Speech and Language Services
Services are organized to support families at different points in the process - whether you’re trying to understand what’s going on, make sense of information you’ve already received, or decide how to move forward.
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Speech-language evaluations provide a detailed look at how a child communicates, engages, and regulates across everyday interactions.
What evaluations focus on
Evaluations emphasize observation, interaction, and real-world communication rather than test scores alone. Time is spent understanding how a child uses language, responds to others, and participates in routines across different contexts. Standardized speech and language assessments are implemented to obtain scores relevant to each child’s area of need.
How information is gathered and shared
Findings are shared in clear, accessible language, with attention to patterns, strengths, and areas that may benefit from support. Recommendations are practical and grounded in daily routines and family priorities.
How evaluations are used
Evaluations are informational in nature and may be used to guide decisions about therapy, school planning, or next steps, including Independent Educational Evaluations (IEEs).
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Educational consultation focuses on understanding and using existing school information, including IEPs and educational evaluation reports.
When this service is helpful
This service is often a good fit when IEP paperwork feels confusing, meetings move quickly, or what is written on paper doesn’t fully match what is being seen at home or discussed with teachers or therapists. Questions commonly surface after families have had time to read reports, reflect, and sit with the information.
What consultation focuses on
Consultation centers on making sense of goals, services, accommodations, and recommendations within a child’s educational plan. Time is spent clarifying language, identifying what matters most, and understanding available options.
How consultation works
Consultation is discussion-based and reflective. Sessions focus on explanation, clarification, and helping families identify questions directly from reports and IEP paperwork, or next steps that feel appropriate before, during, or after school meetings.
How this service is used
Educational consultation supports informed decision-making within the IEP process. It does not replace school-based services, advocacy, or legal representation, but can help families feel more grounded and prepared as they navigate educational planning.
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Parent coaching and consultation provide supplemental support for caregivers who want perspective, clarity, or reassurance around their child’s communication and regulation.
When parent coaching is helpful
This service is often a good fit when families want support alongside other services, such as school-based therapy, regional center services, or private insurance. It may also be helpful when weekly therapy feels limited in scope, when families are waiting for services to begin, or when clarity and guidance are needed without adding another ongoing therapy commitment.
What parent coaching focuses on
Sessions focus on understanding how a child is communicating now, how communication develops over time, and how regulation, environment, and interaction shape that process. Emphasis is placed on practical, realistic support within daily routines… without adding pressure or unrealistic expectations.
How parent coaching works
Parent coaching and consultation typically follow a blended format. One to two in-person sessions focus on observation and hands-on support, followed by a virtual session.
The virtual session provides space to reflect, ask questions, and make sense of what was observed, without the added demands of caregiving or managing daily routines at the same time.How this service is used
Parent coaching may be short-term or ongoing and is collaborative in nature. It is designed to complement, not replace, other services. My role is expanding understanding, carryover, and confidence for parents supporting speech and language in everyday life.
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Speech-language therapy is offered for infants, toddlers, and preschool-aged children whose communication development feels delayed, uneven, or difficult to understand.
Who therapy is for
Speech-language therapy is often a good fit for children who are not yet talking, who use few words, who communicate in less conventional ways, or whose communication breaks down during play, transitions, or moments of frustration.
What therapy focuses on
Therapy focuses on supporting functional communication within play and everyday routines, with attention to engagement, regulation, and interaction rather than drills or worksheet-based tasks.
How therapy works
Sessions are individualized and responsive, shaped by how a child communicates in real interactions. Therapy may address expressive and receptive language, early communication skills, speech sound development, and participation in daily routines. Caregivers are actively involved so strategies are practical and meaningful beyond the session.
Why therapy is ongoing
Therapy is provided as an ongoing service and is intended to support communication development over time rather than achieve immediate or predetermined outcomes.
Concerns & how I can help
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School reports are unclear, seem incomplete, or don’t quite reflect your child
Findings or conclusions seem rushed, overly narrow, or difficult to connect to what you’re seeing at home
Recommendations don’t quite make sense for your child’s regulation, engagement, or learning style
You’re unsure whether important areas were explored or whether the full picture was considered
You want a second opinion before making decisions about therapy, school services, or next steps
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Evaluation & Assessment
The Art of Early Speech offers independent evaluations and second opinions for families who want a clearer understanding of their child’s communication and development.
My role is to offer a thoughtful, individualized understanding of your child’s communication and to help translate that understanding into clear, practical guidance.
Independent Educational Evaluations (IEEs)
IEEs provided through The Art of Early Speech emphasize careful observation, interaction, and real-world communication rather than checklist-style conclusions. The goal is not to dispute for the sake of disputing, but to offer clarity. IEEs offer a robust, holistic look at a child’s communication when school-based evaluations feel rushed, unclear, or incomplete.
