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A delay is, generally, when a child is showing slower acquisition of speech and language skills. A child with a communicative delay usually develops typical skills, just at a slower rate than expected for their age. A disorder, on the other hand, is when a child is showing characteristics that are not normally seen as part of typical speech and language development.

Speech refers to the way our bodies say sounds and words. It answers the question "How do you sound when you speak?" Speech includes articulation, fluency, and voice. Language refers to our ability to understand the words and sentences others say to us and how well we can express ourselves also by using words and sentences. Language includes vocabulary and grammar.

Children with disabilities can absolutely be bilingual! There's a growing body of research that shows that children with learning disabilities, intellectual disability, Down Syndrome, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and more can become successful bilingual individuals. Do not listen to "professionals" who tell you to abandon one language and speak to your child in only one language. They are wrong!

No! There is no evidence that speaking two languages to a child confuses them or causes them to develop speech and language more slowly. This is 100% wrong.

I can work with individuals across the lifespan (birth- end of life). My specialty is pediatric. However, I can certainly also work with adults, depending on their area of need. If you are an adult who stutters, who has trouble expressing their thoughts in a cohesive and organized way, or who is interested in accent modification therapy, please feel free to contact me.

You can find service rates here. If you plan to use your Blue Cross Blue Shield- Illinois PPO benefits to pay for therapy, please be sure that you call your insurance to get an understanding of your policy's coverage for speech therapy prior to scheduling with Palabras. English is on the first page and Spanish is on the second page.

Palabras Speech Therapy LLC is proud to offer several service delivery models. Clinic Space Our clinic space is located in the lovely Ravenswood neighborhood of Chicago. Our clinic space is at 4809 N. Ravenswood Avenue. We're conveniently located across the street from the Ravenswood stop of the Metra UP- N line. We have ample parking available and lots of yummy restaurants and parks in the area. We would love to see you here! Teletherapy Are you located further away? Not a problem. I can provide teletherapy services to anyone in the state of Illinois. Off- Site Services Palabras Speech Therapy LLC may be able to come to your home or daycare to provide therapy services if you are located within our service area on the north side of Chicago. This includes: - Albany Park - Irving Park - Lincoln Square - Mayfair - North Park - Ravenswood Off- site therapy time slots are very limited. Contact Marianna to see if there is any current availability. Together, we can come up with a plan that works for you and your family.

In summary: Payment: Payment is due on day of service. If using insurance benefits to pay for services, your insurance company will be billed first and you will then be responsible for all fees, co- pays, or co- insurance applicable to your plan. Cancellations: Cancellations must be made with 24 hours notice. A fee of 50% of the session cost may be assessed if cancellations are made with less than 24 hour notice or if the client fails to show up for a scheduled appointment. Frequent Cancellations: If a client reschedules/ is late for 4 appointments within a 2- month period, Palabras reserves the right to discharge the client. Communicating and Keeping your Health Information Private: My preferred form of communication is through your Client Portal, given that it meets strict HIPAA standards and guidelines to better protect your Private Health Information (PHI). If you prefer to communicate via email or text messaging, I will do so. Via email or text messaging, I will refrain from using names and other PHI and will ask that you do, as well.

Palabras Speech Therapy LLC accepts BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois PPO. If you have a different insurance company, you may be able to get reimbursed for part or all speech therapy services. If this is the case, a "superbill" can be generated, upon request, for you to provide to your insurance provider. Please check with your insurance provider to confirm this option beforehand. For those uninsured or insured through a different company, private pay options are also available.

This is an excellent question. School- based speech therapy can work marvels and the United States is one of the few countries in the world that offers this related services in public schools for free! But!... - School- based speech therapy doesn't involve you, the parent! You can't participate in your child's speech therapy at school but at Palabras Speech Therapy, you are always welcome to be an active participant (and at the very least an observer!) so you can see how your child performs and grows. - School- based speech therapy is rarely individualized. Students are most often seen in groups. Your child's speech therapy peers may be at a different developmental stage or working on different goals. At Palabras Speech Therapy, your child gets the speech therapist's full attention. - School- based speech therapy is often prescribed at a lower dose. Your child may require x number of minutes per week but high caseload numbers may mean that your child's school speech therapist can only see them for fewer minutes per week. At Palabras Speech Therapy, your child gets the intensity of therapy that they need. - School- based speech therapy is only provided to children if their communication deficit is negatively impacting their academic performance. School districts also often have rigid cut- off score requirements. At Palabras Speech Therapy, we do not need to see your children's communication skills hurting their academics. As long as it is impacting their social and/ or functional, everyday skills and you are motivated to improve, services may begin. - School- based speech therapy stops over the long summer vacation! Children often make lots of progress over the school year but unfortunately lose some of that progress over the summer break. Don't let that happen! Palabras Speech Therapy is open and available to keep working with your child over the summer to maintain and improve their skillset! We can even work on the speech/ language goals listed in your child's IEP. This doesn't mean that we don't love school- based speech therapy! In fact, I began my career as a speech therapist working in public schools for several years. Palabras Speech Therapy LLC will gladly work in collaboration with your child's school SLP so we can achieve the best results.

There's no minimum age to begin therapy. The earlier therapy begins, the sooner results are seen and the better the outcomes.

You can find Palabras Speech Therapy LLC at: 4809 N. Ravenswood Ave Chicago IL 60640 We are located inside a historic and beautifully preserved building that previously housed the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad Co. Our home is also home to several other offices and small businesses so when you first arrive, please dial 090 to be let up to our suite.

I speak English, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese. At this time, I'm providing services in English and Spanish. If you need therapy services in Italian or Portuguese, shoot me a message. Se Lei ha bisogno di terapia in italiano, mi mandi un messaggio. Se precisar de terapia em português, me mande uma mensagem.

It's very important that new clients understand their insurance policy's coverage of speech therapy in order to avoid hidden or surprise fees. Please refer to the following handout prior to scheduling with Palabras. English is on the first page, Spanish is on the second page.

Yes! I'm available to provide - professional development to organizations, - Spanish translations of written clinical materials - consulting services to other SLP's. Please contact me for further detail.

This is a very, very valid question. Billing and working with health insurance is a very time- consuming practice. And we all recognize that time is valuable. Palabras Speech Therapy LLC is also a one- person production. Given my current time constraints, I am only able to work with one insurance company at this time. I prefer to spend as much of my prep time researching the best treatment approaches for my clients and individualizing my therapy sessions.