Testimonials
Our family loves Laurel! She sincerely cares about each child she sees and gives personalized care. Laurel quickly recognized my son’s challenges and made the therapy fun and enjoyable. With Laurel’s guidance, my son’s speech (and self-esteem) blossomed! It’s very hard to find a speech therapist that knows how to treat apraxia. Laurel has been such a blessing in our lives.
— Melissa M.
Laurel is more than an experienced, compassionate, and empathetic speech therapist. As a fellow therapist, I have witnessed her highly trained and science-based methods combined with her play-based fun for kids. This structured speech training and authentic play truly speak for themselves as you watch your child make progress while smiling! Nothing compares to that, and no speech therapist compares to Laurel!
Sincerely, professionally, & as a mother of three,
— Celeste Roberts, MS OTR/L
Occupational Therapist
The best day of my life was March 14, 2019. This was the day my son, Knox, said his name for the first time at the age of four. I thank Laurel Thomas for this achievement.
I learned Knox was Autistic when he was two and half years old. I immediately put him in Occupational and Speech Therapy three days a week. Laurel worked with Knox for the next two years. As a result, he continues to make progress in his speech development. Today, Knox is seven years old and a first-grader at a CPS Elementary School. Knox is more confident, loves school, and has friends. Much is owed to Laurel for his progression and achievements.
Last year, Laurel worked with my two-year-old daughter, Knightley. She helped Knightley improve her speech development and interaction with people. Two other speech therapists tried to get Knightley to open up; however, Laurel succeeded in getting Knightley to speak to her during their first session. I was and I am still impressed.
Laurel’s approach to speech pathology makes her the outlier in her work. I saw first-hand what she was able to do for my children. Laurel put a footprint in my life as well as my children’s lives. She is professionally competent, patient, and has a genuine love for young people. I will always have very fond memories of what Laurel has done for my family. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
— Trelan J.
Laurel conducted a speech evaluation for our 8-year-old son and then began weekly sessions with him working on a variety of sounds that he was struggling with. She incorporates engaging activities into each session and provides practical tools so that we can also reinforce the learnings between sessions. She has a wonderful presence and we are happy to welcome her into our home each week. We have quickly begun hearing improvements with our son’s speech and would recommend Laurel to anyone we know!
— Heather P.
My daughter, Zoey started seeing Laurel when she was around 2 years old. She had a pretty severe speech delay and would only communicate with grunts and some basic sign language. Zoey was very wary of new people, but after only a few sessions with Laurel she completely warmed up to her. Zoey was excited to go to speech to see Laurel every week! She even asks about her now nearly 3 years later. Laurel’s patience with Zoey, especially during her stubborn moods, is my favorite thing about their interactions. The relationship they built together is, even still, so special. I was included in every step of Zoey’s speech process. Laurel gave me pointers, different ways to practice speech at home, and often checked in on how she could support us. Zoey’s speech flourished under Laurel and her frustrations and behavioral problem from not being able to communicate quickly disappeared. To me, it doesn't seem like just a job for her, she is emotionally invested in your child and their progress. I would 100% recommend Laurel for a speech therapist time and time again. I can not even begin to explain how absolutely grateful I am for her and her help with Zoey’s speech.