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How Being a Mom has Changed Me as an SLP

 
 
When you decide to have kids, you know it will change your life in many ways. However one unforeseen way that having a child has impacted me is that it has affected my career…for the better.  Yes, I may come to work with my son’s peanut butter fingerprints on my shirt, but there are a number of ways that it has helped me to become a better speech therapist.   

I can use my own personal experiences to relate to their child. When working with a young child with delayed language, I have always told parents not to anticipate their needs. To pretend you don’t know what they want to encourage communication.  While I still tell parents this, I now understand how difficult this is. When you know your child wants a cookie, it’s your parental instinct to get him or her a cookie! Now I can offer parents a personal story of how my son whined when he wanted something, and when prompted to “use his words” he was able to say that he wanted a banana, and then we had a successful example of using communication to get what he wanted without me reinforcing whining or tantrums. I feel those personal stories are meaningful for parents because they know that I do everything with my child that I am asking them to do.   
 
I am more sensitive.  When parents say that their child is sick, or missed his nap, I totally get how that is going to throw his whole day off in a way that I couldn’t understand before.  I may take it easier during the session and it helps my rapport with that child because I am not pushing him or her too hard on a day where they are not feeling their best. Before having a child of my own, I did not have knowledge of naps and teething and how those things impact a child’s day and their willingness to participate in a speech session.   
 
I have more empathy. When I am working with a child with a speech or language delay, I can easily put myself in the parent’s shoes. I am more sensitive and thorough when explaining things because I now understand from personal experience that health care professionals often appear rushed, insensitive, and dismissive. When it comes to a child’s speech concerns, I don’t want a parent to have any unanswered questions and I want them to completely understand what we are doing in speech therapy. 
 
As I embark on my second Mother’s Day with one child and one on the way, I can say that working and being a mom is a balancing act. Luckily, being a speech therapist has made me a better mom and being a mom has made me a better speech therapist.
 
– Carrie Ravine M.A., CCC-SLP 
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Patient Reviews

LLA Therapy

Patient Reviews

Crystal Scheibe

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Great place, glad we found them. Been going to Medina over 2 months now and he loves Lauryn and Kyler. Wish they had more ABA therapy places available... live in Wooster and long drive everyday.

Karrie Swan LaRock

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My 11 year old son has dyslexia and has made noticeable gains in working At LLA THERAPY. Katie is strong in her approach toward him and also keeps him comfortable enough to perform well. We will continue visiting both the Fairlawn and Hudson offices and recommend them highly.

Ron Monroe

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My 9 year old just completed about 9 months of weekly speech sessions (due to his stuttering) with Matt Hagge at LLA and we are thrilled with the experience and results. What I thought might be a negative (what kid really wants to go to speech class?) was made very positive by Matt, and my son never hesitated or complained when we talked about class. He really enjoyed it and really took what Matt taught him to heart. His speech has been greatly improved and we definitely recommend LLA. Thank you so much!

Heather Dougherty-Pantoja

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My son’s Occupational Therapist, Jess, is an amazing OT! She gives practical tips on working with my son at home and school!

Terri Apgar

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I cannot say enough good things about LLA Therapy. My daughter was a client of Teal Simmons’ for approximately 2 years and was just released from speech therapy! She was diagnosed with Apraxia in 2015 and worked with Teal twice a week. Through Teal’s application of PROMPT therapy, my daughter had age-appropriate speech after one year. All of the staff we interacted with at LLA were absolutely wonderful. They really care about what they do and making sure your child achieves their goals.

Kelli Geisler Davisson

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LLA Therapy has been an excellent experience for my son as well as my family! My son always asks, "When can I go see Ms. Jeannine again, is it Monday??" He has also made huge gains in only 5 months! I would highly recommend LLA and have already shared my experience with friends looking for services!

Victoria Hansford-Price

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We are so grateful for our Speech Therapist Ms.Teal. We have seen a great improvement with our sons confidence and communication abilities since we have started "Prompt" therapy. What we love the most about LLA and Ms. Teal is that Kohl feels comfortable and relaxed which has played a critical role in his progress. Thank you Ms. Teal for all you have done.

Laura Lee Hogsett

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They have helped in numerous ways. Speech, OT and behavioral. I've had numerous compliments on my son's progress thanks in very large part to LLA. I would recommend LLA before I recommend our local children's hospitals, though they are good, they don't have the staff that LLA does.

Amy Furukawa

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We had a great experience with Matt Hagge at LLA! Our Middle School age son was becoming very conscious of his voice, which is nasal due to a cleft palate. Matt helped him to better form his sounds and project his voice in a way that makes the unavoidable nasality less noticeable.Our son is more confident and outgoing & even took on a speaking role in the church play. Matt has the perfect personality to relate with our son, and we would recommend him to anyone needing speech therapy services!

Jessica Havalotti

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LLA Therapy has been an excellent experience for our daughter. I would highly recommend LLA. Miss Grace was so amazing and I can't believe how quickly our daughter showed improvement. Thank you!
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