Reviews

We’ve been going to CSS Montclair office for about three years and have had a positive experience. Our speech therapist makes a difference; she is knowledgeable and caring. She’s gotten to know my son well and maintains ongoing open communication with us. We’ve also done the chat and play groups which my son has enjoyed. Lastly, the administrative staff is responsive and easy to work with.

My son was introduced to Cynthia and her wonderful team when he was just 4 years old and unable to express himself beyond one or two spoken words and some sign language due to a combination of his autism spectrum disorder and developmental apraxia of speech. At 8 years old now, he is better-equipped to express his needs through a combination of much-improved articulation, two- to three-word sentence formation and use of his iPad as an augmentative speech device. The team at Creative Speech (current therapist Anna) has gone beyond providing weekly therapy: Not only did they diagnose his apraxia and develop a detailed therapy plan, they regularly communicate with his school therapists, provide us with instruction to carry over therapy at home, collaborate with us on his goals, assist us with insurance issues, and introduce other potentially helpful therapies. They continue to help our son learn to communicate by playing to his strengths, encouraging and challenging him to strive for his greatest potential and find his true “voice.”

My child has made unbelievable progress at Creative Speech Solutions. Six months ago my son utilized only minimal words and now he is speaking in sentences. I am so pleased with the techniques utilized by Cynthia and Karen and the truly individualized approach geared toward my child. Cynthia and Karen are very dedicated and it shows in the progress that has been made to date!

Our son Max had difficulties with speech from a very early age; and for many years, we never knew what his official “problem” was. Finally, a few months after Max turned three; he was formally diagnosed with Childhood Apraxia. It was at this point that we found Cynthia, who conducted her own evaluation of Max and instantly came up with a plan. What immediately struck my wife and I was how genuinely interested Cynthia was in helping our son – so much so that she even rearranged her schedule to accommodate early morning sessions since that was the only time we could make it given our own work schedules.

From the very first session, Max responded well to Cynthia. She was energetic and “fun” and motivated Max by continuously changing the session routine to accommodate his interests. Cynthia was also very diligent about documenting what she and Max focused on each week. She kept his lessons in a notebook and showed us how to use that notebook at home so that we could reinforce all that he was learning. Literally within just a few weeks we saw significant improvements in Max s ability to communicate. His teachers at school even mentioned his progress, which proved to us that this was working. Within seven months after his first session with Cynthia, Max had improved to the point where he was considered “age appropriate” and Cynthia suggested that we stop the speech sessions altogether. We were shocked – he had actually caught up to his peers.

We cannot express how thrilled we are that Max has come so far. We feel so fortunate to have met Cynthia, who has tremendous experience, energy and integrity. We have seen several speech therapists ever since Max was a baby. Hands down Cynthia is the best, and we cannot recommend her or thank her enough.

Cynthia Marrapodi and her team are warm, caring, highly skilled speech therapists. They are great with kids with minor speech issues, as well as working with kids like my child with severe apraxia. Cynthia makes herself available to communicate with the school therapist. My child has worked with four therapists on the team over the past six years. I don’t know what we would do without them.

When our son was first diagnosed with Childhood Apraxia of Speech by Creative Speech Solutions, our initial feelings were simultaneously relief and fear: relief that there was a reason for our not being able to understand the words he was trying to say; and a profound fear that we never would. After a year of therapy at CSS those fears have all but disappeared. Karen, our SLP at CSS has worked wonders. Asking a two and a half year old boy to stay seated for thirty minutes is hard enough, let alone asking him to repeat sounds and words that his speech muscles struggle to form. She has consistently found ways to motivate him, and as a result he has shown remarkable progress. Her deep understanding of his disability, her proactive approach to his therapy and her ability to adapt to his responses has yielded unquestionably positive results. Her communication with us has been outstanding and CSS as a whole has gone above and beyond in accommodating us, from school advice and appointment scheduling, to complex insurance issues. After just over a year of therapy, we are no longer afraid, but thankful that we have such an amazing team of professionals helping our son.

Shortly after my son turned 2, I had him evaluated by an ENT to examine his tonsils and adenoids. Due to the “the sound of his breathing.” It was suggested that I give speech therapy a try. Since we had been to Creative Speech Solutions for feeding therapy already, of course I contacted Cynthia again.

I feel so fortunate that Anna entered our lives. She made a HUGE impact on both my life and my son’s, and what she did with him in under a year is truly remarkable. To think that he had so many language errors, from “peppy-toe” for peanut butter and “atta” for truck, wow she did amazing things with him. His speech is much clearer and he has made huge progress from where we started.

