Today we’d like to introduce you to Staci Henderson
Hi Staci, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I have always loved children and decided to pursue the field of special education when I nannied for a child with special needs in high school. I soon realized that I not only enjoyed working with their child, but learned I had a calling when the child’s parents told me that I really had a gift for bonding and helping their child grow.
I graduated with my masters in Speech Pathology in 2000 and moved to Texas upon graduation (originally from Oklahoma-Boomer Sooner!).
From 2000 through 2017, I worked as a pediatric Speech Language Pathologist in the public schools, an outpatient pediatric hospital and a home health agency. In 2017 I felt a calling to open a small practice in order to provide child-centered and family focused speech/language/ feeding therapy to children in my community. I opened Speech Nest in early January 2017 and started with just a couple clients that I saw in their homes. By 2021 my caseload had grown so much that I decided to move into an office space in order to continue providing services to my community. I moved into an office space in McKinney in 2021 and stopped providing home visits due to my larger caseload. In 2023, I moved to my current location in McKinney where I also created a Collaborative group of other pediatric providers with whom I share the office space with in our location.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As any business owner, I have had struggles along the way. I was confident in my abilities as a pediatric therapist, but didn’t have a lot of knowledge of how to run a business. I knew I wanted to start very small and slowly grow my practice as I learned the ‘business’ side of things. I feel fortunate that I had some wonderful mentors in my field who provided answers to my many questions, especially in the beginning!
Starting small and growing slow was a great strategy for me personally, as it allowed me to slowly design a practice that was successful and that I am proud of. In addition, if I needed to pivot in an area (transition to taking insurance, learning a new medical records software, bookeeping software, etc) then I could do so at a rate that allowed me to learn and adapt without too much of a disruption.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Speech Nest provides pediatric speech, language, feeding and oral myofunctional therapy to children in McKinney, Prosper, Frisco, and surrounding areas.
I specialize in working with ‘late talkers’, receptive /expressive language disorders and feeding therapy. About 5 years ago I received specialized training in myofunctional disorders and this makes up about half of my current caseload.
I pride myself on partnering with each family that I work with to create a treatment plan tailored to help their child be successful in their communication, feeding and oral motor skills. Working closely with each family allows the caregivers to be an active participant in their child’s journey and ultimately leads to more effective therapy and successful outcomes.
In addition to working closely with the child’s caregivers, I also strongly believe collaborating with other professionals is important. I frequently collaborate with other doctors, therapists , teachers and other professionals to provide a collaborative approach that helps each child and allows me to learn how I can better serve my clients. I am passionate about helping each child and enjoy celebrating each ‘win’ with my clients.
Over the years I have been pressured/encouraged to grow, hire staff and service even more families. However, I am proud of the fact that I have not only stayed ‘small’ but I am able to really provide personalized service and care to each child I work with. When parents call to inquire about services for their child, I am the one who answers the phone and the one who answers their questions.
Over the course of growing my business since 2017, I have spent very very little on marketing. Almost all of my clients are referred to me either on a recommendation from a current/former client or from one of the amazing professionals I have the privilege of working closely with over the years. Getting a referral from a current/former client is a great compliment!
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I have seen a significant growth of interest/knowledge, specifically in the field of myofunctional disorders/therapy in Texas. Many more doctors/dentists/healthcare professionals are identifying signs/symptoms of myofunctional disorders (open mouth posture, mouth breathing, deficits in eating/swallowing) than even just a few years ago. This is exciting for therapists/specialists like myself because early detection/intervention is so beneficial for these children who are struggling with eating/breathing/motor movements.
In addition, I sense a big shift in treating children in a more holistic way/approach. Families are educating themselves about the benefits of looking at their child through a larger lens, taking into account not only their child’s development, but diving into their nutrition, growth, sleeping and breathing habits/patterns. I notice that less doctors are taking a ‘wait and see’ approach to children’s development and more ‘let’s get them evaluated’ approach which is refreshing as a healthcare provider who strongly believes in early intervention!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.SpeechNest.com
- Facebook: https://www.Facebook.com/SpeechNest/
