We are so grateful for Dana at Well Said Speech and the impact she has had on our son, Mark. When we started speech therapy at age 2, Mark mostly mumbled, said very few words, and relied heavily on pointing to communicate. We had tried two other therapists before Dana, but those experiences made him more hesitant and left us feeling discouraged. Dana was a completely different experience. In just 6 months, Mark made incredible progress. He now strings together sentences and participates in interactive, animated conversations. It has been amazing to see his confidence grow. Dana made sessions fun and engaging through a variety of activities that encouraged Mark to want to talk. She was patient, calm, and cheerful, while still providing structure and guidance. Her approach really suited Mark's personality, especially since he tends to be more timid. She also worked closely with us, giving practical tips and strategies to continue supporting him at home, which made a big difference. Now Mark is not only communicating clearly, but in many ways is on par with or even ahead of some of his peers. We are so thankful for Dana and everything she has done for our family. read more

We came to learn from his teacher that my 5-year-old son has not said more than a word or two during his first 3 months in his TK year in elementary school. My wife researched and found out he may have some signs of Selective Mutism (SM). That was also when we found out about Leah and her therapy, Well Said Speech Therapy from a Facebook support group for SM. Leah gave us with warm welcome and she was very enthusiastic talking about SM treatment. She did give us a lot of hope in this journey. Leah and her team use the PCIT‑SM approach--a specialized version of Parent‑Child Interaction Therapy for selective mutism developed by Dr. SteveKurtz--right here in their clinic. Leah herself graduated from Dr. Kurtz's training program and became professional practitioner of the PCIT-SM framework. They explained that this isn't just speech therapy, but confidence-building through relationship and structure. And the training is really for adults (parents and teachers) mainly, not for kids so that we adults know how to interact with kids with SM appropriately and effectively. At first, Leah had me filling in some surveys to understand quantitatively how my son's SM in the scale. Once she set up the initial points (the metrics are around my son's "performing" in class, in public places, etc.), she then set up goals to reach for my son's treatment. After some periods, Leah would revisit those goals and see where my son's at those scales. Our sessions began with what they call Child‑Directed Interaction--simple, no-pressure play time that warmed my son up socially. The therapist and I would sit near her, praising her for any small vocalizations and showing how words can be fun. Most of the time, she would play board games with my son (and her office is a library of many board games) because those would trigger verbal communications from him. As she got more comfortable, they shifted into Verbal‑Directed Interaction--gradually introducing prompts, questions, and live coaching. I'd wear the "bug-in-ear" earpiece and received real-time guidance: "Wait five seconds... use reflection and labeled praise..." It felt like I was right beside them, helping my son take brave, supported steps toward talking more. What touched me most was how she trained me to be the effective communicator in my child's journey. I learned the PCIT "PRIDE" skills--Praise, Reflect, Imitate, Describe, Enjoy--and use them at home, school drop-offs, and playground visits. It's empowering to have tools that work beyond the clinic. It is the skills I'm glad I learned and can use in future. After just a couple of months, the change is astounding. At elementary drop‑off, he now says "hi" to his teacher (with some encouraging prompt!). Within six months, my son found the joy of speaking to other kids again (as he always wants to talk). His teacher even remarks that now that he learns talking isn't too bad and quite contrary it is more fun to him. He's doing great at school now (after one year since first therapy at Well Said), he made friends and can now talk with any kids and adults. Well Said Speech Therapy is so much more than speech drills. They create a warm, scientifically grounded environment where children feel safe, supported--and proud of their small yet huge steps. With PCIT‑SM methods based on Dr. Kurtz's work and a parent-coaching model that actually works, they've truly given our family a voice. If your child struggles with speaking in new situations, do not lose hope. The improvements may come slowly but they will come and you can see the differences. Be patient and practice those skills in PCIT-SM at almost all time and your child will get better. read more

