ABOUT
Providing speech therapy and early childhood services from the heart
Erica, age 3, with her Babcia (great-grandmother)
MY STORY
Erica Lord, MS, CCC-SLP, CEIM
Speech-Language Pathologist
Certified Educator of Infant Massage
Growing up in a Polish-American home, I spent much of my childhood alongside my great-grandparents who were born in 1912 and 1916. I eagerly followed them through their daily rhythms of tending the garden, kneading dough for fresh pierogi, sewing, and hanging laundry on the clothesline. They did things slowly and with intention. As I grew up watching them in wonderment, they gave space for my natural childhood rhythm to explore the garden, feel the flour, sit on their lap while they sewed, and run through the sheets on the clothesline. I felt their delight in my presence even though I naturally made a mess. They gave me space to join them, didn’t hurry me along, and bestowed me with the gift of their loving embrace and attention.
I developed a passion for speech therapy in my teens while helping my great-grandmother when she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. It was during this time that I learned the power of communication comes in many forms and lies within the safe relationship we create with others. In so many ways, my early childhood was shaped by my experiences with my great-grandparents. My work as a speech therapist has come full circle in supporting the sacredness of early childhood, especially in the first three years, while helping parents feel calm and confident in supporting their child’s development.
MY APPROACH AND PHILOSOPHY
I’ve worked with children and their families for the past 10 years and specialize in early childhood development (birth to seven). I implement play-based, multi-sensory, and family-centered approaches. At the heart of my work, I tune into the rhythm of the child and nurture a trusting relationship. I have developed and led many parent-infant, toddler, and preschool programs that focus on parent-child bonding, early language skills, the power of play, nervous system regulation, social-emotional development, and school readiness. My philosophy includes elements from Waldorf Early Childhood Education (WECAN), Resources for Infant Educarers (RIE), DIR/Floortime, and the Polyvagal Theory to uphold a holistic perspective in child development through respectful and compassionate support for children and their families.
MY TRAINING
I received my undergraduate degree from Grand Valley State University and my master’s degree from Missouri State University. I’m a licensed and certified speech-language pathologist and certified educator of infant massage through the International Association of Infant Massage. I have additional training in DIR/Floortime, STAR Institute Sensory Processing and Regulation, infant & toddler mental health, Beckman Oral Motor Exercises, Masgutova Neurosensorimotor Reflex Integration, and Pre- and post-frenectomies in pre-crawlers.