At 18 months, it became clear that our son, Tommy, needed some help with his speech. We enrolled him in early intervention services through our county and this is where we met Emily. After working with a couple other SLP’s, we were so pleased to find Emily and from the very first day, I knew we had scored big time! Emily is clearly gifted with children and very passionate about her work. She has been a constant support for Tommy and also for me as we have navigated through the complexities of Tommy’s speech issues and the realization of his need for ongoing intensive therapy.

From the beginning, Emily has been amazing! Tommy began working with Emily during the pandemic which required virtual speech therapy only. She came to our home and met with him in person only one time before meeting with him weekly through a computer screen. I was skeptical that a 2 year old would be able to stay engaged and participate but Emily proved to have the rare ability to keep Tommy engaged and on task for nearly an hour each and every session!!

Emily really is everything we could hope for in a speech therapist. She is patient, compassionate, engaging, warm, friendly, and so supportive! We are so grateful to have found a therapist who truly wants Tommy to succeed and who also encourages and helps me, as his mother, to learn what I can best do to support my son.

When Tommy turned 3, he no longer qualified for early intervention services and was referred to our local school district for testing to determine his qualification for preschool services. Again, Emily supported us the entire way through the process. She attended the qualification meetings and provided her expertise and findings with her work with Tommy. Through her example, she showed me ways that I can best advocate for my child and was so helpful and supportive of Tommy getting these needed services.

While we were so sad to not be able to work with Emily on a regular basis any longer after Tommy’s 3rd birthday, she has always cared about our family and about Tommy’s progress. How exciting it was for us when we found out that Tommy could begin working with Emily again through Prickly Pear Pediatric Therapy! After 10 months of not seeing Emily, my Tommy squealed with delight as soon as he saw her and picked up right where they left off.

We could not be more pleased with the care we have received at Prickly Pear Pediatric Therapy and recommend it highly to all our friends. Emily’s expertise, quality of care and remarkable support has made a huge difference in Tommy’s life and for that we will forever be grateful.