Owner Annie Gist founded Play on Words Pediatric Speech Therapy to offer speech and language therapy, feeding and oral motor therapy and myofunctional health services in the Argyle area, filling a niche that the town lacked, she said. While specializing in children, the business works with patients of all ages.
The backstory
After working as a clinical speech language pathologist for several years, Gist decided she wanted to branch out into private practice and she began seeing patients on the side. Her practice grew by word of mouth and by 2019 she opened Play on Words from her home office, she said.
By 2021, Gist's practice ballooned to a point where she needed to hire additional staff. Eventually the clinic outgrew the home office, and in 2023, she moved the business to a house in Argyle off Tudor Lane.
“It still feels like kids are coming to ‘Miss Annie’s house,’” she said. “We try to make it as comfortable and inviting as possible so that it doesn’t feel clinical. It’s got a fun play-based feel to it and it's light, bright, airy and just a bigger version of the home setting.”
Gist said she settled on the Argyle question, not only because she is a resident, but also because she saw a great need for speech therapy in an area that is growing. The clinic also serves patients from Flower Mound, Highland Village and even cities as far out as Gainesville.
What they offer
The clinic focuses on four main therapy services and sees about 175 patients a week. All therapists are certified clinical speech language pathologists, which requires a master's degree, she said.
Therapists start by conducting thorough evaluations to identify root causes and tailor treatments to specific patient needs. Afterwards, therapists identify specific goals and outline a plan where patients typically receive two weekly sessions for around 30 minutes each with treatments lasting around nine to 12 months depending on the need.
The clinic’s speech therapy focuses on articulation, clarity, sound patterns and intelligibility, whereas language therapy centers around the syntax, grammar and word choice in order to put together a thought or idea, Gist said.
“We decipher between a phonological approach versus an articulation approach and choose the best one depending on what that specific child presents with,” she said.
Outside speech and language therapy, Play on Words also offers services for patients struggling with feeding, oral motor skills, oral-facial myofunctional health or tongue posture, Gist said. Feeding services could involve helping patients with mechanical issues such as difficulty breaking down food or behavioral problems that lead to eating only one or two kinds of food. Oral motor therapy is related to feeding, but focuses on control, range of motion, strength and the coordination of the tongue, which can affect speech clarity.
Patients with tongue posture issues may suffer from mouth breathing or airway difficulties, drooling, attention deficit disorder or sleep issues.
“We retrain the tongue to sit properly and by elevating the tongue it regulates the entire neurological system,” she said.
Why it's special
The clinic prides itself on striving to identify root causes for conditions to help more accurately and permanently resolve speech and language problems, Gist said. For example, when determining myofunctional health, the clinicians evaluate a patient's tongue movement, jaw strength and examine the structures of the mouth and palette to identify any underlying issues.
Play on Words also believes in making a connection with patients and their families to identify and structure therapy around achieving their personal goals, Gist said.
“A good speech and language pathologist works to know a patient well and has the heart to help them work towards that goal,” she said.
To help bolster this, the clinic strives to build therapy around patient interests, whether that is focusing on topics of interest for adults, playing games, building puzzles or utilizing its sensory gym. The services are patient-led and clinicians try to make sure the sessions are engaging, enjoyable and meaningful, Gist said.
“As long as it is meaningful to them, we get a lot more buy-in and a lot more joy. We want them to be happy and we want them to love coming here,” she said.
- 7861 Tudor Lane, Argyle
- https://playonwords.me
