Speech, Language & Literacy Support for Families at Home and Abroad
Helping school-aged children build the language and literacy skills they need to learn, communicate, and thrive - wherever life takes your family.
For families living overseas, navigating a new school system can raise difficult questions. Is your child making expected progress compared to ? Are differences in curriculum or classroom expectation contributing to the challenges you are seeing? Could underlying language or literacy difficulties be affecting learning?
I help families make sense of their child's strengths and needs and identify practical next steps through individualized virtual services, including evaluations, therapy, and parent consultations.
ABOUT ME
I am an ASHA certified speech-language pathologist (CCC-SLP) with over 10 years of experience working with preschool (ages 3-5) and school-aged (K-12) children. I received my training at Vanderbilt University (Masters in speech-language pathology) and The University of Wisconsin - Madison (Bachelor of science, Communication Disorders and Psychology). I am both rooted in the science of speech, language, and literacy development, and driven by the art of finding out what works best for each unique child.
As a member of a Foreign Service family with experience living overseas, I understand the challenges of navigating different school systems, adjusting to new educational expectations, and maintaining continuity of support through international moves. I'm proud to offer individualized virtual services that help families understand their child's needs and find practical ways to support learning, wherever life takes them.
Laurie Matz, M.S., CCC-SLP
SERVICES
I primarily work with school-aged children (grades K-12), and specialize in: receptive and expressive language, speech-sound clarity, stuttering, language-based learning disabilities (reading, writing, and executive functioning difficulties), and assistive technology for literacy.
INITIAL CONSULTATION
A free consultation over the phone or video conference to find out more about your child. I will explain different evaluation and therapy options and customize a plan specific to your child’s needs.
VIRTUAL THERAPY
VIRTUAL EVALUATIONS
Evaluation length will depend on your child’s needs, either all at once or broken into shorter sessions. Skill areas I assess virtually include:
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speech-sound production/oral motor skills
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speech fluency (stuttering, cluttering)
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expressive and receptive oral language
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phonological awareness
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reading, spelling, written language
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executive functioning skills
Evaluations include a meeting to review results, a thorough report of testing outcomes, and recommendations.
Recurring teletherapy over a secure video conferencing platform. One key benefit of telepractice is flexibility. We will work together to determine an ideal schedule for your child, which can take place in the comfort of your home or at school (teacher/administrator support would be required).
IN-DEPTH CONSULTATION
Navigating your child’s learning needs in an international school setting can raise questions about their academic progress, learning profile, and the support they may need. Through in-depth consultations, I help families make sense of their child’s strengths and challenges, explore how differences between international school settings and Northern Virginia school expectations may be influencing their experience, and identify practical ways to support learning at home. These individualized consultations offer families a clearer understanding of their child and greater confidence in deciding how best to support their growth.
