Speech Therapy For Children

It is common for toddlers and children to struggle with speech early on in their life. Luckily, there is therapy specially designed to help treat children with speech problems. Read more below about how our speech pathologists and certified professionals can help!

 

What is Speech Therapy?

Speech therapy is basically teaching, instructing and training kids to speak more clearly by resolving common physical challenges to articulation. Depending on your child’s age, you may need to visit pediatric speech therapy for more specialized training.

Speech therapy can be used to improve communication skills overall, thus increasing the quality of life for long-term success. Below are a few conditions you should consider before taking your child to speech therapy.

SETUP A SPEECh SCREENING

 

How to Know if a Child Needs Speech Therapy

When a parent or caretaker is looking to help their child's communication skills, they wonder whether or not their child needs therapy. Of course, no parent wants to see their child struggle with basic aspects of life such as speech. Sometimes a little assistance from a certified professional goes a long way. Many children naturally struggle with speech and communication overall, but there are some symptoms to look out for.

At first, it is helpful to see for yourself if there might be an underlying problem that can be treated locally. Below are a few common symptoms that are often signs of speech problems in children: 

  • The child mispronounces common words regularly even as he/she gets older (usually by 3 years old, they should be understandable)
  • Using a very limited vocabulary
  • Mixing up common sentence structures saying "me" instead of "I"
  • Having a lisp or other condition related to a child's ability to produce sounds correctly

It may not always be clear whether a child is going through normal communication problems or if they need speech therapy. If in doubt, contact a specialist and speak with someone from our office today. Otherwise,  

Developmental Screening

Common Disorders

  • Articulation Disorders: Articulation disorders refer to the child having difficulty producing sounds and words correctly. Often times, others can’t understand what they are saying correctly. This causes communication problems which can lead to further problems if they are not treated with speech therapy for children.

 

  • Fluency Disorders: Fluency disorders in kids most often include stuttering which is a common issue in young kids. Because it is so common, children can be treated with speech therapy to improve the disorder.

 

  • Voice or resonance disorders: This refers to general problems with children’s speech. Kids can have problems with pitch, volume, and other factors which can make it difficult for others to understand them. In addition, it can cause pain for children with this condition which should be treated immediately.

Mueller Pediatric offers a number of different services, one of them being speech therapy for children in Peoria IL. It is our passion to see kids grow and develop as they overcome struggles they may have with speech.

 

Peoria, IL is a fantastic city! It is home to many families with children who may be in need of speech therapy services. Understanding the background that children come from is an important aspect of getting to know the child and their communication ability.

More Resources  Skills Groups

Specializing in Pediatric Care in Peoria, IL

See What Our Clients Think

"Amy Hopkins has been here with our family from the beginning. She made a family connection that will last a lifetime!!! Don't know what I would do without her. She didn't care that Kayden was under the table playing in dirt!"

- Erin Faw

"It is so hard to believe our last therapy is this week. We had a wonderful therapist who has done all the hard stuff for our future therapist."

- Bobbie Conover

"My six-year-old Autistic daughter has been receiving speech services from Mueller Pediatric Therapy since she was in Early Intervention. We were so pleased with Emma's work with her at the end of EI that we decided to keep her working with her. Since then, we have seen so much progress in our daughter's ability to not only talk (as she was barely talking upon entering EI) but to understand language and use it appropriately to make requests, express herself and interact with peers. The office staff has also been great in helping us navigate difficulties in dealing with our insurance provider. I recommend Mueller Pediatric Therapy to anyone I know who is looking for services to help children with delays."

- Alysia Short

"Our family has chosen Mueller Pediatric Therapy to serve our two children over the past 5 years. We've had 4 amazing therapists and great experiences with the company. We truly believe they choose the best to work and teach both children, and their families. The personal experiences and relationships we've witnessed make me proud to refer this company."

- Holly K.

"Mueller Pediatric Therapy was a great help to my son when our previous speech therapist fell short of our expectations. The owner, Erin Mueller, took a personal interest in my son’s case and assigned the therapist she felt would be the best fit for my son’s needs. Vicky jumped right in and within the first session had a diagnosis and therapy plan to go forward. We received more personalized treatment in the first month than we had in 6 months with our previous therapist. Vicky had a vast amount of experience that was evident in the way she worked with my son and the knowledge she was able to pass on to me about my son’s condition. She was so personal and easy to work with. I would recommend Vicky and Mueller Pediatric Therapy to anyone looking for a fresh start to their therapy needs."

- T.C.

"We have chosen Mueller Pediatric Therapy for all 4 of our children. Over the past 9 years we have utilized their amazing speech therapists to work with our boys while they were going through Early Invention. They have given them the skills and tools they need to jump start their speech and be able to start school with the confidence they need to succeed. They are now in 6th, 4th, and 1st grade and doing fantastic. My daughter is 4 1/2, autistic, and has been with Mueller since Early Intervention. When she started she was non-verbal, had no real interactions with others and was very withdrawn. In 2 short years she had become a totally different girl. With Mueller's speech, speech group, and OT services she has thrived. She greets people when she sees them, wants to play with others, and just over the last 3 months has started talking. I owe so much to the ladies at Mueller who have taught my kids, stood up for them, cheered them on and pushed them to become better! I would recommend them all day because without them, my children wouldn't be who they are today."

- Erin C.

"Graeme started speech services with Mueller about a year ago. The difference it has made! He speaks so much more and really enjoys time with his teacher Miss Maggie. He looks forward to his sessions. I know both Graeme and I will be sad when he is too old to continue."

- C. E.

"Erin is a very gifted and talented speech therapist. I was constantly amazed at her understanding of how sounds are formed and further amazed at her ability to accurately know which sounds my son was articulating and which sounds needed help. He constantly progressed while under her instruction. Furthermore, Erin truly cared about his development and ability to accomplish sounds. It wasn’t just a “job” to her, she cared, at a personal level, about his development. I was excited when Erin started Mueller Pediatric Therapy. The more people she could touch through her services and through her therapists, the more families that would be blessed."

- Dorine Aberle

Miss Emma (speech), Miss Jamie (previous OT), and Miss Amy (DT) have been so great with me and my son over the years. They have always had interest in what works best for us and listening to my son's cues and what he needs, how he learns best. Greyson has not always been the most willing to do things that come harder for him, but with the help from this staff, their consistent care and patient minds, he is thriving and has come leaps and bounds from where he first started. We are thankful, grateful and blessed to have these professionals in our corner. Thank you so much for all you do for us!

- Jenna Darnell

I would highly recommend my daughter's Speech Therapist, Brittany, because she was wonderful with Mackenzie. She really related to her and really connected with my child by catering to her needs, moods, and her actions on the day of her therapy session. Brittany was constantly working hard with my daughter and always made her laugh and smile. Brittany and Mackenzie had a wonderful connection of which I had never seen with any of her other therapists. Brittany has a wonderful and outgoing personality which really showed when she was working with my daughter. My daughter always looked forward to when Miss Brittany came to her house and always hated to see her leave. I would highly recommend Brittany Hoffmire to any parents looking for a speech therapist because of her awesome ability to work and relate to kids. Thank you very much Brittany for making a difference in my daughter's life and with her speech. You are one in a million. Keep up the awesome work you are doing!! Thank you!

- Nicole Berg

About Us

Mueller Pediatric Therapy, Ltd., was established by Erin Mueller, Speech-Language Pathologist, in 2008. MPT is passionate about providing quality Pediatric Therapy Services. We are the leading Pediatric Therapy Agency in Central Illinois offering a wide array of services for children ages Birth-18 years. We look forward to working with you and your child!

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