Our Practice
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The therapists of Talking Together utilize the most up to date research-based intervention models in their practice.
Find out more about the models that guide our current therapy methods below.
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A primary service provider (PSP) functions as part of an active team. This team is comprised of caregivers, first and foremost, along with other professionals of various disciplines who may provide indirect and/or less frequent support to the family. The overarching goal is to carry out strategies and interventions, in all relevant developmental areas, in a natural environment.
In this model, a single provider may be the only interventionist working in the home. Other team members provide support in supplemental ways. This may be indirectly, through a transdisciplinary teaming process, or at a lower frequency. All in order to support the priorities of the individual family.
The transdisciplinary teaming process allows for the PSP to utilize knowledge from cross-discipline trained therapists to provide well-rounded services to the family.
The indirect support provided to the PSP functions so that the primary therapist is able to carry out research-based strategies in a multitude of developmental areas.
Sometimes, it can be helpful to have a single primary provider with whom the family interacts. This typically is a provider that matches the family’s highest priority.
Research has shown that infants and toddlers learn best through everyday experiences with familiar people in familiar contexts. The TD & PSP model allows us to support that.
Talking Together believes that this model is best practice for EI services and, therefore, we promote this model for the majority of families we serve.
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The coaching model is a teaching model that views the family as the expert. It utilizes parent education, or coaching, which typically comes from the PSP. This model recognizes that parents and caregivers are the primary voices and influences in a child’s life. It aims to highlight that infants, toddlers, and young children benefit from integrating learning into their everyday routines rather than through a direct clinic-based therapy approach. With this in mind, providers typically try out strategies and brainstorm ideas with caregivers during sessions that can be implemented in a daily routine. The idea being that these strategies can be utilized during the time between sessions to support the family with some of the difficult aspects of everyday life.
The coaching model often looks like a triad relationship between the parent, child, and provider.
Coaching values a collaborative approach. The parent and provider are meant to talk through what might work best for the child and how to integrate different therapy approaches throughout the day.
Our Services
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Talking Together provides several types of intervention; Speech Language Pathology, Occupational Therapy, and Physical Therapy. Learn more about the different fields below.
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Speech Language Pathologists (SLPs) work to aide individuals with all aspects of communication (i.e., production, fluency, language, cognition, voice, resonance, hearing). Some SLPs seek out specialized training in specific fields -such as feeding and swallowing, infant mental health, or assistive technologies- to become certified experts as well.
Early intervention SLPs provide therapy centered on children 0-3 years old and their caregivers. They work to support areas such as understanding and use of language by providing the child’s immediate support system with tools and strategies to best facilitate language. This looks different for each family. Some families learn best from observing direct models of strategies and asking questions. Others want to talk through suggestions for specific daily scenarios. Each child is different and each family is unique. SLPs in this sector adapt to meet the individualized communication needs of every family on their caseload.
SLPs practice with many different goals in mind, whether it be increasing sentence length, expanding sound inventories, or utilizing signs to get needs met. The overall goal, however, is always the same; giving caregivers the means to utilize their child’s strengths to communicate and connect with each other.
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Occupational therapists (OTs) help people participate in the activities that people want and need to do in everyday life. An occupation is anything that you fill your time with, a meaningful and purposeful everyday activity. There are nine areas of occupation that can be addressed through occupational therapy: activities of daily living (i.e., the basic things that you do to take care of yourself every day), instrumental activities of daily living (more complex things that you have to do to take care of yourself), health management, sleep and rest, leisure, play, education, work, and social participation.
In early intervention, OTs work with children ages birth to three-years-old and their families in their natural environments. Here are some examples of some of the occupations an OT can address with young children and their families:
Activities of daily living: feeding and eating, dressing, diaper changes, bath time, teeth brushing, hair brushing/styling
Instrumental activities of daily living: going to the grocery store, picking up toys, helping with meal preparation, helping with laundry
Health management: managing and regulating emotions, wearing glasses, cooperating with visits to the doctor and/or dentist
Rest and sleep: nap time, bedtime
Play: playing at the park, playing with toys, coloring, pretend-play, dancing along to a song
Leisure: community outings (trips to the museum, zoo, aquarium, etc.), quiet time
Social participation: socializing with peers and adults in adaptive, age-appropriate ways throughout play and other daily routines
Education: circle time and structured classroom activities at daycare or an early learning center, reading books with a caregiver
The specific occupations an OT will address with a child and their family varies based on the concerns, priorities, and needs of the child and their family.
