Speech-Language Therapy Services • AAC • Assistive Technology
A compensatory education award can provide an opportunity to address services a student missed or did not receive appropriately.
But having funding available does not automatically answer the harder question:
What would actually help this student now?
I am a Philadelphia speech-language pathologist who provided Compensatory Education services to School District of Philadelphia students for many years. I am now accepting a limited number of new Comp Ed referrals.
My practice is particularly well suited to children and adolescents whose communication needs are complex, whose abilities look different across settings, or for whom traditional speech therapy has not been enough.
More Than Making Up Missed Speech Sessions
Compensatory education does not have to mean simply repeating the same kind of therapy a student previously received.
Sometimes the most useful starting point is figuring out what is getting in the way.
Why does communication work at home but fall apart at school?
Why does a student have an AAC system but rarely use it?
Why does a student demonstrate a skill in therapy but not when it actually matters?
Is the difficulty the student’s skill — or access, regulation, expectations, technology, environment, communication partners, or something else?
Those are the kinds of questions I like to work on.
Speech-Language Therapy
I provide individualized speech-language services for children and adolescents with needs that may include:
- language and functional communication
- childhood apraxia of speech and other motor-speech needs
- fluency
- speech production
- autistic communication
- complex communication needs
- adolescent communication and self-advocacy
Therapy is not built around getting a student to perform correctly in a therapy session.
The goal is communication that becomes more useful in the student’s actual life.
AAC Support
An AAC device is a tool. It is not, by itself, a communication system.
I work with students who use AAC, are exploring AAC, or have a system that is not working as well as everyone hoped.
We may look at:
- access to the system
- vocabulary and organization
- customization
- communication-partner support
- modeling
- opportunities for authentic communication
- demand and regulation
- how AAC fits into home, school, and community routines
Sometimes the problem is not that the student “won’t use” AAC.
Sometimes we need to understand why using it does not currently work for them.
Assistive Technology Consultation
Assistive technology can support much more than communication.
I can help families think through technology for:
- communication
- reading and writing
- access
- organization
- participation
- learning
- independence
Consultation may include identifying possible tools, comparing options, helping with trials, adapting or customizing existing technology, and figuring out why a technology solution that looked promising has not translated into everyday use.
The starting question is usually not:
“What device should we buy?”
It is:
“What is this student trying to do, and what is getting in the way?”
Sometimes Consultation Is the Right Service
Not every student needs another weekly therapy appointment.
In some situations, a focused period of observation, AAC or assistive technology consultation, parent support, or collaborative problem-solving may be more useful.
We can talk about the student’s needs and determine what kind of service makes sense before deciding on an ongoing schedule.
I May Be a Particularly Good Fit If Your Child…
- is autistic or otherwise neurodivergent
- uses AAC or may benefit from AAC
- has complex communication needs
- has childhood apraxia of speech
- communicates very differently at home and at school
- has technology that is available but not working well in everyday life
- has received years of services without clear functional progress
- is an adolescent whose communication goals need to include autonomy and self-advocacy
- needs someone to look beyond a single test score or isolated therapy skill
- would benefit from communication, regulation, environment, and technology being considered together
A Small Caseload on Purpose
My private practice is intentionally small.
I want enough time to get to know the students and families I work with, think carefully about what I am seeing, collaborate when collaboration is useful, and change course when something isn’t working.
Because of that, I accept a limited number of Compensatory Education referrals and consider each one individually for fit.
In-Home and Consultation Services in Philadelphia
I provide in-home services in Northwest Philadelphia and nearby communities.
Depending on the student’s needs, some consultation, AAC, assistive technology, parent support, and collaborative services may also be appropriate virtually.
Have a Compensatory Education Award?
You do not need to know exactly what kind of service your child needs before contacting me.
Tell me a little about your child, what is working, what is not working, and what you hope could be different.
We can start there.
Please do not send IEPs, evaluations, medical records, settlement agreements, or other confidential documents through the website contact form. We can arrange a secure way to exchange information if we decide to move forward.
For Attorneys and Educational Advocates
I also accept direct inquiries from attorneys and advocates looking for speech-language, AAC, or assistive technology support for a student.
Referral Information for Attorneys & Advocates →
Compensatory Education awards and settlement agreements differ. The student’s individual agreement determines what services and expenses may be funded. I provide speech-language pathology, AAC, assistive technology, and related consultation; I do not provide legal advice.