We can help! We move things forward.
Imagine if the speech language pathology services that you received made a bigger impact and not only supported communication, but also facilitated connection to the world around you?
At Speech in Motion, we understand that effective communication is a critical part of day to day life, relationships, and happiness. We believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to communicate at their highest potential, and that they can do so confidently when given the right support. Our skilled clinicians are able to identify areas of need and develop individualized, family centered treatment plans that use a unique combination of therapeutic approaches and use strengths and areas of interest to support progress toward goals.
As implied in our name, our therapy sessions frequently incorporate movement. This is because we believe that clients make faster progress and are more invested in their sessions when their unique sensory, motor, and social emotional needs are met. We presume competence. We believe in a client led and play based approach to treatment. We lean into client interests and let them show us what they need to help them feel safe, supported, understood and engaged throughout their treatment.
Our therapy sessions are fun, and because they are fun they are also powerful. While we do sometimes sit at the table, more often than not, you will see us using things like swings, balls, trampolines, obstacle courses, our adaptive playground, our pool, animal interactions, and the movement of a horse (hippotherapy) to enhance our sessions. We have found that when therapy is done this way, in a variety of contexts and across activities with attention to sensory and motor needs, clients gain the skills necessary to be effective communicators and generalize skills outside of therapy faster- after all, most communication in the real world doesn't happen in a quiet room while seated at a table.
We are passionate about helping the clients we work with and their families. Are you ready to move things forward? Get started today by booking your free phone consultation.
Founder’s Story
I knew from a young age that I wanted to help people, and do something that makes a difference. I always pictured myself working with children or animals, but there have been a few pivotal experiences in my life that inspired me to become a speech-language pathologist, open Speech in Motion and grow it into the practice it is today.
Childhood experiences:
As a 10-year-old, my best friend asked me to join her in doing some volunteer work at a facility that taught horseback riding lessons to people with disabilities. I had never spent much time around horses or neurodivergent individuals before, but it sounded fun, so I signed up. My experiences there were life changing. I witnessed first-hand the incredible connection between people and animals and how horses can help people experience communication, connection, and joy - even if they don't speak. My time there led to me developing a life-long passion for helping others, particularly those with communication difficulties, and a love of horses and equestrian sports. When it was time to pick a career, I knew I wanted animals and therapy to be part of my path.
Higher education:
In 2007, toward the end of my graduate school coursework, I experienced something that changed how I thought about therapy services. While fellow students were sharing clinical experiences in class, a common theme began to emerge. Many of us spoke about witnessing frustrating issues during our clinical placements. We spoke about therapists needing to rush from class to class to collect students, leaving little time for treatment, burnt-out therapists being inattentive to their clients needs or simply “checking the boxes”, and clients who couldn't possibly have their needs met no matter how hard the therapist tries, due to "the system". In school, we learn about ideal and evidence based practices, but what happens in the real world doesn't always match up. The professor responded to these experiences with a simple message: there is a lot of mediocrity in the world. People who once were passionate professionals get burnt out by systems that don’t support their clients or themselves, and then they do only the bare minimum - they check the boxes and settle for "good enough”. That message has always stuck with me. Therapists and clients both deserve better. Therapy should be make everyone feel good. It should be impactful, positive and fun for all involved.
Early in my career
Early in my career, I immersed myself in continuing education related to the use of hippotherapy and animal interactions in speech therapy sessions. I was one of the first speech language pathologists in the United States to gain recognition as a Hippotherapy Clinical Specialist (HPCS) from the American Hippotherapy Certification Board. During my education related to hippotherapy, I quickly learned how powerful the use of hippotherapy could be in enhancing speech therapy sessions. It sparked an interest in the areas of sensory and motor in general, which is an area that is often overlooked in speech therapy. Assisting clients in obtaining a "ready state" for working on speech, language or feeding skills by meeting sensory and motor needs allowed clients to get significantly more out of their sessions. The social emotional connection with the animals also helped clients to be more motivated and invested in their treatment.
In 2011, I opened Speech in Motion. I set up our Hauppauge clinic to provide ample opportunities for movement and play with things like therapy swings, ball pits and sensory bins. We also offered services outdoors on the property of Pal-O-Mine Equestrian, giving us opportunities to work on an adaptive playground, in the pool, with the therapy animals and in nature. Clients rarely sat at the table for repetitive drill like learning and instead learned in a much more meaningful and naturalistic way. All of this combined resulted in faster progress for clients and as an added bonus, very fun therapy sessions for both the clients and therapists.
