Janine Stiene, Speech-Language Pathologist, is owner and operator of: The Suffolk Center for Speech & Myofunctional Therapy And The Speech Pathology & Swallowing Disorder Services of Long Island

Along with her exceptional group of therapists, she supports families and children across Long Island and Queens, specializing in: PROMPT, Myofunctional Therapy, Voice Disorders, Fluency, Augmentative Communications, Articulation, Auditory Processing Disorders and Expressive/Receptive Language Disorders (adults and children).  Also offered is Feeding Therapy for individuals who suffer from texture and consistency aversions.  There are 8 affiliated offices across Long Island, all participating with most major health insurance companies and offering flexible hours and scheduling; including evenings and Saturdays.   Locations across Suffolk, Nassau and Queens: East Yaphank, Farmingville, Stonybrook, Commack  Jericho, Wantagh, Islip Terrace, New Hyde Park

Specializing in the Treatment and Correction of:

Language Disorders, Memory & Auditory, Processing Difficulties, Fluency, Voice Disorders, Motor Planning Disorders, Deviate Swallowing which Contributes to Orthodontic, Pedodontic and Periodontic Problems, Tongue Thrust, Feeding & Swallowing Problems / Aversions, Thumb & Finger Sucking, Articulation Disorders, Oral Facial Muscle Weakness          

Specialized Therapy Approaches Including: 

*PROMPT Therapy *Individual Feeding Therapy *Augmentative Communication Evaluations & Therapy *Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES) & Stroboscopy

​​​​​​​MYOFUNCTIONAL

WHAT IS MYOFUNCTIONAL THERAPY? Myofunctional therapy is a specialized remedial program specifically designed for the correction of the tongue thrust/posture problem. HOW ARE MYOFUNCTIONAL DISORDERS CORRECTED? MYOFUNCTIONAL THERAPY/OROFACIAL MYOLOGY Exercise techniques are used to educate and synchronize the muscles associated with swallowing and the postural position of the tongue, lips, and face. DENTAL HABIT APPLIANCES Tongue cribs/tongue appliances are dental devices used to block the  tongue, however they do not train muscles. It is suggested that if an appliance is used some type of muscle training be used as well.

VOICE THERAPY

WHO NEEDS VOICE THERAPY? Voice therapy is typically provided to individuals who demonstrate a horse, raspy, or breathy voice quality. Many of these individuals may have an underlying medical condition, which is causing their voice quality to be compromised, however, some individuals are vocal abusers. Vocal abusers are those individuals that talk or yell often (i.e. Teachers, coaches) and therefore damage their vocal cords. Again, these individuals may have a horse, breathy or raspy voice quality.

TONGUE THRUST

WHAT IS TONGUE THRUST? Tongue thrust, simply defined, is the process of thrusting the tongue forward and/or sideways against the teeth or in between the teeth while swallowing.  The number of swallows during the day may not be important for it is believed that the resting posture of t he tongue plays much more of a role in dental damage than the swallow itself. The constant pressure of the tongue at rest against or between the teeth, along with the hammering of the tongue during swallowing, can force the teeth out of alignment. Thus, a malocclusion (bad bite) is created.  WHAT CAUSES TONGUE THRUST? No specific cause has actually been determined for the tongue thrust/ posture problem. Bottle-feeding was believed to be the source of the problem. However, recent studies have proven that there is little correlation between bottle and tongue thrusting. Many authorities now believe that upper respiratory disorders, or any obstruction to the airway, may be related  to the tongue thrust pattern. 

CAUSES - TONGUE THRUST

Possible causes are: Allergies, nasal congestion, nasal obstructions or enlarged adenoids which may contribute to mouth breathing Large tonsils or frequent throat infections which cause abnormal swallowing and tongue/lip posturing, Abnormally large tongue, Short lingual frenum, Thumb sucking or tongue sucking, Steep mandibular plane (angle of The lower jaw), Neurological, muscular, or other physiological abnormalities, Hereditary factors and growth pattern of the face.

LANGUAGE DISORDERS 

WHAT IS LANGUAGE DISORDER? An expressive language disorder is characterized by difficulties communicating your overall wants and needs.  An expressive language disorder can be identified by an overall limited expressive vocabulary, difficulty organizing a cohesive utterance, a limited knowledge of plurals, past tense, present progressive forms etc,… A receptive language disorder is characterized by difficulties understanding language.  A receptive language disorder can be identified by difficulties following directions, and/or difficulty comprehending an auditory message, difficulty understanding different concepts etc.. HOW ARE LANGUAGE DISORDER IDENTIFIED? Expressive and receptive language disorders are identified through a series of assessments which are administered by a Speech Language Pathologist. HOW ARE RECEPTIVE AND EXPRESSIVE LANGUAGE DISORDERS TREATED? These disorders are always being remediated if an individual is in a language rich environment. However, a Speech Language Pathologist will work specifically with an individual that presents with a language disorder.

