Rehabilitation Specialists

09/04/2024

Dear clients, friends, and family,

After 42 years serving the Pittsburgh community’s speech therapy needs, we must announce the closing of Rehabilitation Specialists, Inc. I, myself, have been a speech therapist here for 12 years and have been the owner/director for almost 6. During that time, I have met and worked with so many wonderful people and got to do some really significant work. I am so proud of the quality of services that we have provided in my time here and before that.

This announcement does not come with careful consideration for the well-being of our clients. For our current clients, I have spoken briefly with you about our plans moving forward over the past couple weeks. Please find attached to this letter recommendations for places to transfer your speech therapy care. Please make sure to call your insurance provider to ensure that you understand your benefits and that your selected provider is within your network. We strongly suggest contacting your preferred office for transfer of care as soon as possible.

We will be seeing clients in our Bellevue office through August 30, 2024. Expect to see us moving things around and getting the building ready to be sold as well. Materials and furniture will be available for sale at a greatly discounted rate. Please feel free to inquire about any materials you would like for your own use.

Records will be available for your copy through August 30, 2024 at our office:

Rehabilitation Specialists, Inc.
info@rehabspecialists.net
412-761-6062
35 N. Balph Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15202

For all clients, current and past, if you need access to your records after August 30 2024, please contact me through the following means:

Kathleen Dames
Kathleendames36@gmail.com
724-561-4550
409 Ridgewood Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15229

It has been a true honor to be a part of your lives. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for trusting Rehab Specialists for your families’ needs.

Kathleen Dames, M.S. CCC-SLP
Speech Language Pathologist
Director

07/03/2024

🌊The Search for Summer Speech🌊

Look no further for summer speech activities! Our therapists here at Rehabilitation Specialists, Inc. know that any activity can be a speech-language activity given the right techniques and targets. Consider playing a ball game outside or hide-and-seek scavenger hunt in the yard.

For today’s focus: water-themed play! A favorite of some of our therapists, fill a small bucket or pool with water. Shampoo bottles, cups, and paintbrushes will amuse for hours. Label and repeat play items and actions and encourage the child to imitate…just remember repetition is key. Repeated actions make big “waves” in language! Let us know in the comments how “speech in the water” goes!

06/10/2024

🏕️Summer Camp Opportunity!🏕️

We have preschool or young school-age children at home and our finding ourselves wondering what we can do with them this summer. Help us fight off summer boredom and get those kids out of the house with our summer camp coming July and August 2024! Join Rehabilitation Specialists, Inc for a fun, engaging, four-day adventure into early literacy and learning! Split into two separate sessions and led by certified speech-language pathologists, sessions will be provided at our Bellevue outpatient therapy location as well as Bayne park as weather permits. We will provide games, lead language-based activities, and build early learning skills while having fun in the sun!

Session 1 will occur July 8-11, 9:30am - 12pm. Session 2 will occur August 5-8, 9:30am - 12pm. Address is 35 N. Balph Ave, Bellevue, PA, United States, Pennsylvania. Registration will close the first day (July 8). Please see the registration link for costs. Register here! https://forms.office.com/r/47Z76nfA54

06/03/2024

🥇🥈🥉Game Night! 🥉🥈🥇

Another fun activity for you to fill the summer up with fun, educational learning. Because we know trying to keep your kids occupied in the summer is always a hurdle. 😵‍💫

Wondering how to incorporate your kiddo's goals from speech therapy into your game night sessions? Read on for some tips for which goals you can work on with our recommendations. 🎲

Looking for even more summer practice for your kid's speech and language goals? Click the link below for your free speech/language/hearing screening to get started today!

http://rehabspecialists.net

05/31/2024

☀️ Happy Summer break! ☀️

Now is the perfect time to think about how we will keep our kids' progress from the school year going throughout the summer. But what is the best use of our time?

Check out this infographic on how important reading is to keep our brains active. 🧠

If your child received speech therapy in school and you are wondering how to keep their momentum going, click the link below to get them speech therapy this summer. We love to focus on books in our therapy for exactly this purpose! 📕📗📘📙

http://rehabspecialists.net

04/24/2024

It is with great sadness that we are announcing the passing of our company’s founder, Kathleen Helfrich-Miller.

