According to the Child Development Institute, approximately 20 million children, or 1 out of 10, have speech and language delays. Less severe speech disorders, such as stuttering, articulation, or difficulties with syntax are even more common.
However, unless a child has a severe speech disorder, it is unlikely medical insurance will cover treatment costs, and school speech therapists only treat the most severe cases. Parents then have to pay for speech therapy out of pocket.
Speech pathologist Amy Reno hopes to change that with Speechtails.com, a website she and her husband, Todd, launched in January 2010 to address this underserved population.
“I hear stories everyday from parents whose child may have minor speech disorders that need therapy, but because their child’s problem is not severe, they are not eligible for help from their school, and traditional one-on-one therapy is not covered by insurance,” said Reno.
The frustration of turning kids away prompted Reno to develop an alternative to traditional speech therapy. SpeechTails.com provides parents the ability to administer a free speech assessment to their child. The assessment then generates an individualized lesson plan. The individualized plan utilizes a combination of videos for each sound, daily living exercises, mouth exercises, and homework which all work together to form a “learning system,” Reno said.
The website’s resources and blog, authored by Reno, are designed to assist parents with children’s speech issues from home. Speechtails is intended to compliment traditional one-on-one therapy, not replace it.
Reno has taken full advantage of BizStart’s resources. She has participated in an Ugly Baby panel, BizStarts’ networking events and is working with BizStarts’ Venture Track mentor Christopher McConville, President/CEO of Lorence Manufacturing Corp. to develop a business plan.
“BizStarts helped us make several key connections and offers much more than just mentoring services. When I run into a roadblock that I can't seem to find a way around I call Chelsea or my mentor and they point me in a new direction,” Reno said.
The company is currently testing it’s website by partnering with a local day care facility and is launching a pilot program at Sherman Park Lutheran School.
Reno said the company is also exploring using the technology within the geriatric population and on patients who have suffered from speech debilitating occurrences, such as a stroke.
“We keep on growing and exploring new ways to improve SpeechTails...it has been an exciting time,” Amy said.
The Reno’s, both aged 43, have two sons, aged 7 and 5. They moved to Milwaukee from Indianapolis in 1993 so Amy could attend Marquette University. Amy earned her Master’s Degree in Speech and Hearing from Marquette University. She has 20 years of experience in the speech and language field. Todd works in sales for an engineering firm.