At The Parent TRAIN, we believe the best outcomes happen when specialists work together. Our collaborative team includes licensed therapists, psychiatrists, speech therapists, occupational therapists, a dietitian, and a behavioral specialist, providing comprehensive care for children, teens, adults, and families.
Visit us in person near Riverdale, NJ, or access virtual services throughout New Jersey, Florida, Texas, and Connecticut—making high-quality, coordinated care more accessible for every family.
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Speech Therapy at The Parent Train
Many parents view speech therapy primarily as a way to help children pronounce words correctly or expand their vocabulary. While these skills are important, communication encompasses much more than just words. At The Parent TRAIN, we offer tailored speech therapy services provided by two skilled team members: Danyela Williams and Scott Shansky. Both are licensed speech-language pathologists in New Jersey with extensive experience in the field.
Scott is trained in PROMPT Speech Therapy, which is a specialized, hands-on approach that helps children develop clearer speech, improve communication skills, and build confidence.
PROMPT Therapy can be especially beneficial for children who:
✅ Have speech sound delays
✅ Are difficult to understand
✅ Have motor speech challenges
✅ Use scripts or echolalia when communicating
✅ Need support developing functional communication skills
Our experienced speech-language pathologists create individualized therapy plans designed to meet your child where they are and help them reach their communication goals.
Danyela incorporates the concept of pragmatics into her approach to language. Pragmatic language refers to the social use of language—how we communicate to interact, build relationships, and navigate daily situations.
A child may have a strong vocabulary and be able to speak in full sentences, yet still struggle with pragmatic language skills. These difficulties can impact friendships, classroom participation, and social confidence.
Pragmatic language therapy helps children learn how to:
✅ Start and maintain conversations
✅ Take turns when talking
✅ Stay on topic during conversations
✅ Understand social rules and expectations
✅ Read facial expressions, body language, and tone of voice
✅ Understand humor, sarcasm, and figurative language
✅ Ask appropriate questions and make comments relevant to the conversation
✅ Adjust their communication for different people and situations
✅ Develop and maintain friendships
At our practice, we understand that every child has unique speech needs. That’s why we are committed to developing a personalized plan that not only supports your child but also guides you through every step of the process. Together, we’ll ensure they receive the best possible care and encouragement during their speech journey!