Volunteer Work
In 2013, I became active with the American Hippotherapy Association (AHA Inc.), serving on multiple committees and on the board of directors as board president. During my time with AHA Inc., I was part of the approval of a best practices document related to the use of hippotherapy in occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech therapy sessions. Adherence to the best practices and upholding the highest standards related to the use of hippotherapy in speech therapy sessions became a core value of Speech in Motion. Through this work, Speech in Motion became known and respected nationally. In 2019, I was awarded the Barbara Glasow Therapist of the Year Award for my work related to AHA Inc. and the use of Hippotherapy in speech treatment.
Listening to people with disabilities
As a professional, I spent a great deal of time listening to voices of those with disabilities. An article, written by an autistic adult, who is now a licensed speech language pathologist, really stood out to me. She wrote about how as healthcare professionals, we have an obligation to first do no harm. Often, therapists try to "fix" issues or "normalize" clients with subtle messages that tell them "Your way of doing things is wrong". While this is done with the intent to help, it often causes harm. She wrote about how this mindset, of well meaning therapists, has damaged the self esteem of many therapy clients. It opened my eyes the concept of ableism and to the world of neurodiversity affirming therapy. Seeing things through this lens transformed how we worked with our clients and their families and changed how we talk about disabilities at Speech in Motion. I continued to grow in my understanding of respectful therapy that meets sensory needs, embraces individual differences, and celebrates client interests. I also began to understand the importance of focusing on encouraging autonomy and self advocacy for clients of all ages.
Giving back
In 2016, following requests from clients, I launched our C.A.M.P. Program based on feedback from parents that there was a need for a fun summer program that also supported speech and language. At the same time, we were receiving calls from many of the speech language pathology programs at local colleges and universities asking if we would accept students who were studying speech language pathology. We paired these two things together to provide an opportunity for future speech language pathologists to learn more about what we do here at Speech in Motion. This program is mutually beneficial for the clients who we see as well as for future speech language pathologists. It is my hope that has a larger impact on the Long Island Community as a whole as these future professionals take what they learn and see at Speech in Motion and implement it in their careers.
Moving Towards a Better Future, Together
I continuously strive to do better and be better. Over the years, Speech in Motion has helped hundreds of families on Long Island and provided learning opportunities for over 150 future speech language pathologists. I am so proud that Speech in Motion has grown to become a place where families can feel supported, and where our clients can feel heard, no matter how they communicate. Therapy here is more than just treatment. It is joyful, respectful, holistic, informed, and empathetic.
In 2024, after having a waiting list for many years, I expanded our team and added more therapists who share in my mission, vision and values. Each of our team members brings their own unique skills to the practice, while sharing in our underlying philosophy and core values. We also relocated our Hauppauge office space to a beautiful new building right on the property of Pal-O-Mine Equestrian, in Islandia NY. This has been an incredible opportunity for Speech in Motion, as it increased the number of treatment rooms we have available and allows our therapists to see clients indoors or outdoors on Pal-O-Mine's 13 acre facility seamlessly.
If you have read this far, I thank you. I would love the opportunity to speak with you about your family's unique needs and match you with one of our therapists. I invite you to book a free phone consultation with me to get started.
Tina M. Rocco M.A. CCC-SLP, HPCS
Owner & Founder
Client Stories
Lily's Story
Jackson's Story
Logan's Story
“It’s like walking into Cheers - everybody knows Lily’s name!” Lily’s mother confesses that Lily is famous wherever she goes, but especially at Speech in Motion. Lily’s journey started young - she was only 18 months when she began therapy with Tina at the Speech in Motion office in Hauppauge. Now, at almost 9 years old, there is hardly a person or animal here who doesn’t know her.
Logan's Story
Jackson's Story
Logan's Story
Logan, almost 15, is probably one of the most active and observant teenagers you’ll ever meet. From sports, to adventures, to video games, to travel - he does it all and makes amazing connections to things most others won’t notice. He was the very first client at the practice and his journey with us has seen him make incredible strides, in his speech & language goals, and as a person!
Jackson's Story
Jackson's Story
Jackson's Story
Like any boy Jackson has a lot going on in his life - baseball, co-captaining the football team, swimming, and skiing . He loves to laugh and make others laugh. He is building his repertoire of jokes, thanks in part to his augmentative and alternative communication device (ACC), which was a key component of his therapy journey at Speech in Motion.