What I loved most about the 2 years I spent at Creative Speech is the level of care we received, and warm, loving environment that Creative Speech embodies. As a parent, there is nothing I could want more for my child than for him to look forward to seeing Anna, and to want to hug and kiss her every time we saw her (There were times I wanted to as well!!) Often people would ask me, why drive all the way to Summit for speech when there are options close by? My answer is simple- their skill and expertise is top notch, they always do what’s in the best interest of my child, and I wouldn’t trust anyone else. In my mind, there is no replacement for excellent care, which is what we always received at Creative Speech. I feel grateful for all that you’ve done for my son and I just want to say thank you.

My daughter Ella is a happy six-year old girl who lives with Severe Ataxic Cerebral Palsy. She has been in Speech therapy since birth. Unfortunately, talking and chewing are severe impairments for Ella. Two years ago, we were lucky enough to begin our Speech therapy with Cynthia Marrapodi, Director and Owner of Creative Speech Solutions. Since Ella has started speech therapy at Creative Speech Solutions, she has gained many new sounds and some new dysarthric words. Her muscle control is significantly increased and the strength with her breath has become increasingly stronger. Ella even has a hummmmm now. Although Ella goes to a public school, Cynthia comes to her school to do consulting with all the staff who work with her. She put together a clinical home and school program for our daughter. This three-prong approach is working beautifully. Creative Speech Solutions has offered Ella many opportunities including camps and music classes. Cynthia is very organized and conducts very structured sessions. She works on a gamut of areas from oral motor exercises to enhance articulation and strengthening muscles with picture cards. On opposite days at her clinic she works on feeding and drinking with Ella. Ella has an augmentative communication device called a Dynovox and is supported by Creative Speech Solutions. I would highly recommend Creative Speech Solutions to all families with children with Speech impairments.

My son has apraxia and receives both OT and speech therapy at CSS from Christine and Karen. All of his therapists not only make a tremendous effort to engage and challenge my son during their sessions but they do an incredible amount of work outside the sessions. They clearly work as a team to ensure a common approach, provide me with thoughtful feedback and encouragement not to mention referrals to other sources/services on his condition. Everyone at CSS makes me feel like my son is as much a part of their family as he is mine.

My therapist at CSS is wonderful! She works with both my daughter (5 yrs old) and my son (6 yrs old) and I couldn’t be happier with their progress. She makes each session fun and the kids love working with her every week. She always keeps me up to speed on my children s progress, give clear and concise instructions regarding their homework, and is always available to answer any questions I may have. She is a pleasure to work with and I look forward to continued success.

I was referred to Creative Speech Solutions by a friend of mine who is a special education teacher. Creative Speech Solutions has an incredible reputation in the special needs community for proven success. My daughter is 7 and she has been in speech therapy since she was 18 months old. At age 3, she hated going to speech and cried when we got in the car to go. It actually broke my heart to see this. That is when I was referred to Creative Speech Solutions. Karen called me back personally to discuss my daughter’s case. We started that next week and I can honestly say it has been a life changing experience. My daughter has severe Apraxia of Speech. She was maybe 25% intelligible when she started and now it is close to 90%. Karen gained my daughter’s trust, noticed her cues and personality traits, and tailored her therapy to suit her specifically. I must add that Creative Speech Solutions does not accept our insurance. I could have easily placed her somewhere else for a fraction of the cost. The therapy she is receiving is priceless and unparalleled. Now that she is in first grade, she has speech therapy at school. We still see Karen twice a week and look at school therapy as a bonus. Karen has always helped me fill out forms, written letters, and helped me navigate the complicated world of special needs education. Her impact on our lives has been nothing short of profound. We still have a long road ahead of us and I know with Karen we can conquer anything together.

My 3.5-year-old son, Nicholas has been seeing Karen at Creative Speech Solutions for feeding therapy since September 2011. He is not able to transition to solid food from baby food. Throughout our on-going weekly feeding sessions, Karen has established a bond and trust with Nicholas. She makes suggestions and provides me with information and support to help this challenge we face daily. I am so grateful for her expertise and for all her hard work with our son and would strongly recommend them to anyone considering feeding therapy for their child.

It seems like it was just yesterday that my son was 1, eating only baby food, and I didn’t know what to do or where to go. I took him to get evaluated but didn’t like the answers I was given and I didn’t know where to turn. Thankfully, I asked my most trusted friend where she had taken her son and she said that Creative Speech was the best around. She went on to say what a wonderful job Cynthia had done with her son.

From the moment I met, Cynthia, I knew she was going to do amazing things with my son. At 15 months old, he had just started eating puffs. Just 8 months later, was eating tons of fruits and vegetables, and many foods I never dreamed he would eat! I owe it all to Cynthia, thank you so much.

