Brooklyn Letters
1139 Prospect Avenue, Brooklyn
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We would highly recommend Ally! Our son always asks about her, so very thankful to Brooklyn Letters for introducing us.
~ Emily, mom of Brooklyn 2 year old -
I cannot express how grateful and rewarding my experience with Brooklyn Letters has been. Her tutor Ms. Daria is so knowledgeable, amazing, kind and awesome. My daughter has made so much progress in Literacy and Math and it's all … More thanks to Ms. Daria. I know my daughter is sad that she can no longer work with Ms. Daria, as she looked forward to their sessions every week. Thank you again!
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Nicole has been an amazing therapist!! She played a tremendous role in our daughter’s speech progress and overall development. She has come such a long way and we are so happy with the therapy she received!
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We could not be happier with the services Valerie provided! She is very thoughtful and knowledgeable and provided significant guidance to support our daughter's speech development outside of our scheduled sessions. She established … More a great working relationship with her, and she will definitely be missed! Your business model is amazing and it was an absolute pleasure working with Valerie. I've referred your organization and Valerie to the Executive Director of our daughter's school and friends/colleagues who are in need of speech therapy services.
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Christina was absolutely wonderful. She went out of her way to win my son over and it worked. He looked forward to her visits and his speech improved so much under her care. She was super flexible and it’s clear she truly cares. We adore … More Christina and we’re going to miss her. Almost sad he improved so much! She’s simply amazing and we can’t say enough how great she is. I would recommend her services to anyone and everyone, without hesitation. Thank you so much for connecting us with her!
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We cannot say enough good things about Effie, the ASL teacher, who was so engaged and effective with our 2 year old daughter from the very first session! Effie gladly included our whole family in the sessions! Her expertise and fantastic … More personality gave our daughter a way to communicate that she was so desperately seeking. The coordinators at Brooklyn Letters were so helpful and communicative…I would highly recommend their services!
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Samantha Dalmas was fantastic! We saw her for a feeding therapy evaluation and while she doesn’t think my daughter needs more feeding therapy sessions at this time, but she gave me lots of tips to try. If my daughter's doctors want … More to see more progress at her next appointment, I wouldn’t hesitate to reach out to Samantha again.
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Brooklyn Letters was recommended to me through a friend's speech therapist friend in NJ. The articulation evaluation for my daughter went well. We were pleased with Kristin's services.
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Melissa was wonderful. Our daughter warmed to her immediately and by the time she left, had already started "practicing" some of the techniques Melissa had shown her. I will not hesitate at all to reach out to Melissa again, should … More the need arise.
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Aileen was INCREDIBLY helpful to us, both in assessing possible origins of my grandson's food aversions, as well as informing us of various available interventions to consider.
I can’t thank you and Brooklyn Letters enough for connecting … More us with Aileen. In all our feeding therapy journey we have not gotten anything near the kind of benefit that we did from her. Her knowledge, professionalism, and responsiveness have put us on the path of progress with my grandson and has also made us feel genuinely well cared for. -
We were amazed with Allison! She met my son at 2 1/2 years old, not speaking much at all, and over a computer, and she was able to develop a bond and friendship, so much so that he would look forward to his weekly computer time with Allison. … More I was not sure how the speech therapy would go- but we are so happy that we tried it out and continued. It allowed my son to gain confidence in his speech, make a new friend :), and also give him the skills and a bit of understanding of how to shape his mouth or where to place his tongue to make the proper sounds. We were extremely happy with Allison- she was fantastic to work with.
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My sessions with Karen have been extremely helpful. My speech has improved tremendously. In fact, I just finished 2 hours of conducting interviews with a consulting client via MS Teams and I have an upcoming conference call. Both my … More neurologist and neurosurgeon remarked about how good my speech is. Much of the day it is perfect, although I still have some rough spots when I get tired or speak too quickly. One of my granddaughters is a speech pathology student at Ithaca College. She sat in on 2 sessions while she was home for winter break, and she was very impressed with Karen.
