The Speech Square, LLC
...In the Garden

Speech-Language & Feeding-Swallowing Therapy for Children, Teens, and Adults

Speech Therapy for children, teens, and adults presenting with challenges in feeding & swallowing, breathing & voice, and speech & language.  Beginning Spring 2022, we will be adding In the Garden to our program.  This therapeutic approach aims to address challenges... naturally, while building interest, motivation, and engagement toward goals.

In the Garden

A place where individuals ....
  • learn about foods through sensory development; Experiencing new sights, sounds, smells, textures, and tastes ... naturally!
  • develop a curiosity about gardening with fruits, vegetables, and flowers!
  • move their bodies, developing foundational skills needed for chewing & drinking, breathing & swallowing, and thinking & speaking!
  • develop language through novel experiences; sharing stories, building vocabulary, and retelling events!
  • can thrive! 

 Seedlings...

~ Community News ~
~ Consider nature programs and horse riding at Mercer County Stables for your family members with speech, language & feeding challenges ~
~ fun and exciting opportunities to get outside and enjoy the fresh air ~
~ feel the connections between posture, breathing, chewing, drinking, and speech~
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Nature Programs at Mercer County Park Commission
Stories in the Gazebo
Just a Hike
Yoga
Turtles
Spring Pollinators

~~ Horse Riding ~~ No Prior Experience Needed ~~ Mercer County Stables ~~

Mercer County Stables will offer trail rides to the public each week through Spring of 2022, weather permitting.  The trail rides will take you through Mercer Meadows and require no lessons or previous riding experience.

The rides are limited to people 12 years old and up, with a weight restriction of 220 pounds.  Riders must be able to get on and off the horse without assistance.  Boots are the preferred footwear.  Riding helmets are provided by the stables.

Rides are $35 for 30 minutes and $45 for 45 minutes.  Reservations are required.  Call 609-730-9059, ext. 401.  

