It's a fair question — and the answer is rooted in decades of research that the education world is only now catching up to.
"I thought speech therapists worked on talking. Why would I bring one in for my child's reading struggles?"
Decades of research have established that learning to read utilizes and relies upon the language systems in the brain. Beneath that seemingly automatic process, the brain is doing something complex: connecting sounds to printed letters and building meaning — all of it rooted in language. Reading is not a natural or hard-wired skill like learning to walk or talk — it is a skill that must be taught, and one that utilizes language to be mastered. All of this to say that strong language skills are imperative for successful reading.
One of the most well-supported frameworks in reading science is the Simple View of Reading, which describes reading comprehension as the product of two things: decoding (sounding out words) and language comprehension (understanding what those words mean). Both are squarely within the expertise of a speech-language pathologist.
Research also consistently shows that phonological awareness — the ability to hear and manipulate individual sounds in spoken words — is one of the strongest early predictors of reading success or difficulty. This is another area that falls within SLP training and expertise.
ASHA, the national credentialing body for speech-language pathologists, has explicitly affirmed that literacy — including the prevention, assessment, and treatment of reading and writing disorders — falls within the SLP scope of practice. This isn't a gray area. It's established professional scope of practice.
What is new is the momentum. The science of reading movement has brought long-standing research into public conversation, and SLPs across the country are stepping into literacy roles in schools, clinics, and private practices in ways that weren't common even five years ago. The clinical frameworks, training programs, and credentialing pathways specific to SLP-led literacy work are actively being built right now.
That means the SLPs doing this work today aren't behind — they're at the front. Families who choose a literacy-focused SLP are choosing someone engaged with the research as it develops.
Transparency is a clinical value for me, so here it is: I have a strong foundation — a master's degree in speech-language pathology, ASHA certification, and graduate training that directly informs literacy work. I am actively deepening that foundation through The Reading SLP, an SLP-specific structured literacy training program — one that is just as robust, systematic, and evidence-based as the reading programs available to classroom teachers, but designed specifically for SLPs.
I am building this specialty with intention and care, in real time, alongside a national movement of SLPs doing the same. What I bring to your child is a trained clinical mind, a commitment to evidence-based practice, and whole-child attention.
I will always be honest with you about what I know, what I'm learning, and when a child needs something beyond what I can offer.
When you work with Sunflower Speech Haven, literacy support is a clinical process that looks at the full picture — phonological awareness, oral language, vocabulary, narrative skill, and reading comprehension.
Sessions happen in your home, which means your family is part of the process from day one. You'll understand what we're working on, why it matters, and what you can do between sessions to support your child's progress. And because reading struggles rarely travel alone — frustration, avoidance, and lost confidence often come with them — sessions at Sunflower Speech Haven are designed to help children feel safe, capable, and willing to try.
If your child is struggling with reading — or if you've simply noticed something feels harder than it should — that's worth a conversation. The research is clear: the earlier the better.
A free consultation is the best place to start. We'll talk through your concerns, I'll share what I'm seeing, and together we'll decide if this is the right fit.
Schedule a Free Consultation