My Speechee
Therapy | Evaluation | Education
My Speechee is a boutique private practice dedicated to helping children and teens improve their speech, feeding & language skills. We recognize the importance of a client-centered, collaborative approach to therapy, which inspires us to create strong and long-lasting bonds with each of our clients & their families.
We offer comprehensive speech and language evaluations, individual and group therapy, and parent/caregiver training.
About My Speechee
Jaime Openden, M.S. CCC-SLP, began her career as a speech-language pathologist in public and private schools in Long Island and Queens, New York. She became a speech-language supervisor at The Keswell School in Chelsea NYC, where she trained other SLPs and worked closely with educators and other therapists to help her students achieve their goals. Jaime started My Speechee with the goal to provide comprehensive, individualized, and compassionate speech and language services to children and teens.
Jaime has more than 14 years' experience treating clients with articulation and phonological disorders, fluency disorders, and language delays and disorders impacting reading comprehension, academic performance, and social-emotional development. She specializes in emergent language, social language, and is an expert in autism spectrum disorders and augmentative-alternative communication (AAC). She has worked extensively with minimally verbal and non-verbal children, applying a multi-sensory, total communication approach to language acquisition. She holds her Certificate of Clinical Competence with the American Speech and Hearing Association, she is licensed in New York and New Jersey, and she is PROMPT & SOS trained.
About Jaime
Jaime fell in love with the field of speech-language pathology while studying at the University of Maryland over 15 years ago. She began working in the field while still an undergrad, serving as a research assistant and language battery administrator whose focus was on evaluating the language skills and social-emotional development of children with cochlear implants. Jaime went on to earn a Masters Degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders at CUNY Hunter College, working with adults with aphasia and children and teens with special needs. In addition, she received her certification as a teacher of students with speech and language disabilities in the state of New York.
Over the course of her career, Jaime has worked with children of all ages in a variety of settings - from public schools and private schools, to clinical and home care settings.
Jaime is a guest contributor on Huffington Post and an speech-language app developer. She has appeared as a speech and language expert witness in court and is available to consult on legal issues related to speech and language.
She loves spending time outdoors with her husband and two daughters, exercising, traveling and writing.
Speech & Language Therapy
We aim to help children achieve their speech and language goals through a multi-sensory, individualized approach that highlights each child's strengths. We believe strongly that therapy should not only be educational, but fun! Each session is an opportunity to learn new skills, build upon mastered skills, and enhance speech and language in ways that are meaningful to both children and their families.
Evaluation
My Speechee offers comprehensive speech and language evaluations. Evaluations consist of formal language testing, informal observation, and parent/caregiver interview. We carefully review our findings with parents and caregivers and welcome questions throughout the process. Parents are provided with a written report, complete with diagnosis, goals and service recommendations following the evaluation.
Education
My Speechee believes education is the cornerstone of success. Parents and caregivers (both of children with special needs and those that are typically developing) are encouraged to attend one of our educational and engaging seminars aimed at promoting speech and language development at home. Learn about typical speech and language development, how to stimulate language skills at home, and tricks of the SLP trade you can use in your everyday interactions with kids of all ages and abilities!
We offer the following seminars:
Speech & Language Development - Nanny Training Course
Speech & Language Development - Parents of Children with Special Needs
Speech & Language Development - Parents of Typically Developing Children
Please call or email to choose the seminar that's right for you & stay tuned for our new online registration feature coming soon!
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Private instruction for parents and caregivers is also available by appointment.
To schedule a speech and language development training for your staff, facility, or group, please email or call.
Testimonials
What People Are Saying
"Jaime came highly recommended to us by a speech therapy consultancy in the Upper East Side. We were told that she had worked miracles with
other children and this was true in our case as well. Jaime worked with our then 3-
year-old daughter on a weekly basis over the course of a year. There was an initial
detailed evaluation and assessment identifying multiple speech issues in need of
remediation, as well as a therapeutic plan and prognosis for improvement for each
issue. As medical professionals, we truly appreciated such a detailed evaluation...Over the course of time, our entire family
and her teachers at school observed a noticeable improvement in our daughter’s
ability to speak fluently and be understood without frustration. I strongly believe
that this built the foundation for her current success in school and love of learning.
I’m extremely grateful that we identified and remedied our daughter’s speech issues
in a timely way, thanks to Jaime."
Priya N.
"As a special educator and Board Certified Behavior Analyst for nearly 10 years, I have worked with countless speech-language pathologists in home and school-based settings. Jaime is far and away the most remarkable therapist with whom I have had the pleasure of working. Jaime is passionate and kind. She consistently demonstrates the care and consideration necessary to identify strengths and needs while looking at the whole child. Jaime’s knowledge and application of therapeutic techniques within the complex domains of speech and language pathology stands out in every session held, report written, and goal set. She is not just at the top of her field but the best choice you can make to help your child make significant and personally meaningful progress in their speech and language development."
Alexandra P.
FAQs
Do you accept insurance?
While we do not accept insurance, we are happy to complete any necessary paperwork required by your insurance company to request reimbursement of services rendered.
How long are therapy sessions?
An initial evaluation typically lasts for 1-2 hours, while subsequent therapy sessions run 45 minutes.
How many sessions will my child need?
The amount of therapy sessions needed depends on the nature and severity of the diagnosis, the frequency at which you can attend sessions, and the follow-through outside of therapy sessions.
What is the difference between individual and group sessions? What is better for my child?
Most children benefit from both individual and group therapy. One-on-one sessions provide a wonderful opportunity to improve specific speech and language skills with the therapist. Communication, however, does not exist in a bubble. Our goal, ultimately, is to ensure that clients are successful in all situations and with a variety of communication partners. Therefore as children make progress in their skills, it is valuable to provide services with age and goal-matched peers in a small, supportive therapeutic setting.
Group therapy will only be held when three to five goal - matched and age - matched peers are available to participate, as determined both by clinical evaluation and parent/caregiver feedback. If you are interested in group therapy, please reach out to us and we will be happy to put you on our group waiting list.
Where do therapy sessions take place?
Therapy can be provided in your home, or at your child’s daycare, school, or afterschool progam (if permissible).
I'm concerned about my child's speech and language. How do I know if he/she needs an evaluation?
Please feel free to reach out to us to explain your concerns. In some cases, a screening can be done to determine the need for a more complete evaluation.
How can I sign up for a speech and language course?
Please fill out the form below, send an email to jaime@myspeechee.com, or call us at 516-610-4922 and let us know which course is of interest to you. Stay tuned for our easy online registration feature coming soon!
Can my child receive services through My Speechee if he/she had an evaluation elsewhere?
Of course! If an evaluation was conducted in the last year, you can opt to use My Speechee as your service provider.