Testimonials

"My second grader has been working with Maria for about six months. We have been working to correct low oral motor tone and a significant tongue thrust. Maria is extremely knowledgeable and considers the whole child-- she let us know that these issues, while seemingly not "serious" to most people, were contributing to quite a bit of dysregulation for our son. She is an excellent communicator to us, the parents, and teacher to my son. In the months since we've been working with Maria, my child has made great progress socially, emotionally, and physically. His oral muscles are stronger, his breathing is more regulated, he is more willing to try different foods, and even sleeps better. His willingness to take in teaching and constructive criticism has improved so much, which has made him more successful across the board at school and home. We were intimidated by the process at first, but we see that it's worth the time, effort and financial commitment. Thank you so much, Maria! We are really happy with the progress we've seen in the last six months."
"Maria has been an exceptional speech-language pathologist who has helped our son, tremendously with his speech and language development. Her unique ability to connect with children has created a comfortable therapeutic environment. Maria has provided us with numerous tools and techniques to assist our son's speech and language development, including customized treatment plans, and has been an invaluable resource throughout the process. Her extensive work with food trials has improved his eating habits, and her guidance in improving his language has been exceptional. Maria has also been knowledgeable about other concerns and made recommendations outside of speech. Her holistic approach has been truly invaluable, and we are so grateful for her support and guidance." ​mom of a toddler
"Maria, Thank you so very much for approaching me at the event.  I'm so grateful to you for your advice and input about my coughing.  I have struggled with it for 14 years and nobody ever has told me what you did.  You're a life saver!  I can't thank you enough!" ​adult
"I must say how delighted I am that my daughter had so much fun during our first session today and was so engaged and trying all the foods!  I was sure she wouldn't go for dried mango on the first go.  You did such an amazing job making her feel comfortable and not anxious about eating.  I think she decided somewhere along the way that eating is not a nice experience for her.. I hope our sessions together will help her break that and learn that eating can be enjoyable!"  ​parent of a toddler 
"My 5 year old son has been working with Maria for over a year now in both feeding and speech therapy. Maria has been such a blessing to us. She is definitely an expert in this area and has been so informative and extremely thorough throughout this process. She's very patient, understanding, kind and truly has a love for kids! Maria has discovered things about my son that I never would have seen or noticed until she pointed them out. She really knows her stuff! Maria is very creative when it comes to working hands-on with him. She knows exactly how to keep him engaged, all while tackling issues that typically cause him anxiety. We are beyond pleased with Maria and happy to see progress with our son. He sure does love Maria too and enjoys his session time with her! Thanks for all that you do, Maria!"
"Ms. Maria is amazing.  My son loves her so much and she has helped him tremendously with his speech. I appreciate her greatly!" parent of a toddler
"Being a parent of 2 children with speech challenges is extremely tough. But Maria has given me tools and the at-home ways we can accommodate speech in our every day activities. From meal times, to indoor/outdoor games, even teeth brushing activities. Our sessions have truly shown me that Maria is my professor and I am my children’s teacher. The body is a machine of muscles and connected sensors. One affects and triggers all. I now confidently have those tools to continue week to week to help my children be their best person. From a child who had a 10 word maximum to now being able to describe everything she feels, sees and does is truly a miracle."  parent of twin toddlers
“Maria is so wonderful to work with, we cannot say enough great things!   We were apprehensive about telehealth during these tough times and the connection our almost 2.5 year old would have with Maria over the computer.  To our surprise, our little girl connected in the first session, Maria has the ability to connect as if we were in person.  She read a story, spoke directly to our toddler and really was able to get her engaged.  Our daughter now excitedly looks forward to speaking with Maria for our telehealth sessions every week!”  ​parent of a toddler
"I was skeptical at first about virtual speech therapy, however my son responded extremely well. Mrs. Maria did a wonderful job at keeping my son engaged by utilizing his interest, he liked the therapy session so much he actually was upset when it was done. I definitely recommend other parents to give it a try ! Maria is amazing at what she does."  parent of a toddler
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​Drawing by a wonderfully sweet 9-year-old girl:)
"Maria has been working with my daughter's extremely challenging eating issues and has been so pro-active to find alternative methods to help us be successful!"  parent of a toddler-->child
Ms. Maria is awesome. My son has been going to her for over a year. He has made tremendous progress. Both my son and I are extremely comfortable working with her. She gives me ideas to work at home with him also. She is kind and loving while working with him. I highly recommend her.  parent of a young child
"My daughter's speech has significantly improved since beginning treatment with Maria. Her caring nature has made my daughter's treatment not only easier for her, but for me as well. I highly recommend Maria for any speech-language therapy."  parent of a toddler
"I love how you made me and my son feel comfortable from day one.  Maria and Lauren made sure to build rapport and bond with both me and my son.  This helped me calm down and helped me realize my son was in good hands.  Maria and Lauren are both extremely understanding and kind.  I learned so many ways to help my son calm down, improve his language at home, and how to get my son interested in new things.  This has helped me engage in new activities with my son and has gotten him to play with me rather than next to me." ​parent of a toddler
"We are so happy with my son's improvement and we feel blessed to have you!" ​parent of a toddler
"Thanks so much for your great service, you're the best! I wish my son had been getting this type of therapy all along and know that if he had things would be different. I was watching him last week during his session and he was really working hard. I also feel that I can model a lot of what you do at home so the benefits carry on past the sessions. " mom of a teen
"My son Jack has been working with Maria for the past few months and his progress already is amazing. Maria doesn't just try to get him to parrot sounds. She addresses the whole kid physically, emotionally and functionally; and she is training me to teach him correctly.  Jack LOVES going to speech and doesn't want to miss a lesson. I can't say enough good things!! We love Maria and The Speech Square!"
"We love Maria so much that we drive 45 minutes in traffic to see her!  She is warm and familiar at first sight and your child will instantly have a connection to Maria.  Speech therapy is different every week which keeps my son engaged." a mom
"Words cannot describe how genuine and caring Maria is to my child. We have been going to Maria for one year now and the impact on our child's speech is profound and her advice is invaluable."
"I have a lot of fun at speech with Ms. Maria.  Sometimes I get to play speech games on her tablet, which doesn't even seem like work.  I like speech work if it's playing games and to keep my hands busy, I work with play-doh.  As a reward I get a bag of chips for the ride home." 6 year -old boy 
"I would recommend Maria to anyone..in fact, I do! Our son has been working with Maria for just about a year. He has gone from barely putting two words together, to being able to get his point across and express his needs. Her warm personality and willingness to get on his level makes each session a successful one. She's not afraid to change things up and try new techniques when something isn't working for my son. I attribute his progress to her hard work and dedication." ​B
We have been working with Maria for the past year.  She identifies my son's shortcomings and focus areas and prepares something unique every week.  My son loves going to his speech sessions and he has come a long way in his social skills improvement, pronunciation, organizing thoughts, and much more.  We thank Maria for her service and expertise.  We highly recommend her to parents who want to learn how to help their child.  Parent of 5-year-old.

parent-to-parent
After receiving Colin's diagnosis, my wife and I started to learn everything we could about Autism and Asperger's.  What struck me was the fact that there is no quick fix for Colin, no pill that was going to make him "better."  To help Colin, it was going to require lots of hard work and time.
Now that we're 4 years down the road from the initial diagnosis, we've seen first hand that slow and steady is the best technique for dealing with Colin's Autism.
We're in for the long haul.
Thank you.

My wife stays during our son's speech sessions. She comes back with a lot of action items to work on at home.  Thank you.
"We cannot say enough good things about Maria!  While being extremely professional and caring, she also makes speech therapy fun.  We could see my son's progress very quickly under her care and he loved coming to see Ms. Maria!" Linda
"My daughter's speech has greatly improved since starting treatment with Maria. She began treatment speaking a short list of single words and within months is now speaking short sentences. Not only does Maria truly care about my daughter, she cares about me by taking her time to make me feel comfortable and understand the treatment process. My family highly recommends Maria for speech-language therapy!"  Emily
"I have found my speech therapy sessions to be beneficial and would strongly recommend Maria for speech.  I have learned many techniques for improving sounds and voice, as well as practical exercises I could do at home.  She is also very supportive and knowledgeable and makes therapy enjoyable and comfortable."  anonymous adult
The Speech Square, LLC
6 Taylor Rd
​Princeton, NJ  08540