Speech, Language, Feeding Therapy, & Executive Functioning for Children & Teens

Serving Clients in Lacey, Olympia, and Tumwater Since 2014

Evaluations to Identify Your Child's Strengths & Areas of Need

At Whole Child Therapy Services, we provide comprehensive evaluations for speech, language, feeding therapy, and executive functioning support needs.

Evaluations are tailored to your child and may include a combination of standardized assessments, parent input, observation, and playful interaction with the therapist.

A complete speech, language, feeding, or executive functioing evaluation helps us understand your child’s unique strengths and challenges, so we can build a therapy plan that truly fits their needs.

After the evaluation, you’ll receive a written report, and we’ll walk through the results together. As a team, we’ll decide on the most supportive next steps and goals for your child.

If you are ready to begin with an evaluation, click here to get started.

Taking a Neurodiversity-Affirming Approach to Therapy

The pediatric speech and language therapists at Whole Child Therapy Services take a neurodiversity-affirming and evidence-based approach across all services.

We provide child-centered, strengths-based care in a safe, supportive, and family-friendly environment. Our goal is to promote a positive sense of self and help each child feel understood, respected, and empowered.

Therapy sessions are built on connection. We combine relationship-based interactions, hands-on parent coaching, and collaborative strategies that respect how each child learns and communicates most effectively.

Because every child’s needs are different, we tailor the frequency and duration of therapy to match the level of support needed. Sessions that range from 30 to 60 minutes, 1 to 3 times per week based on your child’s individual profile, availability, and goals.

Pediatric Speech Therapy

At Whole Child Therapy Services, we provide pediatric speech therapy that meets your child exactly where they are. Whether your child is a late talker, has difficulty being understood, or communicates using echolalia or scripts, we use fun and engaging activities to help them achieve their goals.

Our Team of Speech Therapists Specializes In:

We treat the child, not the diagnosis. Our focus is on connection, strengths, and authentic communication in real life. We prioritize who your child is, not the label.

Articulation and phonological disorders
Childhood apraxia of speech

Fluency/stuttering
Late-talkers
Developmental delays
Receptive and expressive language disorders
Reading disorders
Pragmatics/social communication
Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)
Gestalt language processing
Autism
ADHD

Supporting Your Child’s Communication

Therapy is tailored to your child’s needs, communication style, and strengths, so progress feels natural, supported, and empowering. Our speech therapists will help your child:

Develop expressive communication skills
Learn how to produce age-appropriate speech sounds
Improve their ability to be understood in daily life
Develop natural language through connection, trust, and meaningful interaction
Engage with peers
Advocate for their needs and wants

We help your child feel confident communicating in ways that are meaningful to them, while giving you the tools to support their growth every step of the way.

Sequential Oral Sensory (SOS) Feeding Therapy

At Whole Child Therapy Services, we provide feeding therapy that helps children feel safe, curious, and confident around food. We support sensory-based challenges and picky eating using play-based, responsive strategies that reduce stress and build trust.

Supporting Your Child’s Relationship With Food

Feeding therapy is tailored to your child’s sensory profile, developmental needs, and readiness, so mealtimes feel safe, supported, and pressure-free.

We use the Sequential Oral Sensory (SOS) approach to help children explore food through play, curiosity, and connection. This responsive, child-led method builds trust and reduces stress around eating. By focusing on comfort before consumption, we help your child move at their own pace while developing a positive, lasting relationship with food.

You’ll receive tools and guidance to support feeding goals at home, so progress continues beyond the therapy room.

Executive Functioning & Regulation Support

At Whole Child Therapy Services, we support children and teens in strengthening executive functioning and regulation skills that impact learning, relationships, and everyday independence. Through language-based, relational therapy, we help children build planning, problem solving, flexible thinking, and emotional regulation skills that carry over into daily life at home and school.