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We were delighted with Christie. First, and most importantly, our son made great strides under her guidance. So great, that we felt he no longer needed help! She was incredibly patient and kind with him and our son really responded to … More her. Christie was also great with me and my wife. She provided thorough and informative updates on our son's progress and which exercises she was using with him, so we could reinforce what she was teaching him. All in all, we had a fabulous experience with Christie and would highly recommend her.
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Theo was wonderful and his work with my son has produced some progress. I am grateful for the services Theo provided.
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Highly recommend Jill. She is a total pleasure to work with. After a few months working with Jill, my son is reading above grade level and LOVES to read. Mission accomplished!
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Paige was great and we had been really happy with her. I would highly recommend her! I recommend Brooklyn Letters to whomever asks for a speech therapist.
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Isabel was WONDERFUL and our son absolutely adored her, and he is making great progress with his reading and writing.
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Theo was fantastic with our 4yo son. We were very worried that his progress would fall off when we had to switch to remote sessions, but Theo kept our son happy and engaged through the screen. Highly highly recommend!
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We've been working with Theo from Brooklyn Letters for close to 4 months now and the results are apparent; our daughter has vastly improved her speech in a relatively short amount of time. We make "Theo Day" a celebration … More in our house with pancakes for breakfast, and the enthusiasm is matched in the sessions. Theo is fun, patient, professional, and caring, and he gives us the tools to take the lessons beyond the session. Thank you Theo, and Brooklyn Letters, for helping our daughter express herself.
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I worked with Alina to enhance my pronunciation, tone, and pacing while communicating socially and in a work environment. She was great to work with and clear about goals and learning objectives. The improvement from day 1 has been tremendous! … More
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Cathy has been excellent with us and our son. We will sorely miss her. He has improved significantly with Cathy’s help. Cathy was a true partner with us, especially as we pursued additional help through our son’s school system.
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We really loved working with Alina, she is so fantastic. Patient yet firm, and determined the best course of action very clearly and succintly for us. And it all transitioned so well to Zoom as well. I will definitely be back in touch for … More services for our other child after summer break!
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Vera was amazing! My 11 yo daughter made progress so quickly and really looked forward to her sessions. She was kept motivated and engaged.
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The work that Allison P. did with our daughter over the years has been invaluable to us. Our daughter had such a good relationship with Allison, and it allowed them to work really well together - even remotely these past 6 months. This … More year, Allison went above and beyond by helping us throughout the neuropsych eval we did, trying to re-open our daughter's IEP at her school, and eventually landing her at our chosen school. She was in contact with our daughter's teachers, with the neuropsychologist, and made herself available as a reference to speak on behalf of our daughter's learning differences.
Allison stopped by our house last week to give our daughter cupcakes and say goodbye, and I literally cried with appreciation for what an amazing speech therapist she has been. She has been our daughter's biggest champion. The new families that she will work with this year are lucky to have her. -
Sydney was great! Our son was sad to end his sessions with her, which says a lot. We appreciated her honest assessment of his skill level, and he now has materials to self monitor and practice. Thank you!
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Our experience with Theo was terrific. Theo was great with my son. He developed a positive relationship with him based on sincerity, respect, trust and a deep personal connection. In their lessons, Theo was encouraging, creative and kind. … More He helped our son understand how to differentiate the sounds he made when he spoke, and gave him great exercises to practice every week between lessons. Our son was sorry to have the lessons come to an end, but recognized that Theo had helped him as much as possible and it was time for him to stop. Theo explained to him (and us) how to keep working to get the last 5%, and encouraged him to keep working on the exercises on his own. I have recommended Theo to another parent who noticed my son's improvement and inquired for her own son.
