The primary, end goal of all speech and language therapy is to improve social interactions with adults and peers. Carrow-Woolfolk and Lynch state, “Intervention should assist a child in developing a desire to communicate and provide him (or her) with the means to do so” (An Integrative Approach to Language Disorders in Children, 1982, p. 275).

The classroom / camp setting is ideal for such therapy because, in the social context of the class, language learning is integrated with a variety of intentions and acts. There is a marriage between opportunity and teaching language as a communicative act. Where better to teach social, speech and language skills than in a setting where materials and activities are of high interest and peer interactions are natural? (Bergman). Most importantly, children develop competence by trying new skills on a variety of people in different settings.

The most advantageous aspect of this program is that speech and language learning occurs constantly. Children work on speech and language development while playing and interacting with other children. A classroom-based camp setting offers language learning of extended duration!

The camp setting is a combination of classroom and traditional day school activities. Activities combine whole group and small group therapy with a fast-paced, exciting environment. Activities alternate between listening, talking, and a combination of the two in order to simulate a typical class setting, facilitating carryover of skills to other classes and home.

A daily newsletter informs parents of the stories, activities, and goals of the day. Daily homework assists with carryover of learning to the home environment. Children improve skills in the areas of expressive, receptive and social language, articulation and oral motor skills while having fun! An added benefit of summer class-room based therapy is the program’s affordability. For less than the price of two individual therapy sessions, your child can attend an entire week of the summer camp (16 hours of therapy)! A limited number of partial scholarships are available based on financial need. See the 'payment' section below for more information.

Want to see examples of the daily newsletter? Sample #1 Sample #2 Sample #3

Children with and without delays are encouraged to attend, as each benefits from the other.

• Children with delays- Children with mild to severely delayed expressive and/or receptive language, oral motor and/or articulation skills that benefit from speech-language therapy maybe appropriate. In addition, children with the following diagnosis may be appropriate: apraxia, specific language impairment/ delay, hearing loss, learning disabilities, disfluencies (stuttering), attention deficit disorder, sensory integration disorder and high- functioning autism/Asperger’s and/or mental delays. If you have specific questions about your child’s needs, please check with your current SLP or contact The Speech Garden.
  
• Children without delays- The Summer Camp program is ideal for students who need an extra academic boost prior to or immediately following kindergarten, but have not been diagnosed with a speech or language delay. Children will learn academic and social skills in a small group environment while having fun in a structured setting!

• Children who are not appropriate- Not all children are appropriate for this therapy setting. Children with significant delays in the following areas may not be appropriate: cognitive/mental, behavioral, emotional, and/or medical delays. Children who require one-on-one assistance in order to participate in group activities may be better suited to receive services in an individual setting, rather than classroom based services. This experience is not designed for children with moderate to severe mental delays or autism. An interview screening is required for new students.

Children do not have to be fully potty trained to attend!

If needed, the camp may operate as a peranut-free facility.

New to The Speech Garden services? In an effort to make sure that all children who attend will benefit from this experience, you and your child will be required to attend a brief screening interview session. A speech-language pathologist will interview you, review your paperwork, and meet with your child in order to determine appropriateness for the camp. You will have the opportunity to see the facilities and ask questions. Refunds will be issued in the unlikely event that your child is deemed not appropriate for the camp by The Speech Garden (minus registration fee).

Classes meet each week, Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. with pick up at 12:45 p.m.

Camp is not offered on Fridays.

St. Gabriel's Catholic Church

3016 Providence Road

Charlotte, NC 28211

All classes will be located at St. Gabriel's Catholic Church on Providence Road at Sharon Amity in the Cotswold Neighborhood of Charlotte, NC. Classes meet in the Preschool Building (St. Gabriel's Cradle).

Facilities include five classrooms, each with a bathroom. Separate office and storage areas offer space for administrative and staff needs. Fenced outdoor play space is available and will be used daily.

The Speech Garden extends a special thanks to St. Gabriel's Catholic Church for donating classroom space. Without the church's kindness and generosity, this summer camp program would not be possible.

To see profiles of last year's staff, click here.

Overview: We're in the process of hiring speech-language pathologists and certified teachers for this summer. It looks like we'll have an all-star, highly experienced staff! Once staff is hired, we will post their qualifications and profiles here. You will certainly be amazed by the talent of this year's staff!

