Pediatric Language Therapy
in West Bloomfield, MI
Why Pediatric Language Therapy?
Language opens doors for children to build friendships and succeed in school and life. But for some children, expressing themselves and understanding others can be a big challenge.
If you’re concerned about your child’s ability to understand or use language, Gigi’s Kids Speech & Language Therapy in West Bloomfield can help. Our experienced team provides personalized language therapy sessions that are fun, effective, and tailored to your child’s specific needs.
What Is Pediatric Language Therapy?
Pediatric language therapy helps children develop their ability to understand spoken language, express their thoughts clearly, and communicate effectively in everyday situations. If your child struggles to share their ideas, follow directions, or have meaningful conversations, language therapy can help them build these skills for lifelong success.
Language development begins in infancy and continues throughout childhood to allow us to communicate effectively with those around us. Our team of clinicians are experienced in diagnosing and treating language disorders and can help your child better communicate with the world around them.
Two Categories of Language
We can divide language into two main categories: expressive and receptive. First, receptive language refers to the language your child understands. Think of receptive language as the ‘input’ your child must listen to. Receptive language abilities typically develop more quickly than expressive language, meaning that your child will be able to understand more than they can say as their language develops.
Expressive language refers to the language that your child uses to communicate with those around them. If receptive language is the ‘input,’ expressive language is the ‘output.’ Expressive language abilities often develop more slowly than receptive language, meaning that while your child may understand certain words and concepts, they may not be able to say them yet. Expressive language also involves much more than just talking—it can include the use of gestures, signs, facial expressions, body language, sounds, and head movements to convey meaning.
Signs Your Child Might Need Language Therapy
There are many different signs of a language delay or disorder that a child could experience. Your child could benefit from an evaluation for language therapy from our experts if they:
- Have difficulty following directions or answering questions
- Seem to be less communicative than peers their age
- Struggle to form complete sentences
- Have trouble making friends or playing with other kids
- Struggle to stay on topic or take turns in conversations
- Use limited vocabulary or have difficulty finding the right words
- Are nonverbal or prefer not to speak
- Have trouble understanding figurative language, sarcasm, or jokes
- Struggle with reading or writing
- Have auditory processing disorder
- Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing
- Struggle with social skills due to autism spectrum disorder
Our Approach to Language Therapy
At Gigi’s Kids, we believe therapy should be playful, child-led, and motivating. Our therapists use fun, interactive activities designed specifically around your child’s interests to encourage their language development in a supportive environment.
Family involvement is fundamental to your child’s progress, and we actively include parents and caregivers in therapy sessions. Plus, our therapists are highly experienced and hold advanced certificates in specialized training to ensure your child receives the absolute best care possible.
What Can Your Child Learn in Language Therapy?
Through routine language therapy sessions with our expert therapists, your child can gain:
- Improved vocabulary and word usage
- Better sentence formation and grammar skills
- Stronger listening and comprehension
- Improved reading and writing skills
- Increased conversation and social skills
- More confidence in classroom and social settings
- Stronger executive functioning skills
What Our Families Are Saying
Meet Raya
“Ms. Amanda consistently goes above and beyond for my daughter. She knows exactly how to reach her and how to elicit her best effort. Not only did Raya improve considerably after working with Amanda, but she also had fun while doing it. And…Amanda helped guide us and her teachers with easy-to-implement tips and tricks to use in daily activities with Raya.” –Julie
Now, she speaks in sentences, has a huge vocabulary, is able to express her thoughts, and sings songs!
“Amanda has been working with our 3-year-old since she was 20 months old. She was evaluated by Head Start and didn’t qualify for services through the local public school district but I just knew something wasn’t right. She used maybe 3-5 words at the time and being a preemie we knew she needed extra support.
Amanda works with her on increasing vocabulary, as well as building sentences, articulation, and expressing herself more through speech & language. Amanda is amazing at using toys, props, games, and whatever is necessary to keep Ava engaged and learning. Despite the pandemic, we’ve been able to continue working together and we see improvement in Ava’s speech & language on a daily basis! Now, she speaks in sentences, has a huge vocabulary, is able to express her thoughts, and sings songs!!! We are so grateful to Amanda and highly recommend working with her!” –Liz and Brad
I am so thankful we found Amanda
“Working with Amanda has opened my eyes to so much with my son who is 2.5 years old and not talking. Prior to starting speech therapy, my son would have countless daily meltdowns over difficulty communicating and it broke my heart to see him get so frustrated and not be able to help him.
I was skeptical at first as to whether or not telehealth speech therapy would work, but I have been proven very wrong! Through simple play and use of gestures my son has flourished with his ability to communicate, and his frustration has significantly decreased. He just recently started using multiple gestures at a time, such as, “eat more” to show me what he wants. Also, more recently through the techniques Amanda has taught me, my son has said four new words! Amanda has taught me how to see the world through a speech and language perspective to the point where I am able to implement the techniques in many different aspects of our everyday life.
I am so thankful we found Amanda and couldn’t recommend her more!” –Mom of 2.5-year-old
Why Choose Gigi’s Kids?
At Gigi’s Kids, we provide a welcoming and personal experience for families. Our seasoned therapists not only help children build their communication skills, but we also educate families with practical strategies to support your child outside of therapy. Our small, home-like setting creates a comfortable space where children and families feel supported from day one.
The Benefit of Early Intervention
Early intervention means addressing language delays and disorders early in your child’s development, usually between birth and age three years. This can have a huge impact on their communication skills.
At this early stage, our focus is parent coaching to empower you to be your child’s best teacher. Our therapists will equip you with practical strategies so that you can:
- Identify your child’s communication stage and style of communication so that we can plan our initial goals
- Use everyday routines to naturally teach your child at his or her level
- Create fun People Play games that teach your child imitation and early requesting through play
- Keep the games and conversations going at your child’s pace so they stay engaged and remain in a teachable state
- Follow your child’s lead to ensure that they are enjoying the exchange
- Add language in simple ways to expand on what they are already able to say while modeling the next step
When children receive language therapy in their early years, it gives them a strong foundation for a lifetime of learning, making friends, and achieving their goals.
Get Started with Language Therapy at Gigi’s Kids
Ready to help your child build strong language skills for meaningful communication?
Call our team at (248) 735-8080 to schedule your child’s evaluation today and take the first step toward empowering them for lifelong success and confidence!