Speech Therapy
What is speech therapy?
Speech therapy is the assessment and treatment of communication problems and speech disorders.
A pediatric speech-language pathologist (SLP) works to improve a child’s verbal and non-verbal communication skills. An SLP will utilize articulation therapy, language intervention activities, and other interventions depending on the type of speech or language disorder.
Indicators that your child may benefit from speech therapy:
-
Difficulty communicating verbally
-
Difficulty understanding what they’re told
-
Delay in speech and language milestones
Questions or concerns? Contact us today to set up an assessment.
Common diagnoses we treat:
-
Aphasia
-
Dysarthria
-
Fluency disorders
-
Resonance disorders
-
Receptive disorders
-
Expressive disorders
-
Articulation disorders
-
Feeding disorders
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) provides this reference for your child’s communication milestones from birth through age five. Click the link to access the free guide.
What will a speech therapist work on with my child?
A speech-language pathologist interacts with your child through talking, playing, books, pictures, and other objects to help stimulate language development.
They model correct sounds and syllables during age-appropriate play to teach your child how to make certain sounds.
The therapist will provide individualized strategies and activities for your child that can be carried out at home. Completing the activities at home with your child will maximize the progress they make during visits.
Meet our Speech Therapists
Tory Byrd, MS, CCC-SLP
Tory received her undergraduate degree from Wake Forest University in Health and Exercise Science with minors in Linguistics and Psychology in 2014 and then completed her Masters degree in Speech Language Pathology from Old Dominion University in 2016. She has over 6 years of experience working with children of all ages in various settings including preschool centers, daycares, homes, schools and outpatient clinics and loves helping families find ways to open communicative avenues for their children. Tory’s clinical experiences include working with individuals with various genetic differences, traumatic brain injuries, feeding concerns and developmental delays. She is constantly looking for ways to increase her knowledge base and enjoys going to conferences and completing continuing education opportunities. Tory currently lives in Angier, NC. She is a military wife and keeps busy chasing after her two amazing children.
Caroline Dodge, MS, SLP-CFY
Caroline is a Speech Language Pathologist Clinical Fellow. She received her B.S. in Child Development Studies from Appalachian State University and began her career in working with young children as an Early Childhood educator. She witnessed firsthand the impact of communication on learning and became enthralled with the work of a Speech Language Pathologist, and set out to pursue her master’s degree. She earned her M.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders from North Carolina Central University. During her clinical training she worked in public schools, private clinics, and university-based clinics. She gained experiences working with children from 3 to 16 years of age as well as young adult and adult populations. Her clinical interests include Early Intervention, Autism Spectrum Disorder, expressive/receptive language disorders, and AAC. Caroline enjoys collaborating with families and creating a unique approach to therapy that tailors to each child’s individualized needs. In her free time, Caroline enjoys traveling to the mountains and beach, reading, listening to live music, walking her dog, and spending quality time with friends and family!
Suzanne Fike, MS, CCC-SLP
Suzanne is a certified and licensed Speech Language Pathologist with over 37 years experience. She has had experience working with children from Birth-22 years of age who present with various speech and language disorders. Suzanne’s experiences have included private practice, contracting and public schools. Suzanne received her BS in Speech and Language from Indiana University of Indiana, PA and her Masters Degree from Miami University of Oxford, Ohio. Suzanne went on to receive her Assistive Technology Certification from the Research Institute for AT, Albuquerque, NM. In addition to her experience with AAC, Suzanne has extensive experience with Autism and is Level III Autism Trained through TEACCH, UNC Chapel Hill NC. Suzanne has provided many trainings and workshops pertaining to autism, structured teaching and AAC/ Assistive technology. Suzanne and her husband relocated to NC in 2016. They have 2 grown sons, 2 daughter-in-laws and a very sweet granddaughter. Suzanne enjoys spending time with her family, her 2 fluffy dogs, traveling and the sitting on the beach.
Tristan Hubbard, MS, CCC-SLP
Tristan received her Bachelor of Science degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders at Appalachian State University. She went on to receive her Master's degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Radford University in Virginia. Tristan has a passion for neurodiversity affirming and child-led therapy across all ages, with special interests in autism and AAC. Tristan's clinical experience consists of evaluating and treating children in the school setting from kindergarten to age 21 with a variety of diagnoses. Her primary focus has been on alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) for complex communication needs associated with Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Traumatic Brain Injuries, intellectual disabilities, or rare genetic disorders. Tristan also has experience treating and evaluating receptive and expressive language disorders, stuttering, and articulation and phonological disorders. Tristan is currently licensed by the NC Board of Examiners for Speech Language Pathology and has obtained national certification from the American Speech-Language Hearing Association. Tristan values strength-based intervention that prioritizes connection with children, their families, and their environments. She currently lives in Clayton where she enjoys her free time with her two cats and an iced coffee.