Staff qualifications- In order to keep costs low, one staff member per class (the certified SLP or teacher) is paid, along with 1-2 floating directors. All other staff members are volunteers. Volunteers consist of graduate and undergraduate students in speech-language pathology and related fields. Students must submit letters of recommendation, be in good standing with their university, and attend a training session prior to working with campers. Certified speech-language pathologists and teachers help in many ways, including supervising, training students and direct client contact.

Student to clinician ratio: The camp has a maximum of 10 students per class, with up to five classes operating simultaneously. Last year (the summer of 2007), one SLP and three interns staffed each class of 10 campers. The number of interns assigned to each class may fluctuate slightly, as it is dependent on the number of qualified interns that choose to donate their time. However, rest assured that our camper to staff ratio is excellent!

College Students- Click here to download more information, an application packet and reference forms.

Below is a sample daily schedule. Class schedules vary slightly according to the needs of the group.

(Sample goals are listed in parenthesis)

Camper Registration Form – A Camper Registration Form must be completed and deposit paid in order to reserve a slot for your child. If your child is confirmed for camp, then this form has already been completed.

Camper Questionnaire - Includes the following forms:

Disclaimer / Release– Attached form must be signed by parents / guardian.

Background History Form – In order to provide the most effective services, it is vital that we receive information about your child’s diagnosis and current treatments prior to camp. In order to tailor goals and therapy activities to your child’s abilities and needs, please assist us by providing previous diagnostic and progress reports from all service providers.

Teacher / Therapist Questionnaire - Most therapists and teachers are happy to assist in therapy development by taking a few minutes to complete this questionnaire. The more detail each provider gives us, the better prepared we can be for summer therapy.

Health Form- A physical exam is not required. A completed health form with parent / guardian signature is required. A camper may not attend camp without a completed health form. (Must include immunization dates or shot record).

All forms can be submitted via email, fax or mail. Deadline for submission is May 31, 2008. On this date, all received paperwork will be used to develop class lesson plans and group therapy goals. Paperwork submitted after this deadline will not be received in time to assist in the development of your child's therapy plan, though it may still provide valuable information for the clinicians. After May 31, 2008, any outstanding paperwork should be brought to Open House- do not mail .

email: ellenholloway@speechgarden.com

Fax: 704-371-7385

Mail only address (or drop off at The UPS Store on the corner of East Blvd. and Camden Road):

1800 Camden Road, Ste. 107 #140, Charlotte, NC 28203

Now a non-profit corporation (501 (c)3 applied for), The Speech Garden is dedicated to providing excellent services at reasonable costs. Therefore, the summer camp operates on a break-even budget, with all income generated being used to cover expenses. In an effort to keep cost as low as possible, most staff members are volunteers and the facilities are donated by St. Gabriel's Catholic Church's Preschool. Compared to the cost of traditional speech-language pathology services, our fees are very reasonable at less than $13 per hour.

Down payment- Fifty percent of the tuition is due at the time of registration, including a $150 non-refundable deposit , with the remaining balance due May 31. Private out-of-pocket payment is accepted. Medicaid and private insurance is not accepted for summer camp. Payment in full must be received by the deadline or registration may be dropped. You will be given a written receipt.

Discounts- Discounts are given for the second or more siblings and returning campers (-$50) each.

Scholarships- A limited number of partial scholarships are awarded on a demonstrated, need basis. Click here to download a scholarship application. Scholarship applications are due March 31, 2008.

Save money by attending all four weeks!

(Names withheld to protect confidentiality)

“We had a great week- our only regret is not attending more weeks! (His) graduate student Kelly was nurturing and enthusiastic– we wish her the best!”

"(My son) had a wonderful time and I know it was very beneficial to his development. Thank you for this appreciated opportunity."

“(My son) enjoyed the camp and learned a lot about bugs. He also learned about children that are a little different than his regular set of friends. I was happy he had a good experience… It’s important that it was a ‘camp-like’ atmosphere and not a ‘speech evaluation’ because you get to hear him in everyday speaking- not just when he’s trying to say something correctly. Thanks for working with my child this week.”

“Very enjoyable homework – was able to involve the whole family with songs and vocabulary.”

“I think that the individual therapy is very important. The reason we chose to send (our child) was because they
could pick up where his (school) therapist left off-… he only gets 6 sessions (of speech therapy) over the summer.

He doesn't work well with me… at home… so any individual therapy he can get is wonderful…. I think that it is very helpful and important to the children.”

Year-round small-group and individual therapy also available!