Every child deserves a voice. Our speech-language pathologists help children with complex medical needs develop communication skills, overcome feeding challenges, and find their unique way to connect with the world around them.
Speech-language therapy, also known as speech therapy, is a clinical discipline dedicated to evaluating and treating disorders of communication, voice, fluency, language, and swallowing. Pediatric speech-language pathologists (SLPs) work with children from birth through age 20 who face challenges with understanding language (receptive skills), expressing thoughts and needs (expressive skills), producing speech sounds (articulation), or safely managing food and liquids (feeding and swallowing).
At Elite PPEC, speech therapy encompasses far more than teaching a child to pronounce words correctly. Our SLPs assess each child's total communication profile, which may include verbal speech, sign language, picture exchange systems (PECS), or high-tech augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices such as speech-generating tablets. For children who are nonverbal or minimally verbal, AAC provides a powerful pathway to express needs, make choices, and participate in social interactions.
Feeding and swallowing therapy is another critical component of our speech therapy program. Many children with complex medical needs experience dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), oral motor weakness, or food aversions that impact their nutrition and safety. Our SLPs conduct clinical swallowing evaluations and work closely with nursing staff to develop safe feeding plans that promote oral intake when appropriate.
Speech therapy at Elite PPEC benefits children who experience any form of communication challenge, whether due to neurological conditions, developmental delays, structural differences, or hearing impairment. Children with autism spectrum disorder often benefit from language therapy focused on pragmatic (social) communication skills, such as turn-taking in conversation, understanding facial expressions, and using language for a variety of purposes beyond requesting.
Children with Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, or other genetic conditions may have oral motor weakness that affects both speech clarity and feeding safety. Premature infants who spent time in the NICU sometimes develop oral aversions or disorganized sucking patterns that require specialized feeding intervention. Children with cleft lip and palate, hearing loss, childhood apraxia of speech, or stuttering also benefit significantly from the consistent, frequent therapy that our PPEC model provides.
Our speech-language pathologists begin with a comprehensive evaluation that examines your child's receptive language, expressive language, speech sound production, oral motor function, pragmatic skills, and feeding abilities. We use standardized assessments such as the Preschool Language Scales (PLS-5), the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals (CELF-5), and the Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation to establish baseline performance and identify specific areas of need.
Treatment is always functional and child-centered. Rather than drilling flashcards in isolation, our SLPs embed language targets into motivating activities like interactive stories, pretend play, music, and social games with peers. For children using AAC devices, we implement aided language stimulation, modeling device use throughout the day so children see communication in action before they are expected to produce it independently.
Our feeding therapy program uses a Sequential Oral Sensory (SOS) approach, which systematically introduces children to new foods through a hierarchy of steps: tolerating the food's presence, touching it, smelling it, tasting it, and eventually eating it. This gentle, pressure-free method respects the child's pace and helps build positive associations with mealtime.
Language learning does not happen in 30-minute increments once a week. It happens throughout the day, in every interaction, during every meal, and in every moment of play. This is precisely why speech therapy at a PPEC like Elite PPEC produces superior outcomes for many children. Our SLPs are present throughout the day, enabling them to target communication goals during natural routines, such as requesting during snack time, commenting during play, or greeting peers during circle time.
For children with feeding challenges, the PPEC environment is especially valuable. Our SLPs coordinate directly with nursing staff who manage G-tube feedings, monitor aspiration risk, and track nutritional intake. This close collaboration ensures that oral feeding trials are conducted safely and that any changes to a child's feeding plan are communicated immediately to every team member.
Children using AAC devices benefit from immersive modeling throughout the day, not just during therapy sessions. Staff members across the PPEC are trained to support AAC use, creating a communication-rich environment where the child sees their device used naturally and frequently, accelerating their learning significantly compared to limited outpatient exposure.
Our speech-language pathologists give every child the tools to communicate, connect, and thrive.
Our SLPs hold ASHA certification and specialize in pediatric communication disorders, feeding therapy, and augmentative communication.
Every therapy plan is tailored to your child's specific communication profile, whether verbal, nonverbal, or emerging communicators.
We coach parents on communication strategies, sign language basics, and AAC device use to support language development at home.
Detailed language samples, standardized testing, and functional communication measures document your child's growth over time.
Our SLPs partner with OTs for feeding therapy and with behavioral therapists to address communication-related behaviors.
All speech therapy services, including AAC device trials and feeding therapy, are fully covered by Florida Medicaid.
Elite PPEC offers a full spectrum of therapy and medical services under one roof.
Whether your child needs help with speech sounds, language development, feeding, or AAC, our team is here to help. All services are 100% covered by Florida Medicaid.
Call us at (754) 263-2925
