Speech-Language Therapy

To determine if your child needs a comprehensive evaluation, our therapists will screen your child for the following:

• Articulation (pronunciation)
• Auditory processing skills (listening)
• Fluency/stuttering
• Hearing
• Language delays
• Oral motor difficulties
• Reading/spelling difficulties
• Social language skills
• Swallowing/feeding concerns
• Voice disorders

Your child may need a speech-language screening if you have concerns regarding any of the above, or if your child is not meeting age-based speech and language developmental milestones.

Download our screening brochure. The screening will take place at your child's daycare, preschool, or elementary school. Please ask your school's director to contact us to set up a screening at your school.

• Attempts to copy your sounds
• Uses vocabulary of at least 10 spoken words
• Understands "No"
• Points or reaches to a desired object while producing sounds
• Understands simple directions
• Understands simple questions

• Attempts to copy your words
• Uses a variety of words
• Has vocabulary of 50 words or more
• Combines 2 words
• Follows novel commands
• Follows more complex directions
• Takes turns in conversations

• Responds to simple questions
• Understands location words
• Identifies objects by function
• Jargons (unintelligible adult-like speech)
• Uses 2 and 3 word phrases
• Uses 200 or more words
• Asks questions

• Talks about daily events
• Uses 4-word sentences
• Answers questions logically
• Explains how objects are used
• Uses these sounds in words: k, g, f, s, sh, j, ch, z

• Talks easily with adults
• Follows multiple step directions
• Understands descriptive and time concepts
• Understands and uses prepositions
• Explains and describes words
• Associates letters with a sounds
• Uses these sounds in words: v, l, r

• Retells stories
• Recognizes and produces rhyme
• Recalls information
• Clearly says these sounds in words: th, st, kr

An evaluation is a comprehensive assessment using standardized testing measures, informal assessments, observations, and parent/caregiver reports to address your child's speech, language, and/or feeding/swallowing skills, depending on your concerns.

A speech evaluation is the assessment of your child's functioning with age-appropriate articulation skills, phonological disorders, fluency/stuttering, voice skills, and oral motor functioning.

A language evaluation is the assessment of your child's understanding and usage of age-appropriate vocabulary and concepts, ability to follow directions, formation of sentences, usage of grammar structures, and social language skills. Reading and spelling skills, as well as auditory processing skills, may be assessed.

A feeding evaluation is the assessment of your child's feeding and swallowing skills conducted through an interview process, an assessment of their oral motor structures, and an observation of feeding to determine their current skill and need for interventions.

Call our office to schedule an appointment. We take many insurances and offer private-pay options. You may need a referral from your primary care physician/pediatrician for us to be able to complete your child's evaluation. Bilingual evaluations in Spanish and English are available upon request.

It takes approximately one hour to complete a speech-language evaluation or feeding evaluation. The therapist will conduct a comprehensive assessment to determine your child's current level of functioning. At the end of the evaluation, your child’s therapist will review the results with you and discuss treatment recommendations.

Our pediatric speech-language staff will write up the evaluation and submit it to your insurance company for authorization, as well as mail or email a copy of it to you directly. Once we obtain authorization from your insurance plan, one of our speech-language staff will contact you to schedule your child’s first appointment.

We encourage you to download and complete new patient forms prior to your initial therapy session.

At Beth Ingram Therapy Services, our pediatric speech therapy services are provided by a speech-language pathologist who is licensed and certified in the state of Florida with a master’s degree in communication disorders. Our therapists use the latest cutting-edge pediatric speech therapy techniques. Each therapist keeps abreast of current treatment techniques through a variety of continuing education courses in speech therapy for children.

Pediatric speech therapy sessions are designed around an individualized plan of care to address your child's specific needs and provide them with the greatest quality of life. We offer both individual and group therapy sessions. The number and frequency of sessions is based on the recommendations of the therapist who conducted your child's evaluation.

Therapy can be conducted in one of our Tampa-area clinics or at your child's daycare, preschool, or elementary school (location may be determined based on your insurance and therapist availability).