The fun kind of speech therapy
Story Chelsea Chambers Photos Kimberlee Miller
“Play is not only our creative drive; it’s a fundamental mode of learning.” ~ David Elkind
What’s the most effective way to get children to learn and be engaged? How do children understand and comprehend their world? There is no better way than through play!
Sarah Landry quickly realized that play would be the foundation upon which she built her practice. Learning through personal experience as a child, Sarah has fond memories of her own speech/language pathologist. Speech therapy is not an easy road, it can be challenging for both parent and child. But Sarah’s mission is to change the perception around speech therapy and ensure that the children have fun while learning! Thankfully, Sarah’s childhood experience was a positive one, “I just remember playing games because the speech/language pathologist did such a good job of embedding the learning into our activities.” That’s the principle upon which she built her own practice: Talk Blossom.
Serving children in their home or daycare since 2017, Talk Blossom works with young children who have various speech and language disorders including: late talkers, articulation disorders, and Down Syndrome. While each case is unique, Sarah’s program has helped so many children with speech and language issues. The testimonials on her website speak volumes to how effective her teaching style is and how Sarah makes learning fun for young children.
When asked what she enjoys most about her job, Sarah said, “I love that I get to go into a child’s home and develop a bond with not only the child, but the whole family. It’s a privilege to share in special moments with families. I have been lucky enough to be present when a child says their first word. Being a parent myself, I love being able to ease some of the frustrations that many parents feel when they have a child with a communication delay. Being able to be the person that helps ease their daily struggles is very rewarding.”
Sarah loves her job so much that she takes every challenge that comes her way as an opportunity to learn. When asked what she finds difficult about her profession, she responded: “I’m sometimes discouraged by the lack of information regarding the prevalence of speech/language delays and that there is help. I have made it part of my mission to inform parents about what typical speech and language development looks like, and when and where they should seek help.”
Sarah’s knowledge and experience in the field make her an expert at speech and language development. As part of her on-going mission to provide education to all, she has included a downloadable checklist for speech and language developmental norms that can be found on her website at www.talkblossom.com/service-alt.
For more information about Talk Blossom and Sarah’s mission for play-based learning, visit her website at talkblossom.com.
