Speech Therapy Services for Children in Tulsa

Meet Maureen:

My name is Maureen Flanagan, and I am a licensed and certified pediatric speech/language pathologist with over 40 years of experience. Throughout my career, I have helped children with a variety of challenges, including feeding disorders, autism spectrum disorder, auditory processing disorder, social language disorders, communication difficulties, receptive/expressive language disorders, apraxia, and dysarthria.

I offer a range of services, including screenings, full evaluations, individual and group therapy, consultations, and home programs. My primary goal is to create a comprehensive treatment plan tailored to each child, and I often incorporate my expertise in PROMPT, NDT philosophy, and Sensory Integration Theory. In addition to speech therapy, I am a trained craniosacral therapist, Bowen practitioner, and certified children’s yoga instructor.

Beyond therapy, I have authored two books: Improving Speech and Eating Skills in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Oral Motor Program for Home and School and Strategies for A Successful Mealtime. I have presented at conferences such as the Milestones Conference, hosted webinars for the Autism Asperger’s Publishing Company, and designed The Step Up Cup, a child-friendly cup to support successful drinking.

Many of the children I work with, especially those on the autism spectrum, experience sensory integration disorder, which impacts their ability to process sensory information across multiple systems—auditory, tactile, visual, proprioceptive, vestibular, and kinesthetic. Sensory integration is a core component of any effective program, and I integrate this approach into my work. My books, which are provided for each student, suggest activities designed to help children manage both under-stimulation and over-stimulation.

If the child is under-stimulated before therapy or mealtime, I recommend:

Going for a walk
Jumping on a trampoline
Bouncing on a ball
Moving to music

If the child is over-stimulated before therapy or mealtime, I recommend:

Using a weighted vest
Rocking gently in a rocking chair
Rolling up in a blanket
Using lavender in a diffuser

It is essential to create the right treatment environment by ensuring the following conditions are met:

Keep auditory instructions brief, grammatically correct, and sometimes repetitive to help children better understand what will happen next.
Minimize visual information.
Use a picture-based or written schedule to help children predict their daily routine.

Another effective way to prepare a child for therapy or mealtime is by providing predictable tactile input, which helps reduce the fight/flight/freeze response in autistic children. I have developed a protocol called the oral sensory diet that accomplishes this. It is an oral motor program that offers predictable tactile input to aid in oral awareness, oral discrimination, oral stability, separation of movement, and the sequencing of oral movements. The oral sensory diet is used with many children at Sweet Bay Magnolia Academy and can easily be incorporated into a home program.

Many parents I have worked with have found my therapy techniques incredibly beneficial. Here are a few comments:

"By using the ‘first-then’ approach at mealtimes, my four-year-old is now experimenting with food more than ever before."
"The Oral Sensory Diet has significantly improved both eating and speech for my child!"
"These treatment strategies can be easily integrated into our daily routine at home."

I look forward to working with you and your child to help them reach their full potential.

Understanding Speech Therapy

Meet Maureen: