Blog

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 18, 2015

Editorial Contacts:
Stephen Betzen, Office Manager, (214) 646-1570, sbetzen@dallasreading.com
Cliff Pearson, Communications Coordinator, (214) 646-1570, cpearson@dallasreading.com

Speech Therapy Clinic Expands Medicaid Coverage
to Better Serve Low-Income Families in Dallas

(DALLAS, August 18, 2015) – Dallas Reading and Language Services is pleased to announce they are now accepting clients enrolled in Texas Bluebonnet Health Plans, and the Children’s Medical Center Health Plans for CHIP, STAR, STAR+PLUS, STAR Health, and Star Kids products.

The speech therapy clinic proudly adds these plans to all other Medicaid insurance carriers which they accept including Molina Healthcare, Parkland Medicaid/CHIP, Amerigroup, and TMHP.

“This addition follows our clinic’s continuing efforts to provide high-quality services to those in need in the Dallas community,” says Rachel Betzen, M.A., CCC/SLP, the clinic’s founding speech-language therapist. “We are very happy that we can now offer even more access to healthcare for the people in Dallas.”

Dallas Reading and Language Services has been a leading provider of speech-language therapy and reading programs in North Texas since their founding by Rachel Betzen in 2005. They are unique among North Texas speech therapy and language service providers for their focus on working with lower socio-economic families, as well as middle class and higher income families.

Today, Dallas Reading and Language Services offers services on a sliding scale basis for private pay families, as well as some insurance, in addition to the Medicaid plans they accept.

Dallas Reading and Language Services also provides free screenings for hearing, speech and language. Parents may e-mail or call to schedule a screening appointment.

Dallas Reading and Language Services is also available to provide hearing or speech-language screenings in the community.

Health clinics, private schools, and community centers are encouraged to contact the clinic at 214.646.1570 for further information on these services.

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Dallas Reading and Language Services is a provider of speech-language therapy and reading services to the Dallas community, employing licensed Speech-Language Pathologists and SLP Assistants.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 13, 2015

Editorial Contacts:
Stephen Betzen, Office Manager, (214) 646-1570, sbetzen@dallasreading.com
Cliff Pearson, Communications Coordinator, (214) 646-1570, cpearson@dallasreading.com

New Speech Therapy Solution Now Available in North Texas
Innovative system can cut months or years off therapy time

(DALLAS, August 13, 2015) – The American Speech and Hearing Association reports that roughly 6-8 million Americans have a language impairment – many of them children. Thanks to a technology now available in North Texas, that number may be shrinking. Dallas Reading and Language Services, a pediatric speech-language pathology clinic in Dallas, has started using a new device called SmartPalate™ with their clients. They are the only speech therapy clinic in North Texas using the device.

The SmartPalate™ is a custom mouthpiece and computer software system that displays where a student’s tongue is touching the roof of his or her mouth during speech. Speech-language pathologists, including the staff at Dallas Reading and Language Services, then create custom “tongue targets” for the sound(s) the student is working to develop such as /r/, /l/ or /s/. The visual target allows the student to repeatedly practice the sound simply by matching his or her their tongue with the respective target.

“SmartPalate™ empowers clients to self-correct speech errors with tongue movements they can feel and see,” says Rachel Betzen, M.A., CCC/SLP, founder of Dallas Reading and Language Services. “Those new to speech therapy can correct speech errors more quickly. Clients who have struggled with persistent speech errors are now finally able to experience success and achieve their speech goals.”

SmartPalate™ technology, known as electropalatography, was developed by Dr. Samuel Fletcher, an industry-recognized audiologist and speech-language pathologist in the mid-1950s. For decades, the use of the technology was limited to research facilities, primarily with speech students who were deaf or hearing impaired. In 2010, CompleteSpeech developed a system for commercial use and speech-language pathologists have continually expanded the use of the technology to students with multiple speech disorders and backgrounds.

In multiple cases, children and teens who have struggled in speech therapy for years without significant progress have made immediate sizable improvements in their speech and consequently their self-esteem and confidence – usually within a matter of months.

For More Information:

• Cade’s Speech Miracle – the Letter ‘R’
• SmartPalate™ System Demonstration
• SmartPalate™ Product Information from the manufacturer

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Dallas Reading and Language Services is a provider of speech-language therapy and reading services to the Dallas community, employing licensed Speech-Language Pathologists and SLP Assistants.