I have two sons – aged 6 and 9 – who were diagnosed with tongue thrust about 3 years ago. My youngest has been seeing Susan Tuli at Creative Speech since then as he also has severe food allergies that delayed introducing foods to him and his allergist recommended swallowing therapy for him at the same time. He has made immense strides and much progress in the time Susan has spent with him. She has helped him to swallow and chew better, to breathe through his nose, and to speak more clearly as a few examples of the areas where she has helped him.

My older son started seeing Susan as well about 6 months ago with similarly positive results. He has learned to give a real smile, which actually shows in photos and to chew on both sides of his mouth instead of only on one side. Overall, Creative Speech is a friendly, wonderful practice to work with – from the owner, Cynthia to the staff at the front desk. Susan is a gifted therapist who really helps my children while they are having fun. I highly recommend Creative Speech Solutions to anyone considering it for their children.

Creative Speech Solutions in Summit has allowed our daughter to fulfill her Occupational Therapy Needs (therapist Laura) for her Sensory Integration Disorder but she can immediately follow her session with Speech Therapy (therapist Anna) for her Apraxia. Not only is it so convenient for us, but also it allows the two therapists to communicate directly. This also creates an environment that our daughter feels comfortable and safe. We have seen and continue to see great results from her work at Creative Speech Solutions.

My daughter was diagnosed last Fall, Sept 2011, with having difficulty crossing her mid-line by Occupational Therapist, Laura Heil. She has worked with Laura once a week since then. She was only 5 and Laura made her feel very comfortable. She challenged my daughter and her progress has been amazing. Last summer, I was unable to continue due to her long camp day (for 8 weeks). Once my daughter adjusted to kindergarten this fall, I resumed her OT. She continues to improve her grip, writing and confidence. I have also been happy with Creative Speech office staff, billing etc.

My son has been seeing Laura Heil for almost a year. He is always so excited to see Laura and always looks forward to his visits to the office. He asks about her at home and wants to go see her on days when he doesn t have appointments. Laura is so great with him and is on top of his challenges and she’s able to push him forward and has made amazing progress with him. She provides us with regular updates and is always available to speak with us. She has provided us with regular feedback and direction on what we can do at home to support what she is doing. She has been advocate on his behalf with his school to ensure he gets the necessary OT support. Our son has made great gains in his time with Laura, and we only expect it to continue. I cannot say enough positive things about my son s experience with Laura and how much he has progressed.

My five-year old son has been attending literacy therapy at Creative Speech Solutions with Tovah for almost a year. When he began, he had trouble remembering the names and sounds of letters. After working with Tovah for a couple of months it just “clicked”. He could tell me any letter and the sound it made. At preschool and at home we had been working on the alphabet with him for the better part of two years and we hadn’t been able to make any progress. Tovah used an approach of teaching the alphabet that
incorporated visual, sensory and auditory cues. Once he started to succeed with the alphabet he become very excited to learn to read. Literacy therapy is one of his favorite “classes”. He looks forward every week for a chance to read a new book. We have been so very happy with how he has done. Tovah has been nurturing and supportive. My son has always loved having books read to him. Now that he can read even a little bit on his own he has so much more confidence in his own abilities.

Christine, through her quality occupational therapy services, has brought my son from having fine motor delays and upper body wCeakness to being prepared for the demands of Kindergarten in the fall. Her therapy sessions combine gross motor and fine motor exercises that are fun and beneficial. Christine also provides “homework” that reinforces skills. In a very short time, my son is able to write all upper and lower case letters, can isolate his fingers, better manipulate objects, is more confident and most importantly looks forward to going to his “gym class” with Miss Christine.

My son, John, qualified for speech and OT after being evaluated by the state Early Intervention Team in April of 2012. I decided to take him privately and began to do some research on Speech/OT facilities in the area. A friend of mine highly recommended Creative Speech Solutions in Summit. From my first call, I knew Creative Speech Solutions was a caring place. The office staff (Robin) couldn’t have been nicer and answered all my questions. They also helped me deal with my insurance challenges. (and they still are!) I also received a call from the Director, Cynthia Marrapodi, and she was extremely helpful!

My son, John, began receiving OT in July of 2012 with Laura Heil. Laura is an amazing therapist and has truly made a difference in John’s life. He has made consistent progress and loves going to work with “Miss Laura.” John also began receiving Speech therapy in September of that year and made fine progress and enjoys his time.”

I am very grateful to everyone at Creative Speech Solutions for helping John! (as well as our entire family.) I am so glad that I got that recommendation from my friend and I would highly recommend Creative Speech Solutions to anyone I know!

CSS was recommended by my son’s preschool to work on improving his fine motor skills. He has been working with Christine Moller for 1.5 yrs now, and has made tremendous improvements in his handwriting, core strength, and balancing. Christine has really worked with me on concerns I have with my son that are outside of the original scope of treatment, even consulting with other therapists at CSS to develop a very specific, individualized plan to treat him. I have been very pleased with her efforts, and the relationship that has developed between Christine and my son.

