wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds at the beginning and end of sessions before bringing the child back to your vehicle.

Best Daily Practices:

Continue to practice safe distancing, (at least 6 feet between you and others) Wear a mask   Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.  Cough or sneeze into your elbow or use a tissue to cover it, then throw the tissue in the trash. Stay home when you are sick. CDC and GDPH recommend staying home until they are 24 hours fever-free without medication.

Write a PediaSpeech Review! Many parents are worried about finding the right place for their kids. Hearing your experience really helps calm their fears. Be sure to name the therapist as we give them kudos for each review. Google Review Click here, type in PediaSpeech, be sure you are logged into your Gmail account then click 'write a review' in the Google box to the right on the screen. YELP Review Click here... click on 'write a review' and follow the instructions.

PediaSpeech Services, Inc. [email protected] 495 Winn Way, Ste. 210 Decatur, GA 30030 770-209-9826

Contact Us ‌ ‌ ‌