How Speech and Occupational Therapy in NYC Work Together

Speech and Occupational Therapy in NYC: How They Complement Each Other While Meeting Different Needs

At Chatty Child Speech, Occupational & Physical Therapy, PLLC, we offer holistic and creative approaches to speech and occupational therapy in NYC, encouraging success and growth towards each child’s personal therapeutic goals.

Our holistic approach means that we look at each child as a whole child. We consider each of their unique strengths and differences.

What is a speech therapist’s role within the therapeutic team?

Our whole child approach starts with an assessment by a speech-language pathologist.

We clinically observe and evaluate a child’s speech, language, and social communication development. We then determine the ideal support required for a child to achieve their fullest potential.

What is the occupational therapists’ role within the therapeutic team?

Our occupational therapists begin with an assessment of a child’s overall motor coordination, fine motor skills, and adaptive life skills. These skills may include dressing, bathing, teeth brushing, and toileting.

In addition, occupational therapists can help discover and uncover the unique sensory needs of each child. They explore how a child engages and processes their environment, and how they respond and regulate to different types of stimuli within different environments.

Preferred creative pathways and activities that light a passion in a child are fully explored with sacredness and devotion.

Like caring for a growing ember that will one day burst into a powerful flame of creativity and joy.

The Link Between Speech and Occupational Therapy in NYC

Speech and occupational therapy are different but also complementary therapeutic disciplines. They focus on different but collaborative & complementary goals.

Speech and occupational therapists can work collaboratively to super-charge a child’s goals within each other’s respective disciplines. This is accomplished by working together as a cohesive team!

Speech and occupational therapists work together at Chatty Child to provide holistic care and development for each young child we support.

*What exactly does a speech therapist in NYC assess and treat in children?***

A pediatric speech-language pathologist’s primary focus and training involve assessing and improving skills within all areas of communication. These areas include receptive, expressive, and pragmatic language skills.

This includes all aspects of language development, including language processing (reception), language expression (communication), and also the social use of language (pragmatics) or how one uses language to get their needs met.

What exactly does an occupational therapist assess and treat in children?

A pediatric occupational therapist’s role involves assessing and treating differences in fine motor skills, overall motor coordination, and how a child uses their senses to interact and interpret the world around them.

For example, occupational therapists are experts in the area of sensory processing and integration. This includes visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, and vestibular processing. Additionally, this includes the five senses: vision, hearing, smell, touch, and taste.

Each child processes incoming sensory information in unique ways.

Occupational therapists are expert decoders of behaviors, and can help figure out the patterns of your child’s behaviors, and if there are any unmet sensory needs.

At the root of these “behaviors” may simply be unmet sensory needs.

A combination of speech and occupational therapy in NYC can dovetail and complement each other. This can lead to greater progress and strides.

How do speech and occupational therapists collaborate to achieve effective therapeutic outcomes?

As a pediatric speech therapist in NYC, I work very closely and collaboratively with occupational therapists to help improve a child’s overall focus. This includes both child and therapist-led language games and activities.

Speech-language pathologists and occupational therapists collaborate often to strengthen a child’s ability to attend to visual stimuli. This can positively impact a child’s reading and writing, and even play skills!

Occupational therapists can also help determine the sensory profile and individual and unique needs for each child that we work with.

Occupational therapists can develop a “sensory diet” or structured program of calming or altering exercises. This is designed to meet each individual child’s sensory needs and sensory profile.

In turn, occupational therapists and speech therapists in NYC can work together to help a child become more regulated, independent superheroes within their daily lives!

A regulated child will result in a child with improved and better focus, attention, engagement, frustration tolerance, flexibility, and cooperation skills!

I invite all speech therapists and occupational therapists to collaborate on shared goals to achieve goals and create limitless possibilities!

Chatty Child’s experienced and creative speech therapists and occupational therapists provide holistic therapeutic care both in-person and online across all of New York State.

To book an in-person or online speech therapy assessment and treatment sessions with Heather Lynn Boerner, MA CCC/SLP, please visit our website at: www.chattychild.com; email: info@chattychild.com; or call: 347 491 4451

Sincerely,

Heather Lynn Boerner, MA CCC/SLP

Empower Your Child’s Journey with Speech and Occupational Therapy in NYC

At Chatty Child, we believe in the power of collaborative care. When speech and occupational therapy work together, children benefit from a more holistic, integrated approach that supports both communication and daily functioning.

Whether your child needs help with language development, sensory processing, fine motor skills, or emotional regulation, our team is here to guide their growth with compassion and expertise.

Here’s how to begin:

Schedule a free 15-minute phone call to share your child’s strengths, challenges, and goals.
Book an initial assessment for speech and/or occupational therapy in NYC to build a personalized care plan.
Start speech and/or occupational therapy sessions designed to support development across mind, body, and communication.
Watch your child grow with confidence, skill, and joy, supported every step of the way.

Let’s work together to help your child thrive.

Holistic Services to Help Children Thrive in NYC

In addition to our core pediatric speech and occupational therapy services in NYC, Chatty Child provides a full spectrum of services designed to support children’s development and empower families at every stage:

InterAct – A creative therapy program that combines theater and language-building activities to help kids express themselves through storytelling, play, and movement.
Teletherapy – Flexible, virtual sessions for speech and occupational therapy, accessible to families across New York State.
Tutoring – Individualized academic guidance in reading, writing, and creative problem-solving to boost learning and classroom confidence.
Functional Nutrition – Nutrition services that focus on physical development, emotional balance, and overall well-being in growing children.
Consulting – Supportive guidance for parents, educators, and care teams to ensure consistency and collaboration across environments.
Programs – Engaging group offerings that encourage playful learning, social-emotional growth, and a love of discovery.

Let us help your child flourish in communication, confidence, and everyday life.

Meet the Author: A Compassionate Voice for Pediatric Speech Therapy in NYC

Heather Lynn Boerner, MA CCC/SLP, is a New York State licensed and nationally certified speech-language pathologist with more than 20 years of experience supporting children through personalized pediatric speech therapy in NYC. She brings a trauma-informed lens to her work, drawing on her training as a certified mindfulness and meditation teacher, as well as her lived experience as a neurodiverse and differently-abled individual.

Heather’s own journey inspired her to found Chatty Child Speech, Occupational & Physical Therapy, PLLC, a nurturing and inclusive practice in Tribeca, Manhattan. Her mission is to empower children to express themselves with confidence and authenticity through playful, compassionate, and whole-child-centered care.

She is also the author of Carrie the Colorful Chameleon, a vibrant children’s book that explores learning, confidence, and friendship. The book includes a parent and educator guide designed to support early development in expressive language and social-emotional learning.

Heather and her dedicated team offer both in-person therapy at their NYC clinic and virtual services to families across New York State, helping children thrive in communication, connection, and self-understanding.

Chatty Child Speech, Occupational & Physical Therapy, PLLC

Creating Possibilities .. one child at a time ..

Chatty Child Provides Pediatric Speech & Occupational Therapy & Classes in Tribeca, Manhattan, NYC – In Person at 325 Broadway Suite 403 New York, NY 10007 & serving the entire state of New York including: NYC, Westchester, Hudson Valley, Long Island via online therapy in New York State.