How We Help You

 

We provide comprehensive speech & language therapy services to children

for the evaluation and therapy of communication disorders. We understand that children require individual attention, therefore, we deliver therapeutic services in an individual one-to-one setting. Convenient schedules are available after school or according to your schedule at your home or online, via Skype, Zoom, or other online platforms. 



Some of our areas of expertise are: 



        

• Hearing Loss-Deafness: Hearing loss ranges from mild to profound. A child with mild hearing loss may be unable to hear certain spoken sounds. Many times these sounds are high-frequency sounds, such as "t", "s", "th", "sh" etc. Missing these sounds can lead to trouble following directions, acquiring new vocabulary words, and learning grammatical structures. A child with severe or profound hearing loss will have an even harder time understanding language and will require the use of a hearing aid or a cochlear implant to assist in language acquisition and correct use of speech. 

• Central Auditory Processing Disorder: Central auditory processing disorder (CAPD) is a complicated issue that affects about 5% of school-aged children. The term Auditory processing refers to the ability the brain has in recognizing and interpreting speech as well as non-speech sounds. Auditory processing disorders arise when the brain is unable to understand information. The following difficulties may be observed in children with CAPD:  academic performance, attention, spelling, behavior, listening,  following simple and complex directions, processing information, sentence structure (syntax), reading, writing, and vocabulary acquisition. 

• Articulation Disorders: The inability to correctly produce sounds of speech due to imprecise timing, placement, speed, pressure, or flow of movement of the lips, tongue, or throat. 

• Receptive Language Delays: Children who demonstrate a receptive language delay have difficulty understanding language. Delayed skills might include following directions (simple and complex),  understanding and correct use of grammatical rules, following the details of a story, and maintaining attention.

• Expressive Language Delays: Children who have an expressive language disorder may be able to understand spoken communication, but will have difficulty expressing their thoughts and ideas. They may demonstrate difficulty making a connection between words and ideas. Expressive language disorder symptoms include reduced sentence length, poor story recall, improper sentence structure, poor word choice, problems with word retrieval, and below-average use of the rules of grammar.

• Oral Motor: Children with oral motor deficiencies have difficulties with blowing, chewing, and sucking which cause o decreased muscle tone and lessened mouth movements. Symptoms of oral motor disorder in children are frequent drooling, a flaccid facial appearance, breathing with an open mouth, slurred speech, and difficulty swallowing or using a straw.

• Neurological Disorders (Cerebral Palsy): Cerebral palsy is a term used to describe a disorder that mainly affects the body's motor functions. The causes may be prenatal, perinatal, or postnatal and some of the symptoms may be an intellectual disability, learning difficulties, and speech and language disorders.

• Learning Disabilities: Learning disabilities such as Dyslexia, are mainly the difficulties a child faces in the interpretation of the written and spoken word, spelling, planning and organization, memory, and mathematical calculations. 

• Stuttering:  Stuttering is defined by the discontinuance of normal speech flow. A person who stutters often halts when speaking and may repeat words ("My, my, my, cat Coco"). He or she may also prolong the use of speech sounds (M-m-m-m-my toy is on the table) and use fillers ("Um"). Secondary physical characteristics such as laryngeal tension, eye blinking, and foot-stomping may be observed in severe cases.



 

Please visit our contact page for more details. 









Professional Profile



As a Speech & Language Therapist with extensive experience working in a variety

of settings, Maria Kehagias is dedicated, energetic, and resourceful, with a genuine

love for children, and is especially sensitive to the specific educational needs of special

education students. Performing screenings and assessments for students of all ages

and working with other professionals as part of a disciplinary team, she specializes in

conducting therapy both individually and in groups, employing a variety of techniques

(including both play and role therapy) to achieve desired results.  She is a highly

motivated therapist and strives to create the ideal curriculum and learning environment

by combining imagination and structured goals and objectives to instill self-esteem

and an interest in knowledge.


Licenses & Certifications

 

 



 

• Licensed by the State Education Department of New York as a Teacher of the Speech and Hearing Handicapped 

• Licensed by the State Education Department of New York as a Teacher of the Deaf 

• Master of Science, Special Education - Deaf Studies - Adelphi University, New York 

• Bachelor of Arts, Speech & Language Pathology - City University of New York, New York 

• Certified by the Council on Education of the Deaf (C.E.D.) as a Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of  Hearing 

• Certified in SKI*HI (Sensory Impaired Home Intervention) 

• Jose P. ESL Training Certification - District 75/Department of Education 

• Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Certified


 

Experience

 

 

 

• Private Practice - Speech & Language Therapist, Athens, Greece (2007 - Present)

• Teacher of English as a Second Language - Athens, Greece (2007 - Present)

• N.Y.C. Department of Education - Hearing Education Services Teacher

• Community Education Services, Manhattan, N.Y. - Speech Therapist for preschool-age children

• Saint Mary’s Hospital for Children, N.Y. - Speech &  Language Department 



 



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