Speech Therapy Consultants

Marina Gulak
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  • Parenting

The Speech Therapy Consultants Podcast explores speech, language, communication, and child development from a parent-friendly, practical, and professional perspective. Hosted by Marina Gulak, Founder and Director of Speech Therapy Consultants, the podcast features conversations with speech-language pathologists, professionals, and special guests who share their knowledge and experience to help families better understand communication development and the speech therapy journey.

Episodes

  1. 5d ago

    Starting Speech Therapy: What Happens During a Speech Therapy Session?

    What does a speech therapy session actually look like? 💬 If your child has never had speech therapy before, you may be wondering what happens during a typical session. In this episode of Starting Speech Therapy: A Guide for Parents, Marina Gulak, M.S., CCC-SLP, and Sohany Figueroa walk through three sample speech therapy sessions featuring children with very different communication needs. Meet: 👶 Milo, an 18-month-old with a language delay, working on imitation and early communication skills. 🗣️ Lily, a 7-year-old working on her /L/ sound and speech sound production. 📱 Ben, a 5-year-old learning to use AAC to communicate during play and everyday activities. You'll learn how speech-language pathologists use play, movement, motivating activities, AAC, and carefully selected therapy strategies to target specific communication goals. Most importantly, we talk about why speech therapy should not look the same for every child. Effective therapy is individualized around a child's strengths, interests, communication needs, and goals. Whether your child is just beginning speech therapy or you've been navigating services for years, this episode will give you a better understanding of what happens behind the scenes—and why individualized therapy matters. 🎧 Listen now and learn what meaningful, purposeful speech therapy can look like. Starting Speech Therapy: A Guide for Parents by Speech Therapy Consultants 📞 732-763-5593 🌐 Speech Therapy Consultants #SpeechTherapy #PediatricSpeechTherapy #SpeechLanguagePathologist #AAC #LanguageDevelopment #Articulation #ParentResources Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: MQKBHOPLXACR13MX

  2. Sep 7

    Starting Speech Therapy: What Comes Before Words? The Skills That Build Language

    Before your child says their first words, they are already learning how to communicate. In this episode of Starting Speech Therapy: A Guide for Parents, Marina Gulak, M.S., CCC-SLP, and Sohany Figueroa from Speech Therapy Consultants talk about precursory (prelinguistic) language skills—the foundational skills that support communication and language development. We often focus on questions like, “How many words does my child have?” or “When will they start talking?” But there is so much communication happening before words. In this episode, we discuss important early communication skills, including: • Gaze and social connection • Joint attention • Turn-taking • Pointing, reaching, showing, and requesting • Object search and understanding object permanence • Learning how objects work and using them appropriately • Imitating actions and sounds • Babbling and early vocal development We also share simple ways parents and caregivers can support these skills at home through everyday play and routines—without expensive toys or complicated activities. Most importantly, we talk about why it's helpful to look beyond a child's word count and consider the whole communication picture. Gestures, sounds, imitation, shared attention, play, and social interaction are all important pieces of early communication. If you have concerns about your child's communication or language development, a speech-language pathologist can help identify your child's strengths and determine which foundational skills may benefit from additional support. Remember: Every gesture, sound, imitation, shared moment, and turn can be a step toward communication. Speech Therapy Consultants Edison, New Jersey Highland Park, New Jersey Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: ZECNBTZZZ0RVQMVS

  3. Aug 23

    Starting Speech Therapy: A Parent's Perspective

    When your child is diagnosed with autism, you suddenly enter a world of evaluations, therapies, IEPs, insurance, and endless decisions. But what happens when someone who has spent years working with individuals with autism suddenly finds herself navigating that same world as a parent? In this episode of Speech Therapy Consultants’ Starting Speech Therapy: A Guide for Parents, Marina sits down with Jessica—a longtime autism professional who spent more than a decade supporting children and young adults with autism and is now navigating the autism journey as a mother herself. This conversation goes far beyond therapy. • What does it really mean to see the child—not just the diagnosis? • Why “If you've met one child with autism, you've met one child with autism” matters • Why connection is crucial • What parents should know about navigating IEPs and the school system • How autism can sometimes look very different from what we expect • The difference between having language and using language to communicate • Why a diagnosis may not be the end of the evaluation process • Why acting early can matter—even when you're not sure your child qualifies • What changes when an autism professional becomes an autism parent • The anxiety, uncertainty, and pressure parents carry behind the scenes • And the question so many parents quietly ask themselves: “Am I doing enough?” Whether you're just beginning to wonder about your child's development, navigating a new diagnosis, starting therapy, or already deep into the special education system, this episode offers an honest, practical, and deeply personal look at the autism journey—and the experiences families navigate that professionals may not always see. 🎧 Listen to the full episode and share it with a parent, teacher, therapist, or professional who needs to hear this conversation. Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: QXG3YKVTIDW0EVQT