OTs use a variety of evidence-based approaches to help a person perform and participate in the occupations that they want and need to be able to do. OTs can help a child participate by helping them develop their skills with their sensory processing, regulation, motor planning, fine motor skills, visual motor skills, oral motor skills, gross motor skills, strength, endurance, range of motion, social skills, and cognitive skills (e.g., problem-solving, mental flexibility, attention, learning, coming up with new ideas). Occupational therapists may also modify or adapt an activity and/or environment to help young children and their families participate.
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Early Intervention physical therapy aims to support families as they help their child learn how to move and explore their environment. Physical therapists promote the achievement of big body movements and provide modifications to encourage each child’s participation by moving their bodies in the most effective way possible.
With a strong foundation in movement science, physical therapists are trained in identifying target areas to work on to achieve specific motor milestones. Common targeted areas for intervention include strengthening, coordination, balance, and/or movement planning, with the goal of supporting children as they explore and learn through play.
In a true transdisciplinary fashion, our therapists are also trained to observe and promote growth in other areas of development including fine motor movements with their hands, skills related to learning, communication, and social interactions. Our physical therapists use the coaching method, focusing strongly on teaching and supporting caregivers to feel confident in assisting children in their development. This may include training caregivers to modify their home to promote success with motor patterns, implementing strategies into daily routines to support development, and utilizing assistive devices or medical equipment when necessary.
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Early Childhood Special Educators (ECSEs), also known as Developmental Interventions (DI) support the development of young children (ages 0–3) who are showing delays in one or more areas of development. They practice a family-centered approach by prioritizing partnership with the family or other caregivers within their most natural environment. ECSEs can support cognitive skills, social-emotional development, adaptive behavior, foundational communication skills, and more by playing a specialized role in enhancing a child's development through everyday learning opportunities and family support. These educators are trained to understand the unique learning needs of infants and toddlers and use that knowledge to design and implement appropriate strategies so the child can reach their full potential of development. Many ECSEs pursue additional training in areas such as play-based therapy, trauma-informed care, or family-centered practice to deepen their expertise and broaden the support they provide.
In early intervention, ECSEs focus not just on the child, but on empowering caregivers. They collaborate closely with families and in their natural environments—homes, parks, community spaces—to create strategies that encourage growth through everyday interactions. For some families, this might mean modeling play techniques that build attention or problem-solving. For others, it may involve coaching parents on ways to reduce frustration during transitions or increase engagement during mealtimes. Additional examples may include how children interact with others, resolve conflicts, participate in daily routines and explore environments and play with toys. No two families are the same, and ECSEs approach each with a flexible and individualized mindset. There is a focus on whole child development, so sometimes services may overlap with other therapies such as speech, occupational and physical therapies while also considering cognitive growth and development.
Another key role of an ECSE/DI in early intervention is around transition. ECSEs can work with families to help transition their child into the next steps of educational programming such as preschool and/or Individualized Education Plans (IEP). ECSEs can support the empowerment of families to advocate for the needs of their child in their learning and education journey.
The goals of an ECSE professional may vary, yet the broader mission remains the same—to help caregivers recognize their child’s strengths, support their areas of need, and create meaningful opportunities for learning and connection throughout daily life.
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Social-emotional services offered in Early Intervention support babies/young children in building strong and healthy relationships, and developing the skills they need to experience, express, and manage their feelings. Social emotional services are provided through a relationship-based, family-centered approach that sees all parents and caregivers as a baby/young child’s first and most important teacher. Providers work alongside families in everyday routines to understand each baby/young child’s unique characteristics and ways of being, their temperament, cues, and responses. Together, providers and parents/caregivers, work to identify strengths and areas where support may be needed…then working together to come up with strategies that promote connection, emotional regulation, and positive interactions.
In practice, social-emotional services may include activities that support bonding and attachment between a baby/young child and their parents/caregivers, address challenging behaviors, and help young children develop social skills like sharing, turn-taking, and coping with a wide range of feelings. Social emotional providers also work to support caregivers to feel comfortable and confident in attuning to the needs of their child and responding in ways that meet those needs, especially during times of stress or change. The goal of social-emotional support is to nurture a baby/young child’s sense of safety, belonging, and confidence while strengthening the overall well-being of the family and supporting caregivers, as well.