Both children with and without delays are encouraged and welcome to apply for our summer program.

Children with delays

Children with mild to severely delayed expressive and/or receptive language, oral motor and/or articulation skills that benefit from speech-language therapy may be appropriate. In addition, children with the following diagnosis may be appropriate: apraxia, specific language impairment/ delay, hearing loss, learning disabilities, disfluencies (stuttering), attention deficit disorder, sensory integration disorder and high-functioning autism spectrum disorders and/or mental delays.

Children in elementary school should be participating in the typical curriculum and spend much of their day in a typical classroom. Many children attending have IEPs or 504 plans.

This program is not designed for children with significant (moderate to severe) cognitive or behavioral delays.

We are unable to provide one-on-one assistance, as this is a group-based program. Children must be able to participate in a classroom setting with little extra assistance.

Children do not have to be fully potty trained to attend!

If you have specific questions about your child’s needs, please check with your current SLP or contact The Speech Garden.

Children who are not appropriate

Not all children are appropriate for this group setting. Children with significant delays (moderate to severe) in the following areas are most likely not appropriate: cognitive/mental, behavioral, emotional, and/or medical delays. Children who require one-on-one assistance in order to participate in group activities are better suited to receive services in an individual setting, rather than classroom based services.

New Family Screenings

In an effort to make sure that all children who attend will benefit from this experience, new families are required to attend a brief screening interview session. After you have applied online and submitted the required paperwork (see ‘Applications’ page), you will receive instructions on how to schedule a screening. A speech-language pathologist will interview you, review your paperwork, and meet with your child in order to determine if our camp is an appropriate setting for your child’s abilities and needs. You will have the opportunity to ask individualized questions. Refunds will be issued in the event that your child is deemed not appropriate for the camp by The Speech Garden (minus registration fee of $150).