About us

Jessica Mudd, M.A. CCC-SLP

Owner & ASHA Certified Speech-Language Pathologist

Jessica completed undergraduate studies at The University of Missouri and then received a graduate degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Saint Louis University. She has experience in early intervention, public schools, hospitals, and skilled nursing facilities. 

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Speech

A speech sound disorder is a communication disorder in which children have persistent difficulty saying words or sounds correctly. Most children make some mistakes as they learn to say new words, but a child who does not say sounds by their expected ages may have a speech sound disorder. Speech sound disorders include difficulties with articulation (sound production), phonology (sound patterns), Childhood Apraxia of Speech (deficits in motor planning), and/or may be caused by structural differences (cleft lip/palate) or physiological deficits (tongue thrust, dysarthria).

Language

Children with a language delay or "late talkers" may be at risk for developing language and/or literacy difficulties as they age. A child with a language delay or disorder may have difficulty understanding, talking, reading, and/or writing. Children with a receptive language delay/disorder may have difficulty following directions, answering questions, and pointing to objects and pictures. Children with an expressive language delay/disorder may have difficulty using gestures, naming objects, asking questions, putting words into sentences, and learning songs and rhymes. Many children have problems with both understanding and talking.

Feeding 

Feeding disorders may involve difficulty swallowing, sensory issues, poor oral motor skills, food refusal, and/or food selectivity. Some signs of a feeding disorder may include arching back or stiffening while feeding, cries or fusses while feeding, falls asleep when feeding, refuses to eat or drink, eats only certain textures, takes a long time to eat, has problems chewing, coughs or gags during meals, drools excessively, gets stuffy during meals, spits up or throws up a lot, and/or is not gaining an adequate amount of weight or meeting growth milestones.