Speech Works by Elissa, uses curriculum and structure with an emphasis on speech development, motor development, oral motor placement, language development, independent living skills, reading, augmentative communication, non-verbal communication, pragmatic skills, auditory development and informational processing skills.  Speech Works by ELissa’s main goals are to:

1) Increase joint attention and intent to communicate

2) Increase overall functional communication (e.g., verbal, picture exchange communication system, assistive technology, sign language/gesture)

3) Improve executive functioning skills in order to learn knew skills (e.g., sitting and attending)

4) Improve eye contact for the purpose of increasing focus, processing and motor imitation

5) Increase brain’s ability to plan and program oral motor movements for speech

6) Improve reading skills including but not limited to phonics, phonological awareness, decoding, reading comprehension 

7) Decrease dyslexia (e.g, letter reversal, directional reversal, left/right disorder)    These disorders can affect a child’s ability to ,

8) Decrease dyscalculia or difficulty with math (e.g., solve word problems, carrying and borrowing numbers in math equations, managing money, understanding quantity, understanding time, understanding charts and graphs)

9) Decrease dysgraphia or difficulty writing (e.g.,  inconsistent spacing of letters or words, transposing letters, missing words, odd spelling, differently shaped or sized letters, illegibility 

10) Improve language skills (e.g., vocabulary, grammar, semantics, concepts, etc.)

11) Improve cohesion skills (e.g, making inferences, problem solving)

12) Improve independent living skills (e.g., writing, dressing, cooking, shopping, transportation, budgeting, organization, etc.).  

13) Improve motor skills for hobbies and extra curricular activities (e.g., dance, aerobics, piano, drums, soccer, playground activities, basketball, skateboard etc.) 

14) Increase awareness of social/pragmatic rules

Skills are taught using high repetition motor drills and/or discrete trial teaching in adherence with discrimination-learning procedures, including systematic introduction of visual, tactile, kinesthetic and physical prompts that are faded over time as skills are acquired.  Generalization strategies across people, environments, stimuli and instruction are introduced following evidence of discrimination (i.e. as skills permit).  Specific praise and differential reinforcement are delivered during instruction. Anecdotal data and trial data are taken as necessary.