Alexandra Nolan, MS CCC-SLP
Alex received her Bachelor of Science degree from East Carolina University in Communication Sciences and Disorders. She went on to receive her Master of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders at North Carolina Central University. Alex has a passion for working with young children and has a particular interest in early intervention for treatment of language delays and articulation/phonology disorders. Alex’s clinical experience consists of evaluating and treating children of all ages with various diagnoses including receptive and expressive language disorders, articulation and phonological disorders, Autism Spectrum Disorders, AAC, fluency disorders, Down Syndrome, and traumatic brain injury. She has provided diagnostic and therapeutic interventions to children of all ages in a variety of settings including daycares, homes, preschools, and clinics. Alex is currently licensed by N.C. Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathology and has her national certification from the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association. Alex currently lives in Raleigh with her fiancé and dog. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, exercising, and spending time outdoors!
Julianne Russo, MS, CCC-SLP
Abil-OT Clinical Director
Julianne completed her undergraduate studies in cognitive science at the University of Delaware, and her graduate studies in communication disorders at SUNY New Paltz. Throughout her educational career, she has gained experience working with a variety of populations as a student clinician. While studying upstate New York, she provided in-home services to children 0-3 years of age; worked with a geriatric population in an audiology clinic; and served pre-teen and teenage children in a middle school setting. She graduated in 2016 with a M.S. in Communication Disorders, and began working on Long Island shortly thereafter. Julianne completed her clinical fellowship year working with children 3-16 years of age. She has experience serving children with a wide variety of diagnoses, including Autism Spectrum Disorder, Down Syndrome, Fragile X Syndrome, Nagar Syndrome, as well as children with developmental or speech delays. During her time as a clinical fellow, Julianne worked to become level 2 PROMPT trained and attend many continuing education courses in Applied Behavior Analysis. In 2017, Julianne moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, and has loved the change of pace! She has been working in elementary schools for the past 3 years, and has found her passion working with children of all ages. She is enthusiastic about working with other professionals and family members, and incorporating a team approach into her therapy sessions.
Julia Shingleton, MS, CF-SLP
Julia attended East Carolina University where she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders. Julia earned her Master of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders at North Carolina Central University. Julia has always had a passion for working with children and has a particular interest in early intervention treatment of articulation/phonology disorders, apraxia of speech, autism spectrum disorder and AAC. She enjoys providing naturalistic, neurodiversity affirming therapy that is fun and engaging for the child. Julia's clinical experience consists of evaluating and treating children of all ages in both the school and pediatric private practice setting as a graduate clinician. She has evaluated and treated children of all ages with various diagnoses including receptive and expressive language disorders, AAC, articulation and phonological disorders, autism spectrum disorder, fluency disorders, apraxia of speech, Fragile X syndrome and Down syndrome. She currently lives in Raleigh and in her free time she enjoys going on walks with her dog, traveling, and spending time with my friends and family. NCCU Graduate Clinician - Speech Language Pathology Communication Sciences and Disorders, M.S. '23
Celina Skrtich, M.S. CF-SLP
Celina received her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of North Florida in Exceptional Student Education. She taught elementary special needs before attending Florida State University where she earned a graduate certificate in Communication Sciences and Disorders. She received her Master of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders at North Carolina Central University. Celina is currently completing her clinical fellowship while she is in the process of earning her Certificate of Clinical Competence through the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Her clinical experience includes working in private practices, public schools, and university and community-based programs. Her clinical interests include early intervention, counseling within the speech-language scope of practice, and multiculturalism. In her free time, Celina enjoys spending time with her husband and two children. She enjoys traveling, scuba diving, and listening to audiobooks. She finds joy in feeling the warmth from the sun and watching others learn something new.
Allison Szendrey, CCC-SLP
Allison completed her undergraduate and graduate studies in Communication Sciences and Disorders at The University of Toledo in Ohio. Allison has a passion for working with young children and has a particular interest in early intervention. Allison’s clinical experience consists of evaluating and treating children in a school setting ages preschool through high school. She has evaluated and treated children of all ages with various diagnoses including receptive and expressive language disorders, AAC, articulation and phonological disorders, autism spectrum disorder, apraxia of speech, hearing impairment and Down Syndrome. Allison is currently licensed by N.C Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathology and has obtained a national certification from the American Speech-Language Hearing Association. Allison enjoys working with young children and their families to help them learn how to facilitate their child’s communication skills. She continues to seek out new opportunities to grow as a therapist and incorporate team-based approaches into her therapy sessions. She lives with her husband in Clayton. In her free time, she enjoys working out, going for walks with her dog, traveling, reading, and spending time with family and friends.