Horizon 2025 - Flipbook - Page 10
SPEECH CENTER NEWS
Krista Norwood, M.S., CCC/SLP, Director of Shelton Speech Center
At the Shelton Speech Center,
our mission remains rooted in
early identification, personalized
intervention and meaningful
progress for children with speech
and language differences. As part
of Shelton School and the broader
Dallas community, we continue to
offer comprehensive screenings,
evaluations and high-quality therapy
services delivered by a team of
licensed and experienced speech-language pathologists.
Building Foundations Through Early Screening
One of the most critical aspects of our work is our annual
screening initiative, conducted each fall across 15 partner
schools throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Between
late August and November, we screen approximately 2,000
children ages 2 to 6, evaluating communication, vision,
hearing and early literacy skills. These screenings allow
us to identify potential challenges — such as articulation
errors or delayed language development — at a time when
intervention can have the most lasting impact.
Research continues to
underscore that speech
and language development
are foundational to literacy
acquisition. Many children who
later struggle with reading
begin their academic journey
with undetected articulation
or language impairments. By
identifying and addressing
these concerns in the
preschool years, we can help
minimize future academic
hurdles and strengthen the pathway to fluent reading and
confident communication. Our goal is always to ensure
children are equipped with the communication tools they
need to succeed socially and academically.
Year-Round Therapy That Supports the Whole Child
During the 2024–2025 school year, Shelton Speech Center
clinicians provided approximately 6,000 individual and
small-group therapy sessions for students ranging from
preschool through high school. Therapy targets include
articulation, expressive and receptive language, phonological
awareness, fluency, pragmatic language and reading
comprehension. Students are served both on the Shelton
campus and at private schools across the Metroplex.
Each therapy plan is uniquely tailored to a child’s needs,
incorporating evidence-based strategies and collaborative
input from families and educators. Our therapists bring
specialized training to their work with students in areas such
as social competencies, fluency, motor speech development
and literacy-based language intervention.
Summer Therapeutic
Programs
The Shelton Speech
Center also offers a
robust summer lineup
of therapeutic programs
designed to maintain
progress and promote
growth in a fun,
enriching environment.
• Language Adventures
is an eight-week
intensive language
therapy program for
Shelton’s summer speech-therapy programs
ages 2 to 7, using
keep students building communication skills
through engaging, play-based learning and
themed weeks (for
personalized support.
example, animals,
space, community
helpers) to expand
vocabulary, sentence structure and comprehension.
• Articulation Adventures provides targeted therapy for
students with persistent speech sound errors, helping to
improve clarity and confidence in speech.
• iSocialize teaches elementary-age students how to
navigate the “hidden rules” of social interaction through
engaging in group activities, conversation practice and
perspective-taking exercises.
Professional Development and Community Outreach
Shelton Speech Center staff members are dedicated to providing highquality evaluation and treatment for children with developmental delays
and speech and language disorders. Back row: Ari Victor, Melissa Cole,
Stephanie Weatherford, Lindsay Cobert; front row: Avie Nikolopoulos,
Chelsea Maxey, Krista Norwood.
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NOVEMBER 2025
THE HORIZON
SHELTON SCHOOL
Beyond direct therapy services, the Speech Center
continues to serve as a training site for graduate student
interns and a professional development hub for speechlanguage pathologists in the region. Shelton School, an
ASHA-Approved Continuing Education Provider, hosted
several “Lunch-and-Learn” events for speech pathologists
during the school year. Workshops were organized by
Shelton speech-language pathologist Rachel Stock and
covered topics in the field such as stuttering, voice therapy,
structured reading approaches and myofunctional therapy.
