16th Annual Free Screening for Better Hearing & Speech Month

Do you have concerns regarding your child’s speech/language development or hearing skills? Or, are you on a waitlist for an evaluation at a private practice or the WCSD ChildFind Program… This is your chance to ask questions and have certified professionals screen for possible speech, language, and hearing concerns. A screening is a “quick look” at skills to see if a full assessment/evaluation is recommended. The screening tasks include observing how well a child is producing speech sounds (e.g., articulation), how well a child is using language forms (e.g, past tense -ed in jumped), how well a child is understanding directions and wh-questions, and how well a child is hearing. These skills are compared to what children are expected to do for their ages and recommendations are made from there. If an assessment is recommended, we share resources available throughout our community!

This is the 16th year Sierra Therapy Group has offered a free screening in recognition of Better Hearing & Speech Month, which is a national campaign organized by the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (asha.org/bhsm/). We are excited that Silver State Hearing & Balance is joining us again this year! During May, speech-language pathologists and audiologists share about our profession and how we help individuals of all ages communicate, speak, write, understand, swallow, and hear. Services are provided in early intervention programs, schools, hospitals, private practices, home visits, and through telehealth (which is much more accessible and main stream following the pandemic).

• What: FREE screening for children ages 3-6

• When: Friday May 5th, 10 am to 2 pm

• Where: 9520 Prototype Crt, Reno, NV 89521

• How: email shawna@sierraspeech.com to reserve a spot! Or call 775.852.6323 x 100

15th Annual Screening in Honor of Better Hearing & Speech Month

It is hard to believe that this will be the 15th May we have celebrated Better Hearing & Speech Month (BHSM) by offering a free screening for children in our area! We even provided the screening virtually during the pandemic, so this is the 15th consecutive year!

BHSM is a national campaign organized by the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (asha.org/bhsm/). During May, speech-language pathologists and audiologists share about our profession and how we help individuals of all ages communicate, speak, write, understand, swallow, and hear. Services are provided in early intervention programs, schools, hospitals, private practices, home visits, and through telehealth (which is much more accessible and main stream following the pandemic).

The clinicians at Sierra Therapy Group honor Better Hearing & Speech Month by providing free screenings for children ages 3-6. A screening is when professionals complete tasks and take a quick look at skills to see if a full assessment/evaluation is recommended. The screening tasks we do will look at how well a child is producing speech sounds (e.g., articulation), how well a child is using language forms (e.g., past tense -ed in jumped), and how well a child is understanding directions and wh-questions (e.g., put the car under the chair). These skills are compared to what children are expected to do for their ages and recommendations are made from there. If an assessment is recommended, we share resources available throughout our community!

• What: FREE screening for children ages 3-6, screening will assess speech & language skills

• When: Saturday May 21st, 10 am to 2 pm

• Where: 9520 Prototype Crt, Reno, NV 89521

• How: email shawna@sierraspeech.com to reserve a spot! Or call 775.852.6323 x 100!

Easing Back In To In-Person Sessions

We are so excited to be back in the office and accepting new clients! Additionally, we continue to offer telehealth services for those families who are more comfortable receiving services in this medium.  Our community has gone through many changes as of late but we continue to be committed to serving children with speech-language disorders and any other special needs. Over the past 14 years, flexibility and a team of clinicians ready to jump in and learn new things has allowed us to pivot in response to challenges.  Without missing a beat, the clinicians worked to quickly figure out how to provide telehealth services with the same quality as in-person services in order to provide continuity of care for the children and families we work with. While learning and using telehealth has been exciting and has met the needs of many of our clients, some kids do their best and make the most progress with in-person services. We have implemented policies and procedures to be able to safely provide in-person sessions!

We are also excited to announce that Liz Breckner has joined our team. As we head back to school, Liz has some after school availability, so feel free to reach out and ask questions about our programs and services. We continue to contract with multiple insurance companies and can call to find out coverage for both in-person and telehealth speech-language services.

13th Annual Free BHSM Screening

Who would have thought that when we set the date for the 13th annual Better Hearing & Speech Month #BSHM2020 Screening that we would be under a stay at home order in response to a pandemic that is impacting the entire world. We, along with speech-language pathologists (SLPs) everywhere and in every practice setting (private practices, schools, early intervention, hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and more), have had to dramatically shift our service delivery models in the blink of an eye to continue to meet the needs of the clients and families we help. I’m proud to say that the clinicians at STG didn’t miss a beat, feverishly learning virtual platforms and how best to provide services ethically while also trying to navigate billing and insurance coverage for these services. After personally being closed minded and a skeptic of teletherapy for working with children in a private practice setting, I have been pleasantly surprised with how well virtual face-to-face services are going. I dearly miss seeing the kids, families, and my co-workers in person, but I feel oh-so-fortunate for families’ willingness and technology to be able to continue to do what I love doing during this time. I also see the long-term potential for teletherapy to help meet the needs of children with communication disorders who live in the rural areas of Nevada as these children have not had the same access to care as families who live in more populated areas.

We have weathered a huge learning curve in a short amount of time, but we are already proficient in using virtual services to provide the services we are trained to do (licensed SLPs have to hold a master’s degree). Not only has the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) stepped up and provided valuable resources and support, but SLPs everywhere have supported each other through live webinars, resource/idea sharing, and emotional support/encouragement. I have never been prouder to be a speech-language pathologist and certified member of ASHA and NSHA!

We have offered the free screening to celebrate Better Hearing and Speech Month and spread the word about the great profession of speech pathology for the past 12 years…and instead of postponing the 13th Annual BHSM Screening, the screening will go on virtually on May 16th, 2020! Families with children between the ages of 3 and 6 can email shawna@sierraspeech.com or shannon@sierraspeech.com to reserve virtual screening slots (directions and more information will be shared after the screening slots are confirmed). Again, I am thankful for technology and a willingness on the part of the clinicians and the families to be able to make the 13th annual screening a reality! We hope to ‘see’ you on May 16th!

http://www.sierratherapygroup.com/videos (watch to see what a screening looks like)