I share findings in clear, accessible terms and can be used to support planning, conversation, or decision-making within the school process.
Assessment, Evaluation & IEE
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You have an IEP, evaluation report, or eligibility paperwork, and don’t fully understand what it says
IEP meetings feel fast, overwhelming, or hard to track in the moment
Recommendations for goals, services, and supports sound reasonable on paper, but you’re unsure what they actually mean day to day
You’re unsure whether to agree, ask questions, or request changes
You want help preparing questions before a meeting or making sense of what was discussed afterward
What teachers or therapists are saying verbally doesn’t seem to match what’s written in the IEP
You want to understand your options without escalating conflict or jumping to legal action
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The Art of Early Speech offers IEP consultation and record review for families who want help making sense of school-based documents and decisions.
My role is to help families slow the process down, understand what’s being presented, and feel grounded, supported, and confident as they move forward with next steps.
IEP Support & Consultation
Communication Concerns
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If, Communication Feels Effortful
Your child uses only a few words, or isn’t talking yet
They seem to understand more than they can express
You find yourself guessing what they want or need
If, Big Feelings Show Up Around Communication
Frustration builds quickly when your child isn’t understood
Meltdowns or shutdowns happen during everyday routines
Communication seems to disappear when your child is tired, overwhelmed, or dysregulated
If, Connection And Interaction Look Different
Your child communicates through gestures, sounds, or movement rather than words
Social interaction or play doesn’t unfold the way you expected
Engagement comes and goes, or looks inconsistent day to day
These are often signs that a child’s communication system is developing in its own way… and that thoughtful support may help it unfold with more ease
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The Art of Early Speech offers ongoing speech-language therapy for infants, toddlers, and preschool-aged children whose communication development feels delayed or difficult to understand.
My role is to observe closely and partner with families to support communication that grows from regulation, connection, and trust.
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Speech & language assessments and evaluations
Independent educational evaluations
Parent coaching and consultation
IEP review and educational consultation
Ongoing speech-language therapy (limited availability)
Services are individualized and not every service is the right fit for every family.
This work is a collaborative, reflective process. Families are encouraged to read through the services page to understand how support is offered.
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Fees reflect the scope, time, and level of analysis involved in each service.
Speech-language assessment:
$1,400–$2,400Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE)
Standard IEE: $2,400–$3,900
Complex / Extended IEE: up to $5,600
Extended IEEs may involve extensive record review, complex developmental or communication profiles, AAC considerations, multiple observations, or additional consultation.
Parent coaching / consultation:
$300 per session (60 minutes)IEP review & consultation:
$400–$700
(depending on scope and materials reviewed)Speech-language therapy:
$225 (45 minutes)
$300 (60 minutes)
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In-person services are provided in the child’s natural environment, typically the home or community setting.
Services are offered throughout the greater Sacramento region, including Placer County.
Virtual consultation and coaching services are available throughout California.
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Services are private pay. Families may choose to pursue reimbursement or use reports for school or funding processes when applicable.
I can provide a superbill upon request for families who wish to pursue out-of-network reimbursement.
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Limited availability
Services are scheduled based on fit and capacity
Some services are one-time; others are ongoing
Parent coaching and consultation typically follow a blended format. One to two in-person sessions focus on observation and hands-on support, followed by a virtual session.
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Many families are unsure at first. A brief intake conversation helps determine which service makes the most sense based on your questions and goals.
Reviewing “Concerns and how I can help” may also provide you with a framework.
Services, Fees & Scheduling
Meet Lauren
I’m Lauren Winters, a speech-language pathologist based in the Sacramento area, specializing in early childhood communication and development. I hold bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Communication Sciences and Disorders from California State University, Sacramento.
My professional background includes work in public education with elementary-aged students and preschoolers, as well as the design and direction of a Preschool Intervention Program supporting children ages three to five. Across these settings, I worked with children presenting with a wide range of profiles, from mild–moderate language delays to complex communication needs requiring individualized, team-based support.
My clinical interests include early and prelinguistic communication, sensory regulation, complex communication profiles, speech sound development and phonology, and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). My approach is play-based and neurodiversity-affirming, grounded in the understanding that regulation and connection strongly influence how communication develops.
This practice is also shaped by my background as an artist. Drawing, painting, and photography trained me to mindfully observe, recognize patterns, and decide what next steps to take. That way of seeing carries directly into how I approach assessment, consultation, and therapy.
I pay attention to how a child actually communicates day to day… what happens during play, transitions, frustration, and connection, and how speech, sound patterns, regulation, and interaction show up together. Much of my role is helping parents see what’s happening now, understand why things look the way they do, and decide what makes sense to do next.
Contact
The best way to reach out is by using the contact form or by emailing directly. I typically respond within 1–2 business days. From there, we’ll talk through your concerns and decide together what next steps are the best fit for you and your child.