In Home Speech & Feeding Therapy

for kids!

Serving Northeast Los Angeles, Glendale, Burbank, and the East San Fernando Valley

Welcome to Rachel Velard Speech and Feeding Therapy!

Offering evaluation and treatment of speech and language delays, feeding disorders, and orofacial myofunctional disorders in children from infancy to age 18.

We are a private, home-based pediatric speech therapy practice

that comes to you

About Speech and Feeding Therapy

How Can Speech Therapy Help My Child?

All children deserve to communicate their wants and needs, thoughts, and feelings in an effective manner. The goal of speech therapy is to help your child communicate clearly and effectively so they can have their thoughts and feelings be “heard” by both familiar and unfamiliar listeners. To reach this goal, Rachel will work with your child on both language skills and speech skills. Language skills include the number of words in the child’s vocabulary, length of utterances, language understanding, ability to ask and answer questions, and knowledge of age-appropriate concepts). Speech skills include articulation, speech intelligibility, and speech sounds.

Rachel has many years of experience working with children with a variety of speech and language disorders, including:

  • Late talkers

  • Phonological disorders

  • Childhood apraxia of speech

  • Language delays caused by congenital or chromosomal anomolies

  • Autism Spectrum Disorders

  • Congenital and Acquired Traumatic Brain Injuries

  • Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) users

How Can Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy Help My Child?

Orofacial myofunctional therapy (OMT) addresses the oral structures (lips, tongue, jaw, cheeks, and palate) and their impact on swallowing skills and oral rest posture. Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders (OMDs) can contribute to the onset of a variety of issues, including the following:

  • Airway obstruction (e.g. enlarged adenoids or tonsils)

  • Ongoing sucking habits (thumb or pacifier sucking)

  • Obstructive sleep apnea/Sleep disordered breathing

  • Excessive drooling

  • Poor sleep quality

  • Poor feeding skills (e.g. difficulties chewing or swallowing)

  • Poor speech skills (e.g. lisping, articulation issues)

  • Abnormal jaw growth and position

  • Improper teeth alignment

  • Orthodontic relapse (need for braces again)

How Can Infant or Child Feeding Therapy Help My Child?

Infant feeding therapy can help with sucking, bottle feeding, utensil feeding, and the transition to and/or acceptance of solids. Child feeding therapy can help with extreme picky eating (e.g. “problem feeders”) and/or difficulties with chewing, drinking, and swallowing.

Some signs of feeding or swallowing problems that a feeding therapist can help with are:

  • Poor weight gain

  • Poor bottle feeding

  • Arching back/flailing movements during feeding

  • Fussiness during or after feeding

  • Coughing or gagging while feeding

  • Difficulty transitioning to solids

  • Falling asleep when feeding

  • Trouble coordinating breath while feeding

  • Eating only certain textures, such as soft food or crunchy food

  • Pocketing food (defined as holding food in their mouth)

  • Problems chewing

  • Coughing or gagging during meals

Meet Rachel

Rachel K. Velard, MA, CCC-SLP

Owner, Speech-Language Pathologist, Feeding Therapist

Rachel has a decade of experience working with children with a variety of developmental and medical needs in inpatient, outpatient, and home care settings. A native of St. Louis, she lived and worked in New York City for 19 years before relocating to Burbank, CA, with her family in 2021. Rachel holds an M.A. in Speech Language Pathology from the City University of New York-Lehman College. She looks forward to meeting with you and your child in your home environment to help support your whole child in a way that is warm, flexible, and respectful.

“You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think, and loved more than you’ll ever know.”

-A.A. Milne