We are all grateful to have gotten to know Theo, and we greatly appreciate all the work he did to help our son. -
"I have nothing but wonderful things to say about Michelle Macroy-Higgins. We are extremely pleased with her work with our daughter. I was so grateful for my daughter to have a speech therapist who is a researcher (specialty in late … More talkers), graduate professor and practitioner. Her expertise was clearly evident in our conversations and work with our daughter. She was very responsive to my questions and often sent articles and other materials about language development that I found helpful. Thankfully, my daughter's speech improved tremendously. Michelle developed such a warm relationship with my daughter. My daughter was always excited to see Michelle and would greet her at the door with a big hug. Lastly, I would add that Michelle always demonstrated empathy with me as a mother who was initially worried about her daughter's language development. I could go on and on about how pleased we were with Michelle's work."
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Theo is a wonderful Clinton Hill speech therapist. We were really pleased with him. Our son showed drastic improvement, not only in his speech but in his confidence.
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Alexa has been an enthusiastic, reliable, well prepared and caring teacher for our 6 year old daughter. She has been able to improve and increase our daughter's confidence lesson by lesson with patience and competence; through varied … More and productive didactic practice. Alexa has engaged our daughter in several activities that always kept her motivated and eager to learn literacy. My wife and I, both of us are educators, feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to observe Alexa's pedagogical skills. Alexa has had a big impact on our daughter literacy growth. Thank you Brooklyn Letters!
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We were absolutely DELIGHTED with Marsha's services. She was wonderful. We found her to be kind, fun, engaging, very knowledgeable. She provided us with clear instructions and additional written handouts each week. She engaged our … More son with different techniques and toys, and showed us how to use her techniques when we were interacting with him. I actually just texted her on Saturday - Our son finally said "more" - one of the target words we had been working on with her. It was a total joy to hear, and I had to share it with her - she wrote back immediately to congratulate us. I am so appreciative of her expertise, and wish we could have seen her for longer. I recommended her to another family in our neighborhood who is looking for a speech therapist.
Understanding the Difference Between Speech Delay and Autism
When it comes to understanding the differences between speech delay and autism, it can be difficult to know where to start. The development of speech and language skills is a milestone in a child’s life. However, when children experience delays or difficulties in speech, concerns often arise. Two commonly discussed conditions related to speech difficulties are speech delay and autism. While they may share some overlapping characteristics, it is important to understand their differences.
Speech Delay vs Autism
Speech delay and autism are two very different conditions that can affect a child’s development. Speech delay occurs when a child develops language skills more slowly than expected. They may have difficulty producing sounds, understanding what is said to them, or using language to interact with others. Autism, on the other hand, is a complicated neurological illness that affects how people perceive and interact with their environment. While speech delay and autism can affect a child’s language development, they are not the same. It is important to be aware of the signs and symptoms of both conditions to provide the best care and support for their children. Speech delays can often be helped with early intervention, but children with autism may require more specialized support.
Distinguishing Speech Delay from Autism
- Social Communication: Speech delay primarily affects language development, while autism involves significant social communication challenges, including difficulties initiating and maintaining social interactions.
- Restricted and Repetitive Behaviors: Children with autism often display repetitive behaviors, limited interests, and engage in specific routines, whereas speech delay does not typically involve such characteristics.
- Non-Verbal Communication: Autism can impact non-verbal communication skills, such as gesturing, eye contact, and understanding body language. Speech delay generally does not affect non-verbal communication skills to the same extent.
- Overall Development: Autism is a complex developmental disorder that affects multiple areas of functioning, whereas speech delay primarily affects speech and language development without significant impact on other developmental domains.
What is Considered a Speech or Language Delay?
Speech delay and autism are often confused or mistaken for one another, but it is important to note that they are two distinct conditions. Speech delay is a delay in the development of a child’s ability to use language to communicate. Speech delays can range from mild to severe and affect a child’s ability to speak, understand, read, and write. Speech delays can be caused by a variety of factors, including hearing loss, neurological disorders, and developmental delays.