We were introduced to Well Said Speech through the Regional Center when we sought help for our speech-delayed 2-year-old. After a thorough evaluation, our son was paired with a therapist who would visit our home twice a week for one-hour sessions. From the moment Dana started working with Beau, she was nothing short of amazing. We quickly grew to adore her, and Beau was always excited to see "Miss Dana." In fact, I found myself looking forward to the sessions just as much as he did. Dana always came prepared with a big bag of books and toys, ensuring each session was filled with new, engaging learning opportunities. Beau felt completely comfortable with Dana, and the progress he made under her guidance was nothing short of remarkable. When we began, Beau could only say "mama," "dada," and "all done." Yet, after just six months of working with Dana, he could express his needs, use two- and three-word phrases, greet people with "hello" and "goodbye," share his love for ocean creatures and shapes, practice taking turns, and so much more. Dana truly helped our son find his voice, and for that, we are forever grateful. We cannot recommend Well Said Speech enough! read more

My son was diagnosed with minor autistic when he was 3 years old. He had been through many speech therapists in the past. He has problem with speech and can't focus in anything he does. Except putting Legos together, which he's very good at. We did a search online and found Well Said Speech Services, after our last therapist quit for another opportunity and decided to give it a try. Leah is the owner and also our son's therapist. Our son started his first speech session with her on 09/20/2021. As of today, he has improved so much. He can put words in a sentence and able to communicate with friends and family with little struggling...This is something that my family has all wanted from him. We want him to be able to express his feeling and communicate well. All I can said is we are very grateful to have Leah helping my son and watching him improving everyday. Thank you Leah! no words can describe how happy we are with you! Again, thank you for all you do. read more

My daughter needed help with pronunciation and articulation around the age of 3. I didn't want to have to take her in somewhere for speech. I wanted to have her comfortable in her own home. Well Said Speech Services is the best thing I could've ever found. Mrs Leah would come to our home weekly and teach my daughter through play and games, which is my daughters favorite thing to do. Mrs Leah made my daughter and myself feel comfortable from the start and saw so much improvement even in the first month of working together. Mrs Leah has such a pure heart and love for children I recommend her 1000000%. I wish we still lived close by just for Mrs Leah. read more

Ms.Leah has been amazing and has helped our son make great progress in his social skills related to pragmatic language deficits due to mild autism. She is warm and kind. Her program structure is engaging and dynamic. Would highly recommend her services! read more

My daughter (who was 3 at the time) and I met Ms. Hall when she was working with her through our school district and from the beginning we have felt comfortable with Ms. Hall and as a parent, I felt like she genuinely wanted the best for my daughter. Ms. Hall guided us through the assessment process, then the IEP planning and she also was the Speech Pathologist to provide my daughter with services twice a week. My daughter is very shy and especially being home because of the pandemic she was very hesitant at the assessment. Ms. Hall was kind, patient, and came up with different ways to get her to talk so she could assess her. When it came to the 1st day of therapy, my daughter cried because she was nervous, I was not able to go with her, but Ms. Hall held her hand, was cheerful and after the 30 min when I came back, she was all smiles. She really enjoyed going to speech with Ms. Hall weekly. When Summer was approaching I was looking into getting my daughter some private speech services and we were thrilled to find out Ms. Hall started Well Said Speech Services! Ms. Hall came to our house once a week worked on my daughter's areas of need through play. They had so much fun and we were really able to see the progress and communicate with Ms. Hall more frequently than time allowed when services were at school. Ms. Hall is professional, engaging and you can just tell she loves what she does. I 100% recommend Well Said Speech Services and I look forward to having my daughter work with Ms. Hall next Summer! read more

Well Said Speech Services is amazing. Our therapist, Leah Hall, is always ontime and dependable. Her home visits really help us out and make our daughter feel comfortable in her own home. We also did Zoom this summer while camping one week in Malibu and it was perfect. She had screen songs and activites planned and it worked out well. Leah is also knowledgable in her field. She brings different toys and manipulatives every time so our daughter never gets bored and is always motivated. She also teaches us how to do the speech prompts and gives lots of advice on what to do at home when we are not in therapy. Compared to other therapists we have used for our daughter with Down syndrome, Leah Hall has been the best. She goes the extra mile and really cares about our family. As a mother, I appreciate the way she listens and considers all information about our life relevant to her speech therapy work. She is also well-connected. One session the speech therapist from the school district attended to be sure the IEP had all relevant information on our daughter. read more