Services

The services offered at Happy Kids Therapy are based on a modality called Oral Sensory Motor Therapy. Oral Sensory Motor Therapy is a muscle-based method that targets muscle activation, balancing and strengthening - for the purposes of developing clear speech and proper feeding skills. Think of it as physical therapy for your child’s mouth. It’s especially helpful for children with Down syndrome because they have low muscle tone, low strength, and variations in oral sensation. This modality can also be beneficial for other children who present with the same needs.

One-on-One (In-Person) Therapy

Personalized evaluations and therapy sessions held at my office in Paso Robles, CA or quarterly at the Down Syndrome Connection of the Bay Area in Danville, CA.

To begin the process of scheduling one-on-one (in-person) therapy for your child, click here!

One-on-One (Virtual) Therapy

Remote therapy (in California) or video-review consultations (outside California) via video calls. These sessions are just as effective as in person, yet from the comfort of your own home.

To begin the process of scheduling one-on-one virtual therapy for your child, click here!

Intensives

With a beautiful, large office space and a cozy on-site tiny house for families to stay in, I am now offering one-of-a-kind intensive therapeutic programs. Each intensive is flexible and tailored to your family’s needs, ranging anywhere from 3 days to multiple weeks. You will leave empowered with a fine-tuned, take-home therapy plan, intensive parent training and a renewed sense of confidence when working with your child.

To discuss scheduling an intensive for you and your child click here!

Speech Class

A 6-week parent class equipping and empowering parents to improve their child’s speech clarity through the development of an individualized oral sensory-motor home program. Each participant receives weekly personalized video feedback. This class is for children 18 mo +.

To learn more click here!

Team Iron Will partners with Happy Kids Therapy to offer scholarships for our speech classes. If you're in need of financial support you can apply here: Team Iron Will Scholarship Application

Feeding Class

A 4-week parent class designed specifically for children with Down syndrome. In this course you’ll help your child improve their chewing, drinking, and oral-sensory awareness. This class includes personalized video feedback. This is a wonderful starter class for children ages 4 mo +.

To learn more click here!

Team Iron Will partners with Happy Kids Therapy to offer scholarships for our feeding classes. If you're in need of financial support you can apply here: Team Iron Will Scholarship Application

Therapist Mentoring

Collaborative consultations and support for all professionals.

To learn more click here!

Speaking Engagements/Webinars

Heather is available for in-person speaking engagements (educational, advocacy, motivational, keynote) and online presentations/classes for both parents and professionals.

To request more information, click here!

Why do children with Down syndrome need a deeper level of speech and feeding support?

Children with Down syndrome are often born with low muscle tone and strength, along with sensory differences. The combination of these issues lead to children lacking awareness inside their mouths. When a person can’t feel, it makes it hard to connect and control muscles. Early oral sensory-motor therapy helps your child learn to feel, connect and control oral movements related to spoon feeding, chewing, and eventually, speech development. Initiating therapy before age 1 often leads to more normalized oral functioning throughout toddler and early school years. That said, children who begin therapy at later ages still experience excellent progress. I encourage you to check out some of the before/after videos and visit my Testimonials page to read about real results from families I've worked with.

What is oral sensory-motor therapy and why is it important?

Happy Kids Therapy specializes in oral sensory-motor therapy, meaning I will help your child connect to their oral muscles through activation, muscle balancing and strengthening work to support speech clarity and feeding development. You can think of me as a physical therapist for your child’s mouth. I am a certified TalkTools (www.talktools.com) instructor and integrate several evidence-based methods into my sessions, including: Oral Placement Therapy (OPT), myofunctional strategies, facial cuing, sign language, as well as other therapies specific to children with Down syndrome.

What does an evaluation include?

Each child is evaluated for both speech clarity and feeding development skills as well as oral rest posture and breathing. Evaluations are 2 hours. Speech clarity evaluations include: muscle function for speech sound production, sound inventory, overall intelligibility, motor planning, syllable shapes, oral/facial strength, tone and mobility, abdominal grading necessary for airflow production and oral rest posture/breathing. Feeding evaluations include: spoon-feeding, straw/cup drinking, tongue and lip mobility, oral phase bolus control and proper chewing skills.

How often should therapy occur?

Therapy frequency is customized to each family’s needs. Common options include: weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly services (50 min each). A home program is provided for each child to integrate into their daily routine.

When should therapy begin?

Therapy can begin as early as infancy, however it’s also never too late. I see progress in children and adults of all ages! When you are targeting muscles, there is hope at any age and stage!

What tools are used?

We use a variety of tools that families purchase online and use daily at home. The tools change over time as your child’s oral motor skills improve, supporting consistent progress. You can see examples here: Heather Vukelich's Amazon Shop

Do you collaborate with other providers?

Absolutely! I believe in a team-based approach and work closely with airway-centric professionals such as speech pathologists, dentists, orthodontists, and ENTs to support optimal oral development.

Oral sensory-motor therapy can often also be integrated into your child’s school setting (via SLPs, teachers, or aides), daycare, private speech therapy and into your home routine with other family members/caretakers. I offer training for any member of your child’s support team to ensure consistency and success.

Examples of Oral Sensory-Motor Therapy

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