Services

Speech teletherapy services for students in Wisconsin, Arizona, and Florida. 

Families within 30 miles of my address have the option of in-home therapy.

Therapy is available in the areas of:

• Speech Sound Disorders: Producing specific sounds incorrectly or producing sound patterns incorrectly. Such as saying “tat” for cat or “poon” for spoon. Intelligibility can be minimally to significantly affected.

• Receptive Language Delays/Disorders: Does your child understand spoken language? This includes following directions, answering questions and correctly identifying common objects.

• Expressive Language Delays/Disorders: Can your child communicate effectively with others? This includes the amount of spoken words, types of grammatical forms used, sentence structure, and proper sequencing of information.

• Fluency (Stuttering): Stuttering is a speech disorder characterized by repetition of sounds, syllables, or words; prolongation of sounds; and interruptions in speech known as blocks. An individual who stutters exactly knows what he or she would like to say but has trouble producing a normal flow of speech. Stuttering Therapy Resources

• Autism: I am a neurodiversity affirming therapist! My practices are client-centered and client-led. I believe that individuals have differences in their abilities and how they interact with the world around them—differences that are not deficits that need to be “fixed.” I strive to be trauma informed, and I am continually learning how to be a therapist that does not develop goals in an effort to ‘normalize’ neurodivergent people at the expense of their emotional and psychological well-being. I believe in connection over compliance. Recommended read: Uniquely Human by Barry Prizant

• Executive Functioning: Executive Functioning (EF) Skills have been called the "CEO of the brain." They allow us to set goals, plan, and get things done! Specific EF skills are: planning, organization, time management, task initiation, working memory, metacognition (knowing what you need to learn), self-control, sustained attention, flexibility, and perseverance. There is a lot of crossover between EF skills and what employers call 'soft skills'. People are not born with these skills, but they are born with the potential to develop them.

• Orafacial Myofunctional Disorders (OMD): OMD’s are disorders of the muscles and functions of the face and mouth. A person with abnormal oral muscle patterns may suffer a lisp or have difficulty in articulating sounds. If muscles in the tongue and lips are incorrectly postured, this can prevent a person from forming sounds of normal speech. Improper oral muscle function may additionally lead to TMJ dysfunction, headaches, stomach distress (from swallowing air), airway obstruction, and other health challenges. I have obtained my certification in OMT through Simon Says

• Accent Modification: We live in a country known and celebrated for its cultural diversity, reflected in the way we speak. In fact, we each have our own, unique accent. Our accents are part of our individual identity, and can play a role in how others perceive us. Sometimes, individuals might want to modify their accent for various reasons. Some people feel that their accent makes it difficult to communicate effectively in social, academic, or work settings. Others may ask them to repeat themselves often and might have trouble understanding a person’s speech due to their accent. I received my accent modification training through the Institute of Language and Phonology.

What is Teletherapy?

Teletherapy, also referred to as telepractice, is a growing service delivery model that allows SLP’s to provide services to their students via the computer.  With a secure internet connection, your child can receive speech and language therapy sessions from wherever they are (with an internet connection.)  There is no need to commute to your speech therapy sessions, just log in to your computer at your scheduled time and be connected directly with a highly qualified, licensed, trained, ASHA certified speech-language pathologist.

How does teletherapy work?

You are in your home and I am in mine, and using a computer, we connect using a secure, HIPPA-compliant platform that allows us to see one another in real time.  The platform has a whiteboard and the ability to share screens for interacting with speech games and websites.  Your child's specific goals are targeted as if we were at a table or in a classroom together.  The child's caregiver is nearby, learning along with the child and assisting with any technical support that the child might need.  

What equipment do I need?

Teletherapy can happen anywhere you and your child are with a consistent wifi connection. You will need a desktop/laptop that has a functioning webcam and working microphone. Portable webcams and headphones are available for minimal cost. A bandwith of 6-10 is highly recommended.

Is Teletherapy as Effective as In-Person Services?
In a word, YES!  

Teletherapy has been used to evaluate and treat people of all ages for over 20 years.  According to the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA), research suggests that there are few differences between teletherapy and in-person services.  Several studies have been conducted recently, and they support teletherapy as an accepted means of speech therapy service delivery.

In my personal experience, I have seen consistent progress in my students.  The technology is very motivating and it keeps students engaged and eager to participate.  I enjoy being a part of the culture of each child’s home, because it helps build understanding of the child and family’s specific communication needs. 

What does the research say about teletherapy?

This is a relatively new service delivery model in the speech/language field, yet it is being researched a great deal and resulting in very promising findings.  It was been stated that students receiving teletherapy have even "outperformed control groups and national benchmarks" according to Towey, 2013, and Gorgan-Johnson, 2011, in the areas of expressive and receptive language, social pragmatics, as well as articulation skills.  The research is building quickly and the evidence points directly at teletherapy being an excellent avenue for therapy providers-both efficient and effective.

A 2011 study by Kent State University researchers compared students receiving traditional in-person therapy and those receiving telepractice in public school settings. They found that the outcomes for the telepractice group were equal or better than the in-person group, stating that:

"Students in both service models made significant improvements...with students in the telepractice group demonstrating a greater mastery of their Individual Education Plan (IEP) goals."

Source: International Journal of Telerehabilitation, Spring, 2011.

About Me

My name is Valeri Scheps, and I have loved being a Speech/Language Pathologist for over 30 years! My passions are in the areas of sound production (articulation/phonology), receptive and expressive language delays/disorders, literacy, fluency (stuttering), and autism. As a generalist, I have had the privilege to work with a wide variety of school-ages and communication disorders as well as the opportunity to service the 0-3 population, to supervise and collaborate with SLP-Assistants, and to help out in a local private practice. I have a BS and MS in Communication Disorders as well as my Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Hearing Association. My licenses are current in the states of Wisconsin, Arizona, and Florida.

Currently, I am serving a terrific local Wisconsin school district, but my hope is to provide speech therapy for those who families who desire to continue after hours or during the summer.

As a mother of and someone who has benefited from speech therapy, I know firsthand what it means to 'walk together down the speech therapy path.' Achieving the common ground of understanding and building relationships that foster lifelong learning is my goal. Shared education and experiences can only lead to better and more lasting outcomes.

My family, friends, and faith are everything. I live in NW WI with my dairy farmer husband, three children (two in college and one at home), dog Ruby, cats Ruthie, Janet, and Harley, and a lot of cows. You can find me singing with my friends in a little group called Mood Swing, reading, and traveling.

Investment

Common Ground Speech Therapy, LLC is a private-pay only service.

There are several benefits to the private-pay model; specifically, prior authorization is not required and speech therapy can get started right away. Costs are kept down because of time not spent on insurance claims and with teletherapy, there is virtually no overhead. Your therapy program is customized to meet your child and family’s specific needs. A superbill can be provided for HSA reimbursement, if needed.

Please call or email to receive a quote.