Today we’d like to introduce you to Chloe Conrad
Hi Chloe, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m a California native with a lifelong love for creativity and connection. Raised by two small business owners—a hairdresser and an artist—I was always encouraged to pursue a career I felt passionate about. After earning my degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders, my path to grad school wasn’t easy—I was initially rejected by all 12 programs I applied to. That setback led me to gain real-world experience with kids and adults with disabilities, which deepened my passion for speech therapy.
I earned my Master’s in 2020 and have since worked across schools, clinics, and homes, developing a strong interest in feeding therapy and Childhood Apraxia of Speech. I’ve been trained in the SOS Approach and attended advanced CAS training with Dr. Edythe Strand. I’m currently pursuing certification in Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy.
After moving back to California to support my fiancé’s law school journey, I launched my own private practice and began developing a speech therapy app to fill gaps I experienced firsthand as an SLP. The app is launching this fall, and I’m excited to bring more effective, accessible tools to therapists and families.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As you know, we’re big fans of Spunky Speech Therapy, Inc.. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
As a speech therapist, I believe in presuming competence—every child is already full of potential, and my role is to help unlock their confidence and communication skills. My approach is playful, positive, and strengths-based because when a child can see that I am rooting for them, it allows them to make better progress. I want the children I work with to feel respected and empowered. I want their parents to feel proud of what they are doing RIGHT to help their child and not to feel consumed by anything else.
My particular areas of passion are speech sound disorders, childhood apraxia of speech, feeding disorders, and orofacial myofunctional disorders.
Speech sound disorders and Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) both require dynamic assessment. I see articulation testing as an opportunity for me to find the pattern in their errors. Once I find the pattern, I can choose how best to treat it. With CAS, it is much different. It requires a completely different approach, we don’t receive enough training on it in graduate school, and as a result, traditional speech therapy can actually hinder a child with CAS’s progress. I am uniquely qualified in my ability to distinguish between the two and find the right approach for that child. I also believe in providing immense education to parents so they can support them with practice at home. It takes time and a strong relationship between myself and the caregiver.
As for feeding therapy, I am passionate about children being able to feel safe and excited during mealtimes. I often tell families there are NO BAD FOODS when your child only eats 10 things. Any new food is a win that should be celebrated. Children can’t learn about new food unless they 1) have the skill to consume that food and 2) feel regulated and safe enough to explore it in a way that is free of pressure. I am able to tease out oral motor difficulties that are making a further impact on a child’s acquisition of new food.
Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy is less common, and not many SLPs have the extended training to treat them. Children who breathe with their mouths open aren’t able to take in as much oxygen as those who can breathe through their nose. This can accept sleep and palate formation due to the importance of the tongue’s resting posture in our oral motor development. The coordination of our tongue can have an impact on speech down the road if untreated.
I want parents to know that if they pursue services with me, they will have a neurodiversity-affirming therapist who cares deeply about creating a positive experience in speech therapy for a child. I want to make their lives easier and make their child’s experience with eating and taking easy and effective so they can have autonomy over their experiences.
I want other SLPs, SLPAs, and graduate students to know that I am here to empower them, ignite creativity, and build connections as we elevate our expertise with research-backed methods. I am using social media and the creation of my app to create that community and learn from other SLPs with areas of expertise that are different from mine.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Anything worth building takes time, continued positivity and the ability to continue to show up for yourself, and your clients even on days where you don’t feel as motivated, because those therapy wins, e.g., a child saying his name correctly for the first time, a child eating a new food, make it so worth it!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Spunkyspeechtherapy.com
- Instagram: Spunkyspeechtherapy
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574323332258
- Other: Tiktok: Spunkyspeechtherapy