She touched so many lives in a positive way, professionally and personally. We are happy to take any positive stories you may have of Kathy to compile a book of wisdoms from her. Feel free to email kathleen.rehabspecialists@gmail.com if you have some something you would like to share about Kathy.

Share Memories and Support the Family.

01/03/2024

We are hiring! Looking for a part-time therapist for after-school hours. Please share!

Rehabilitation Specialists, Inc.

03/17/2023

How can I make outside playtime educational?

Now that the weather is starting to look a little more like Springtime, we're all about to be spending more time outside enjoying the sunshine. But how can we use that time to help our children learn and communicate better? Use our tips and maximize your beautiful days at the park!

At Rehab Specialists, we help children in the Pittsburgh area communicate better. We strive to provide top-notch speech therapy services to children and adults of all ages. For information, contact us at 412-761-6062.

02/25/2023

How can I help my child practice their speech sounds?

Helping a child improve their speech can be stressful. Follow our tips to make it a little easier! By incorporating some simple practices into your daily routine, you can help your child improve their speech sounds, which will benefit them for life. If you need help developing a home plan, you can always ask your child's speech therapist for assistance. They will always be happy to assist you in creating a home plan specifically for your child so that they can succeed in all of their speech goals.

At Rehab Specialists, we help children in the Pittsburgh area communicate better. We strive to provide top-notch speech therapy services to children and adults of all ages. For information, contact us at 412-761-6062.

01/28/2023

What's the difference between Receptive and Expressive Language? What does it mean when my speech therapist mentions them?

Receptive and Expressive Language skills are both necessary in communication, across all ages. Receptive Language skills are the "listening" skills. Receptive language is the ability to take in language that is happening around you, process it, and comprehend it. People with deficits in Receptive language may seem like they "don't listen" to you or "don't understand" when being spoken to. Expressive Language skills are the "talking" skills. Expressive Language is the ability to use words, gestures, signs, images, and writing to let those around you know your wants, needs, feelings, and opinions. People with deficits in Expressive Language may appear to be quiet or aloof. They may experience difficulty using words appropriately, answering questions, and naming objects or pictures when asked. While they may be very different, both Expressive and Receptive language skills are necessary to communicate effectively with others.

If you are concerned that you or your child may be experiencing deficits in Receptive or Expressive language skills, a speech therapist will be able to help. Speech therapists are trained to address a wide variety of difficulties that these deficits can cause.

At Rehab Specialists, we help children in the Pittsburgh area communicate better. We strive to provide top-notch speech therapy services to children and adults of all ages. For information, contact us at 412-761-6062.

01/22/2023

Have you ever watched your child's therapy session and thought to yourself "That looks an awful lot like they were just playing."? Well, you were right! Kind of. Your child's speech therapist is a master of play! Speech therapists are trained to incorporate all sorts of therapy activities into what can appear to be a normal session of play. Pay close attention to the words the therapist is repeating, the instructions they are giving, the toys they are choosing, the questions that they are asking... theses are the moments that therapy is occurring! Once you see it, it can be fascinating to watch your child's therapist sneak therapy goals in to play. And if you have questions about what is occurring, always ask! Your child's speech therapist would be glad to explain to you so that you understand more clearly.

At Rehab Specialists, we help children in the Pittsburgh area communicate better. We strive to provide top-notch speech therapy services to children and adults of all ages. For information, contact us at 412-761-6062.

01/07/2023

True or False?
"My child can't receive speech therapy services until they are in school."

The correct answer is... false! All children from birth are able to receive developmental services in order to ensure that they grow and succeed appropriately. Infants and toddlers with qualifying delays are able to receive Early Intervention services at no cost to the family. Services include speech therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, vision and hearing services, nutritional services, and more. If your child is not meeting their developmental milestones, or you have concerns about your child's development, discuss Early Intervention services with your pediatrician! They will be able to provide you with the resources you need to contact your local Early Intervention providers. For more information, you are able to call the CONNECT Helpline at 1-800-692-7288.

At Rehab Specialists, we help children in the Pittsburgh area communicate better. We strive to provide top-notch speech therapy services to children and adults of all ages. For information, contact us at 412-761-6062.