Executive Functioning & Regulation Support Includes:

We treat the child, not the diagnosis. Through connection and collaboration, we focus on building the internal skills that help children manage tasks, emotions, and daily expectations, strengthening functional executive functioning and regulation skills that support real-life independence. Our speech-language therapists provide support in areas such as:

Internal self-talk for planning, initiation, and follow-through
Working memory for holding and organizing ideas during learning and conversation
Flexible thinking and strategy shifting when expectations change
Generative problem solving in learning and social situations
Social reasoning and perspective-taking during peer interactions
Time awareness, pacing, and task completion
Self-monitoring and reflection across learning and daily routines
Language-based emotional regulation and impulse control

How Executive Functioning Challenges Show Up

Executive functioning differences often appear as difficulty starting tasks, getting stuck when plans change, struggling to organize ideas, becoming overwhelmed by multi-step expectations, or reacting quickly before thinking things through. Many children can “know what to do” but have difficulty executing consistently in real-world situations.

Our approach focuses on strengthening the internal language and cognitive processes that support regulation, planning, and follow-through. Rather than relying on external systems alone, we help children develop strategies they can use independently across home, school, and social environments.

Our approach also incorporates principles from Collaborative and Proactive Solutions (CPS), emphasizing the importance of understanding the challenges underlying a child's difficulties and working collaboratively with children and caregivers to develop meaningful, practical solutions.

We partner closely with families so the skills we build together carry into daily routines, school expectations, and social situations, not just therapy sessions.

Parent Coaching

At Whole Child Therapy Services, we help children build confidence, develop independence, and improve everyday skills through fun, meaningful activities. Our speech-language therapists work closely with parents and caregivers to ensure progress carries over into daily routines at home.

Parent Coaching with Hanen: It Takes Two to Talk®

It Takes Two to Talk® is an evidence-based program that empowers parents and caregivers to support their child's speech and language development through everyday rountines, play, and meaningful interactions. The program is desined for children 18 months to 5 years who are experiencing speech and language delays.

Through responsive, child-led interactions, parents learn how to follow their child's interests and create natural opportunities for communication and language learning.

The program will:

Teach practical, evidence-based strategies to support speech, language, and social communication during everyday activities.
Show you how to follow your child's lead during play, creating opportunities for connection, shared attention, and communication.
Help you recognize and respond to your child's communication attempts, even before they begin using words.
Teach you how to use play and everyday routines to model language, expand communication, and encourage back-and-forth interactions.
Help you identify what motivates your child to communicate and build on their individual interests and strengths.

It Takes Two to Talk® is offered in both group and individual parent coaching sessions.

Parent Coaching with Hanen: More Than Words®

More Than Words® is an evidence-based, family-centered program designed for young autistic children and those experiencing social communication differences. It allows parents and caregivers to better understand their child's uniuqe commuication styles and learn practical strategies to support social interaction, play, and communciation development through everyday experiences.

The More Than Words® program will:

Help you understand your child's unique communication style, interests, and sensory preferences to better support their individual strengths and developmental needs.
Teach responsive interaction strategies that encourage shared engagement, back-and-forth communication, and meaningful social connections.
Show you how to follow your child's lead during play, using their interests to create natural opportunities for interaction and communication.
Help you support play and social communication development through everyday routines and enjoyable activities.
Empower you with practical strategies to support your child's communication and strengthen your connection during daily interactions.

More Than Words® is offered in both group and individual parent coaching sessions.

Parent Coaching with Collaborative and Proactive Solutions (CPS)

Collaborative and Proactive Solutions (CPS), developed by Dr. Ross Greene, is an evidence-based, relationship-centered approach that helps parents understand and support children who experience difficulties with emotional regulation, flexibility, and problem-solving.

Grounded in the belief that “kids do well if they can,” CPS focuses on understanding the challenges behind behaviors and working collaboratively to find meaningful solutions.

Through parent coaching, we incorporate CPS principles to help you:

Identify unsolved problems that contribute to recurring challenges and frustration.
Understand your child's perspective and the concerns underlying their difficulties.
Recognize underdeveloped skills that make it difficult for your child to think flexibly, tolerate frustration, and solve problems effectively, while identifying opportunities to support their development.
Develop collaborative solutions that address both your child's needs and your concerns as a caregiver.
Build stronger connections through empathy, communication, and mutual understanding.
Approach challenges proactively rather than relying primarily on rewards, consequences, or reactive strategies.

Our goal is to empower parents with practical tools that foster collaboration, strengthen relationships, and support children in developing the skills they need to navigate everyday challenges.

Get Started Today!