FLUENCY

WHAT IS STUTTERING OR DYSFLUENCY? Stuttering or Dysfluency is identified by a generalized break in the flow of speech. It can be characterized by the repetitions of words, sounds, or phrases. It may coexist with twitching, straining, or other bodily movements. It can occur all the time or in highly stressful situations. HOW IS STUTTERING/DYSFLUENCY TREATED?  There are a variety of techniques that a Speech Language Pathologist can utilize with an individual that is dysfluent. The technique that is chosen is patient specific and chosen based on how dysfluent the patient may be.

AUDITORY PROCESSING

WHAT IS AN AUDITORY PROCESSING DISORDER?  Many children and adults demonstrate difficulty following auditory directions, keeping information in their short-term memory, discriminating between different sounds, rhyming, or in layman’s terms “reading between the lines.”  These individuals are suffering from an auditory processing disorder.  Some of these individuals have a “Central Auditory Processing Disorder.”  These individuals hear all sounds accurately, however, the auditory signal becomes garbled before it makes it to the brain to be processed., therefore the message is transmitted incorrectly. Individuals with auditory processing disorders are often misdiagnosed as Attention Deficit Disorder, a Behavior Problem, or as a BRAT.  These individuals look as if they hear you and are paying attention to what is being said yet they cannot follow or understand what said.  Many individuals with processing disorders also have difficulty with reading and writing.  

FEEDING THERAPY

WHAT IS FEEDING THERAPY AND HOW DOES IT WORK? Feeding therapy is designed to teach children how to accept a variety of food tastes and textures.  The program is based on the Sequential Oral Sensory (SOS) Approach, developed by Dr. Kay Toomey, Ph.D.  This program is designed to help children interact with and eventually eat foods, in a playful and non-stressful environment.  The SOS approach to feeding follows Toomey's 32 steps to eating hierarchy.  This begins with a child simply being able to tolerate food in their presence, and continues on to touching, interacting, tasting, and eventually eating different foods.  The approach helps increase a child's awareness and exploration of a variety of food properties, including texture, color, small, shape, and taste.

WHO IS A CANDIDATE FOR FEEDING THERAPY?

Therapy is designed for children who may: *be described as "extremely picky" eaters *only eat certain brands of foods *limit themselves to a small number of foods *have poor weight gain or medical issues to to picky eating *avoid foods of a specific texture or texture combinations *difficulty controlling food within their mouth, leading to choking, gagging, or coughing while eating

AUGMENTATIVE COMMUNICATION

WHAT IS AUGMENTATIVE COMMUNICATION? Augmentative communication is a communication system that is used for individuals who have little to no verbal communication.  It can be used for individuals that may be diagnosed with autism, apraxia, cerebral palsy, aphasia, or traumatic brain injury, among others.   Augmentative communication is any method that supplements or replaces speech and/or writing to meet an individual’s personal communication needs.

USE OF AUGMENTATIVE COMMUNICATION:

Use of an augmentative communication system is determined by a speech/language pathologist but may incorporate input from an occupational therapist, physical therapist, special education provider, etc.  Once a system is determined, therapy consists of the set-up of the system/device and training for the individual as well as their caregivers.

TYPES OF AUGMENTATIVE COMMUNICATION:

Augmentative communication systems vary from low-tech options to high-tech.  Examples of low-tech systems can range from PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System), to eye gaze boards, to alphabet boards for spelling. High tech systems allow the storage of electronic messages and can range from simple static display devices (fixed symbol choices) to dynamic display devices (computer based devices, typically accessed by touch screens)

NUTRITIONIST

WHAT IS A NUTRITIONIST?  A nutritionist is a healthcare professional responsible for monitoring and adjusting a patient’s diet to ensure essential metabolic and caloric needs are met. “Picky eaters,” as well as children with feeding and/or swallowing issues are often at risk for nutritional deficiencies due to their limited nutritional repertoire. Nutritionists can help these patients by tracking and adjusting their current diet and creating a nutritional program to fit their individual needs. Additionally, nutritionists may provide education to patients and family members regarding meal planning, healthy meal patterns, food records, goals for meal and snack calories and behavioral parameters to implement healthy eating patterns.

Participating with most Major Health Insurance companies.