  4. Aug 17

    Starting Speech Therapy: The Evaluation

    What Happens During a Speech Therapy Evaluation? | Starting Speech Therapy: A Guide for Parents Wondering what actually happens during a speech therapy evaluation? 💬 You’re not alone! In this episode of Speech Therapy Consultants’ “Starting Speech Therapy: A Guide for Parents” series, Marina Gulak, Founder and Director of Speech Therapy Consultants, and Sohany Figueroa, Client Concierge, walk parents through what to expect before, during, and after a speech and language evaluation. We discuss: ✨ What happens during a speech therapy evaluation 🧸 Play-based evaluations for younger children 📋 How standardized assessments are used 👶 What the REEL-3 looks at for children birth–36 months 🗣️ How speech sound and articulation skills are assessed 💬 How vocabulary, grammar, comprehension, and sentence structure are evaluated 🗨️ What a fluency/stuttering evaluation may look like ❤️ What happens if your child is shy, distracted, or doesn’t cooperate 📑 What parents can expect in the evaluation report 🎯 How individualized therapy goals and a Plan of Care are developed 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Why parent input is an important part of the evaluation and therapy process Most importantly, we discuss why a speech therapy evaluation is more than a test. An evaluation is an opportunity to understand your child’s unique communication profile, recognize their strengths, identify areas where they may benefit from support, and create an individualized roadmap for helping them become a confident communicator. You don’t need to prepare your child. You don’t need to have all the answers. And you don’t need to know exactly what type of support your child needs before reaching out. We’re here to help you understand the process and determine the next best step for your child. 💜 🌐 www.speechtherapyconsultants.com 📞 732-763-5593 Have questions about whether your child could benefit from a speech therapy evaluation? Contact us—we’re happy to help you get started. 👉 Follow the series for more parent-friendly information about speech and language development, pediatric speech therapy, evaluations, and supporting your child’s communication skills. Educational Purposes Only: This episode and its content are provided for general educational and informational purposes only. The information presented is intended to help parents and caregivers better understand speech, language, communication, and related topics, as well as provide general information about services, procedures, and experiences at our practice. It is not intended to provide individualized medical, clinical, therapeutic, diagnostic, or treatment advice. The content of this episode is not a guarantee, promise, or representation of what will occur during any particular client’s evaluation, treatment session, appointment, or course of care. Each client is unique, and the evaluation process, treatment recommendations, services provided, therapeutic approach, session activities, duration of treatment, and outcomes may vary based on the individual client’s needs, circumstances, clinical presentation, goals, and professional judgment. Actual services and experiences may differ from those described in this episode. Music licensed through Soundstripe: JCKQCGLE4YAMMMZC QDXNCWJVHVH4DLCM B6WNT7RA8FZEHJH7

  5. Aug 11

    Starting Speech Therapy: A Guide for Parents Video Series

    Wondering if your child may benefit from speech therapy? Not sure where to start or what the process looks like? You’re not alone! ❤️ In this first episode of Speech Therapy Consultants’ “Starting Speech Therapy: A Guide for Parents” series, Marina Gulak and Sohany Figueroa walk parents through the first steps of seeking speech therapy and answer some of the most common questions families have. In this episode, we discuss signs your child may benefit from a speech and language evaluation, speech and language concerns, early communication and pre-linguistic skills, what speech therapy can look like from infancy through young adulthood, and what families can expect when they first contact our practice. We also explain the intake process, insurance benefits verification, and what happens once your paperwork is completed. Our goal is to help families feel informed, supported, and confident as they navigate their child’s communication journey. Coming up next: We’ll take you inside the initial speech and language evaluation and explain what parents can expect before, during, and after the evaluation. Educational Purposes Only. This video and its content are provided for general educational and informational purposes only. The information presented is intended to help parents and caregivers better understand speech, language, communication, and related topics, as well as provide general information about services, procedures, and experiences at our practice. It is not intended to provide individualized medical, clinical, therapeutic, diagnostic, or treatment advice. The content of this video is not a guarantee, promise, or representation of what will occur during any particular client's evaluation, treatment session, appointment, or course of care. Each client is unique, and the evaluation process, treatment recommendations, services provided, therapeutic approach, session activities, duration of treatment, and outcomes may vary based on the individual client's needs, circumstances, clinical presentation, goals, and professional judgment. Actual services and experiences may differ from those shown or described in this video.

  • 5 Episodes

About

The Speech Therapy Consultants Podcast explores speech, language, communication, and child development from a parent-friendly, practical, and professional perspective. Hosted by Marina Gulak, Founder and Director of Speech Therapy Consultants, the podcast features conversations with speech-language pathologists, professionals, and special guests who share their knowledge and experience to help families better understand communication development and the speech therapy journey.

Information

  • Creator
    Marina Gulak
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    5
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Marina Gulak