Although speech delay is sometimes associated with autism spectrum disorder, it is not a symptom of autism. Speech delays may be caused by a wide range of factors, including hearing loss, neurological disorders, and developmental delays. Early intervention and therapy can improve speech delays and help a child develop language and communication skills, as well as critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Possible Causes of Speech Delay In Children
The early development of speech and language skills in children depends on various factors, including genetics and environmental factors. A variety of different factors, such as hearing problems, neurological disorders, genetic syndromes, and intellectual disabilities, can cause speech delays in children. Other potential causes of speech delays include autism spectrum disorder, language-related learning disabilities, and speech-motor delays.
Speech delays can also be caused by inadequate exposure to language, lack of practice, genetic disposition, or the cause could be unknown.. Children with autism may experience speech delays due to difficulty with communication and language processing and social and emotional development issues. Therefore, it is important for parents to be aware of the potential causes of speech delays so that they can better understand and address their child’s individual needs.
Characteristics of Speech Delay
- Late development of speech sounds: Children with speech delays may have difficulty pronouncing certain sounds or struggle with articulation.
- Limited vocabulary: Their vocabulary may be smaller compared to peers of the same age.
- Simplified language: They may use shorter sentences or simpler grammatical structures.
- Difficulty with speech clarity: Pronunciation errors or unintelligible speech may be present.
- Comprehension skills: Children may not understand spoken language as well as peers.
- Social and play skills: Children with speech delays have less pronounced social difficulties than children with autism. Children with autism with demonstrate a repetitive or restrictive behaviors.
Signs of Speech Delay In Autistic Children
Children with autism may have difficulty producing sounds or communicating with words. They may not respond to their name or other verbal attempts to gain attention. Autistic children may not follow instructions, even when they understand what is being said. They may be slow to begin speaking or may only repeat words they hear. Children with autism may have difficulty with conversational skills, such as maintaining a back-and-forth dialogue or understanding nonverbal cues. Children with autism may be unable to label objects or express their needs. Children with autism and significant language delays may demonstrate delays using gestures before learning words.
Characteristics of Autism:
- Impairments in social interaction: Children with autism may struggle with social cues, initiating and maintaining conversations, and understanding nonverbal communication.
- Speech and language difficulties: Some children with autism may exhibit speech and language development delays, including echolalia (repeating words or phrases) or difficulty with expressive language.
- Restricted and repetitive behaviors: Autistic children often display repetitive behaviors, intense interest in specific topics, and a preference for routine.
- Sensory sensitivities: Many children with autism may have heightened sensitivities or aversions to certain sensory stimuli, such as loud noises or certain textures.
- Difficulty with social imagination: Children with autism may have challenges with imaginative play, understanding different perspectives, or predicting others’ thoughts and emotions.
Explore and understand the three levels of autism in depth (‘requiring support,’ ‘requiring substantial support,’ and ‘requiring very substantial support’). Learn the 2 useful reading comprehension interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder.
Seeking Professional Guidance
If you are concerned about your child’s speech and language development, it is crucial to consult with professionals such as speech-language pathologists or developmental pediatricians. They can conduct evaluations, assess your child’s specific strengths and challenges, and provide an accurate diagnosis or appropriate intervention strategies tailored to your child’s needs.
Conclusion
Recognizing the difference between speech delay and autism is crucial for early identification, intervention, and support for children. While speech delay primarily affects speech and language development, autism is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder encompassing broader social interaction, behavior, and communication challenges.
Seeking professional guidance and assessment is vital to ensure appropriate interventions and tailored support for each child’s unique needs. Remember, every child is unique, and early intervention can make a significant difference in promoting their optimal development and well-being.
Chat with Us Today!
Brooklyn Letters offers therapy for children and adolescents on the autism spectrum!
FREE CONSULTATION!!!
Call: (347) 394-3485, Text: (917) 426-8880
Email: [email protected]
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Craig Selinger
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