Christine is excellent and my son continues to reference the different activities and “awesome stuff” in her gym. Not only did she write a thorough and comprehensive report, it arrived only days later. I really appreciate the level of comfort and professionalism that Cynthia Marrapodi and her staff manage to balance.

My son has apraxia and receives both OT and speech therapy at CSS from Christine and Karen. All of his therapists not only make a tremendous effort to engage and challenge my son during their sessions but they do an incredible amount of work outside the sessions. They clearly work as a team to ensure a common approach, provide me with thoughtful feedback and encouragement not to mention referrals to other sources/services on his condition. Everyone at CSS makes me feel like my son is as much a part of their family as he is mine.

My 5 year-old son first came to CSS in mid-December 2012 after having been diagnosed with ADHD and fine motor skill delays. He needed Occupational Therapy and I found Christine Moller through friends after already hearing good things about CSS. Since January, my son has met with “Miss Christine” once a week and he has improved by leaps and bounds. Christine worked hard to gain his trust and ensures that he is learning while also having fun. When he first started, he was having trouble cutting, writing, coloring, balancing and more. ALL of these areas have improved significantly and I truly cannot believe how far he has come in less than a year. He can now color in the lines, write all of his uppercase letters, write his numbers, cut and balance much better than when he began. Christine is a HUGE part of his success. I truly cannot recommend her and CSS highly enough. In fact, I have recommended her and CSS to anyone and everyone who has expressed a need for their services!

My son has been going to CSS since he was three years old. He has developmental delays and ADHD, and he currently receives Occupational Therapy once a week with Laura Heil. He had made a significant amount of progress with gross and fine motor skills and overall body awareness. Laura also provided us with a sensory diet which we incorporate into my son’s daily routine at home. Laura is very patient and kind, and we are grateful for her hard work and dedication to our son’s progress.

In the fall, my son who has developmental dyspraxia participated in the Sing and Socialize group at Creative Speech Solutions. He loves music and we thought the group would be a lot of fun for him. He really enjoyed the class and looked forward to it. He was able to easily transition into the class and participated well once he was there. The instructor was very upbeat and made the class a lot of fun.

We are very pleased with the services provided by Creative Speech Solutions. Our son’s therapists (Anna and Tovah) are extraordinary in identifying and addressing very specific areas of concern in his speech, language and literacy development. He has made a tremendous difference in his development over the last year. We also include our son in their summer camp, which is the most effective and productive summer program we have used to date.

My child has been seeing Tovah for nearly two years for auditory processing disorder. Tovah has helped immensely, not just with word retrieval issues, but other problems with writing, particulary when open-ended questions are asked. Tovah tailors each session to my child’s needs, and communicates regularly with us and the teachers at our school to find out about upcoming assignments and areas that my child needs help with. We are very pleased with the improvement in writing and organization skills. Tovah’s dedication is fantastic, and we highly recommend her, as well as Creative Speech Solutions. Thumbs up also for the helpful staff, convenient location, and nicely decorated office with a beautiful mural in the waiting room.

Creative Speech has provided a great place for my child to grow, work on specific issues and improve his capabilities. Not only has his speech improved, but so has his overall learning skills. The fact that our great therapist (Tovah) makes it fun along the way enhances his experience. We recommend Creative Speech as a warm, knowledgeable and caring practice for your children.

Our son, who is on the autism spectrum, has attended Creative Speech Solutions for the last two years. We originally signed on to focus on improving his speech, but we quickly found that the services at Creative Speech offer so much more. In addition to assessing and improving his speech gaps, the experienced and innovative instructors work hard to expand his vocabulary and provide learning skills that make it fun for our son to expand his learning. In addition, we also enrolled in a wonderful in social skills programs, which help our son interact with his peers.

We find Creative Speech instructors to be very flexible and open to suggestions from parents, and in turn they provide actionable feedback to us in terms of what they see and what best to work on with our son.

I can t say enough good things about Tovah Segelman. She is my son s literacy and social skills therapist. My son has been thriving since he has been working with Tovah. His teachers are so impressed with the progress my son is making both academically as well as socially and so am I. Tovah makes therapy fun and my son looks forward to meeting with her every week. Tovah is always available to answer any questions my son s teachers or I may have. She is truly dedicated to the success of all her students. I am so thankful Tovah is my son s therapist.

I can t say enough good things about Tovah Segelman. She is my son s literacy and social skills therapist. My son has been thriving since he has been working with Tovah. His teachers are so impressed with the progress my son is making both academically as well as socially and so am I. Tovah makes therapy fun and my son looks forward to meeting with her every week. Tovah is always available to answer any questions my son s teachers or I may have. She is truly dedicated to the success of all her students. I am so thankful Tovah is my son s therapist.