About me
Sara Shoff M.S., CCC-SLP is a certified speech-language pathologist specializing in assessment and treatment within the pediatric population. She has 18 years of experience in the treatment of children and adolescents ages 6 months - 18 years diagnosed with a variety of speech-language disorders including: childhood apraxia of speech, articulation delay, language delay, language disorder, oral motor disorder/dysfunction, feeding difficulties, and phonological disorder.
With Sara's engaging personality and breadth of knowledge and experience in the field, she is able to draw the children she is serving into a dynamic interaction that maximizes their strengths and expands their ability to strive for their communication potential.
Sara has comprehensive knowledge, training, and experience in the treatment of Childhood Apraxia of Speech and severe phonological speech disorders. She also has an extensive background in early intervention therapy, family/parent training, school staff training, and assistive technology/augmentative-alternative communication.
Additionally, she has extensive experience in treating complex language impairments associated with autism spectrum disorder and has successfully developed and implemented functional communication systems for children with significantly impaired speech production/language output.
Along with this experience, Sara is trained in PROMPT (Prompts for Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic Targets), VB methodology (Verbal Behavior), LAMP (Language Acquisition through Motor Planning), OPT (Oral Placement Therapy), Floortime/DIR (Developmental, Individual differences, Relationship-based), and PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System).
Sara earned a Bachelor of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Penn State University in 2002 and a Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology from Towson University in 2004. Sara lives in Baltimore County and has two school-aged children. In her spare time, she enjoys coaching Rec Soccer, vacationing at the beach, and spending time with friends and family.
See how Sara works with a student to demonstrate the functional use of Assistive Technology within a school setting in this Real Look Autism Video where she is featured as the Speech-Language Pathologist:
http://www.reallookautism.com/2012/01/communication-device/
Contact Sara Shoff, SLP: sbshoff@gmail.com
What Is a Pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP)?
This is one of my favorite questions to answer. A pediatric SLP is a very useful and valuable resource for parents seeking insight, knowledge, and guidance regarding their child’s skills in various aspects of speech, language, and feeding development.
Pediatric Speech-Language Pathologists can provide assessment, treatment, and recommendations, when necessary, in the following areas:
- Articulation- How well the child is able to produce speech sounds in words and sentences/ how well the child’s verbal messages are understood by his or her communication partner.
- Receptive Language- How well the child is able to understand the language that is occurring around him or her.
- Expressive Language- How well the child is able to use language to communicate his or her messages (via verbal speech, gestures/sign language, a voice output device, etc).
- Pragmatic/Social Language- How well the child is able to follow the ‘rules’ of social interaction such as turn taking, sharing eye contact staying on topic, asking questions, etc.
- Stuttering/Fluency- How well the child is able to fluently speak within sentences and conversations.
- Voice/Pitch- How well the child is able to execute and maintain an appropriate speaking volume, a clear voice, and an appropriate pitch and nasality.
- Feeding- How well the child is able to safely eat and drink a variety of foods, flavors, and textures. "Picky eating” can be addressed by an SLP trained in this area.
- Oral-motor skills- How well the child’s oral-facial musculature, coordination, and movement patterns support his or her speech production clarity as well as safe and adequate eating and drinking skills.
An SLP must earn a Master’s Degree in Speech-Language Pathology, complete a Clinical Fellowship Year, and obtain a license within the state they practice. To maintain state certification and national accreditation (through the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association), SLP’s must attend ongoing classes and trainings in any or all of the above areas.
parent TESTIMONIALS
“My 7 year old son has autism and started speaking at age 5. We started private speech therapy with Sara this year to create a long-term relationship for speech. Sara has been amazing. She is extremely collaborative with me as a parent in understanding my goals in the short and long term. She has established an excellent rapport with my son and pushed him to reach his potential in every session. She is responsive to his learning style and interest. I am looking forward to a long partnership with Sara. "
" Sara helped our son with an expressive language delay. She went above and beyond to find creative ways to motivate him at every visit. In the private setting, our family learned weekly tools to carry over for home use. Her engaging approach helped him reach his full potential. Our son is now thriving in preschool! "
" Ms. Sara has been an invaluable source of hope for our daughter. Before she saw Ms. Sara, most people could not understand what she was saying. But within a few short months she became clearer and clearer. Our friends and family all commented on what a difference Ms. Sara’s help had been. Ms. Sara is not only an amazing speech teacher but also a truly wonderful person. She is always happy and willing to try something different if our daughter is not responding. With her help we have a better outlook on my daughter’s life. "
" In the short time my son has worked with Sara Shoff, his speech has blossomed. Sara devotes herself to connecting and engaging with my young child, while skillfully observing and correcting the mechanics of his speech. The result has been a more articulate, intelligible and confident preschooler. We trust and admire her, and would recommend her to any family struggling to unlock their child’s ability to communicate. "
" Our 3 year old son has been working with Sara for several months to correct an articulation issue he has with his speech. I cannot say enough about how amazing Sara has been with our son. Sara is incredibly caring and connects with children in a very authentic way. She is extremely professional and always provides us with tools and exercises to work on at home to continue our son's progress. Sara is a gem, someone who seems truly meant to be in her profession. I cannot say enough wonderful things about Sara and highly recommend her! "