Cinnaminson Speech Pathologist Reduces Rates Amid Pandemic

CINNAMINSON, NJ — As the coronavirus pandemic hits families across the country hard, parents who have lost their jobs are being put in a precarious position if their children need special services. Namely, they must figure out how can they continue to get the help their children need.

Speech Language Associates specializes in deaf and hard of hearing, speech therapy and Augmented and Alternative Communication (AAC) services. It recently moved from Delran to Cinnaminson, and is helping families by reducing their rates by 10 percent, according to the company’s founder, Dr. Kristy E. Davies.

“We’ve been getting a lot of calls from individuals who are concerned their child has regressed,” Davies said. “They might need more services now. Those who have insurance are OK, but we’ve had a slew of parents who can’t afford a session. We started researching scholarship and grant opportunities, but we ultimately decided to just reduce our rates.”

New Jersey Coronavirus Updates: Don't miss local and statewide announcements about novel coronavirus precautions. Sign up for Patch alerts and daily newsletters.

Families who pay in cash can now pay $54 for 30 minutes, while school districts can pay $90 for one hour. The company visits homes and school districts throughout Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Atlantic and Ocean counties.

Davies said families were concerned about their child’s progress once the coronavirus pandemic shut down much of the state back in March. Suddenly, their children weren’t getting the help they needed in-person, although teletherapy was still available. Teletherapy doesn’t work for everyone, though.

Speech Language Associates recently returned to in-person services. In addition to helping children, they helped school districts figure out how to run teletherapy programs.

Davies said the reduced rate will remain in place for the rest of the year, and they will re-evaluate in October to see if it can continue to offer reduced rates into next year and for the remainder of the pandemic.

Davies founded the company in 2011, and expanded it in 2017. She and her partner each have a Master’s Degree in Speech Language Pathology.

Anyone interested in learning more about Speech Language Associates can visit www.speechlanguageassociates.com or call Davies at 856-492-1355.

See more stories about New Jersey's coronavirus recovery.