Kaplan Speech Therapy Services
Seattle, WA
Speech • Language • Literacy • Social Skills
Voice • Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy
Evaluation and Treatment for Children and Adults.
Welcome to Kaplan Speech Therapy
At Kaplan Speech Therapy, we provide therapy that is highly personalized to every client's unique needs. With over two decades of experience and extensive knowledge in evidence-based intervention methods, every session includes targeted therapy that will achieve the best outcomes.
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Our services begin with a comprehensive evaluation to help us develop an understanding of our client's skills, preferences, and the factors contributing to the presenting challenges. Following the evaluation, we take a collaborative approach in developing a treatment plan that will allow us to address skills that will have the greatest impact on daily life.
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We specialize in treating individuals of all ages with communication, myofunctional, social, and literacy disorders, as well as acquired adult neurological disorders such as aphasia.
Evaluation & Therapy Services
Speech
Speech therapy addresses communication challenges to increase:
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Functional communication skills​
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Speech intelligibility/clarity​
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Accurate production of speech sounds
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Strength and coordination of the speech musculature
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Use of supportive communication systems
Language & Literacy
Language and literacy therapy supports the acquisition of skills such as:
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Expressive language
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Comprehension and listening skills​​
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Vocabulary and word knowledge
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Grammar​​
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​Reading comprehension and reading fluency
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Decoding words and sight word recognition​
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Spelling and writing skills​
Social Skills
Social skills intervention supports the acquisition of skills such as:
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Interacting with peers​
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Expanding play skills​
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Developing social-emotional awareness​
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Regulating emotions within social situations
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Understanding non-verbal communication​
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Developing tools for navigating social interactions at home, in school, and in the community​
Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy
Orofacial myofunctional therapy address concerns related to:
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Tongue-ties and lip-ties
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Tongue thrust, open bite, front teeth that stick out
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Mouth breathing and poor lip seal
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Stubborn articulation disorders, often with the S, R, and L sounds
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Snoring, nighttime teeth grinding, and other sleep issues
Voice therapy address voice and resonance issues such as:
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Hoarse, tight, or strained vocal quality​​
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Weak voice with poor endurance
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Voice changes related to Parkinson's Disease
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Vocal cord nodules and unhealthy voice habits
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Vocal cord Dysfunction
Speech and language therapy for adults helps an individual regain or maintain cognitive, speech, language, or swallowing skills associated with:
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Recovery from a stroke or traumatic brain injury
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Progressive neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s Disease, ALS, MS
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Voice disorders related to overuse/vocal abuse
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Cognitive decline, dementia
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Head and neck cancer
Meet Sarah
Sarah T. Kaplan, M.S., CCC-SLP
Owner, Speech-Language Pathologist
Sarah is a passionate Speech-Language Pathologist who brings nearly three decades of experience to Kaplan Speech Therapy Services. Over the course of her career, Sarah has worked with individuals of all ages in various settings, including a developmental preschool, in-patient, outpatient rehabilitation clinics, an otolaryngology (ENT) clinic, and an acute care hospital.
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Sarah graduated from Rutgers University and earned her Master of Science in Speech and Language Pathology from Teachers College, Columbia University. She worked for many years at New York Presbyterian Hospital in New York City (formerly known as Columbia Presbyterian Hospital) primarily on the acute care service treating medically complex patients, which ignited her passion for evaluating and treating swallowing disorders. In Presbyterian’s outpatient clinic,
Sarah treated children with complex speech and swallowing differences due to developmental, neurological, and medical problems. While at Presbyterian, she also worked with a world-renowned ENT who developed a new testing protocol for swallowing disorders; Sarah trained other therapists in the field on how to perform the test and evaluate its results and lectured about the protocol at professional conferences and conventions.
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Sarah’s love of learning and ongoing education within speech-language pathology led her to work with adults and children with Oromyofunctional Disorders (OMD’s), differences in structure and function of the face and mouth which directly or indirectly impact speech, chewing, swallowing, dentition, facial growth, and breathing. Sarah appreciates the importance of collaborating with other providers and professionals and working as a team when treating the variety of symptoms that can be experienced with OMDs.
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Sarah has a very active life outside of speech therapy. She enjoys creating digital speech therapy materials, creating whimsical t-shirts with a portion of proceeds going towards researching a cure for Multiple Sclerosis (the disease that her mother battled), exercising, cooking, and traveling with her family.
Advanced Training & Certifications
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LSVT (Lee Silverman Voice Therapy)
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PROMPT levels 1 and 2 (for motor speech disorders)
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TalkTools Oral Placement Therapy Level 1 (for speech clarity)
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Visualizing and Verbalizing (targeting reading comprehension, verbal and written expression)
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Hanen It Takes Two to Talk (coaching for parents of children with language delays)
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LiPs-Lindamood Phoneme Sequencing Program (reading and spelling program)
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Social Thinking Curriculum (variety of programs for students with social differences)
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Lessac Madsen Resonant Voice Therapy
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American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC)
Publications
Co-author, “Potential Complications of Endoscopy,” Endoscopic Evaluation and Treatment of Swallowing Disorders, Thieme Medical Publishers Inc.
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Co-author, FEEST: A New Bedside Endoscopic Test of the Motor and Sensory Components of Swallowing, The Annals of Otology, Rhinology, and Laryngology.
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Co-author, The Safety of Flexible Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing with Sensory Testing (FEESST): An Analysis of 500 Consecutive Evaluations, Dysphagia.
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Co-author, Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing with Sensory Testing (FEESST) in Healthy Controls, Dysphagia.
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Co-author, Laryngopharyngeal Sensory Deficits in Patients with Laryngopharyngeal Reflux and Dysphagia, The Annals of Otology, Rhinology, and Laryngology.
Getting Started
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Begin with a free consulation call where we will discuss your concerns, answer your questions, and make recommendations for the next step.
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During our initial session, we will use various diagnostic tools to develop an understanding of the underlying factors contributing to you or your loved one's challenges. We will then collaborate to develop a treatment plan and personalized goals to guide our therapy.
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Once therapy begins, we will meet in-person and/or online to address specific goals. Regular data will be taken to ensure we are making progress. In addition, we will spend time on client, parent, and/or caregiver education while also providing a home practice program for the development and generalization of target skills.
Client Testimonials
“We are so grateful to Sarah for her work in helping our son grow in speech. We are especially grateful at how she truly cares and expresses love and joy towards him."
~ M.B.
“I cannot thank Sarah enough for working with J. She has boosted his confidence by cheering him on, accepting his wiggliness, and accepting him for who he is.”
~ D.G.
“I am so thankful for everything Sarah has been doing with E. She does it all with an amazingly positive, happy way-he loves coming to her and literally looks forward to his appointments all week long!”
~ S.S.
"Sarah has been a complete angel and has helped our daughter so much! We will never forget her and the impact that she had on our daughter and our family."
~ J.K.
Serving Individuals of All Ages in Our Clinic & Online
Kaplan Speech Therapy Services provides speech, language, social skills, voice, and myofunctional therapy to clients of all ages. Services are available in our Seattle, WA clinic and online via teletherapy. Contact us by phone, email, or by completing the form below. We look forward to the opportunity to speak with you, answer your questions, and provide guidance on the next step for you or your loved one.