Best Feedings & Speech specializes in supportive infant feeding therapy & also provides pediatric speech & language therapy.
Best Feedings & Speech specializes in supportive infant feeding therapy & also provides pediatric speech & language therapy.
What is BEST for you and your child?
At Best Feedings & Speech, PLLC, our philosophy is centered around supporting each parent's goals, desires, and challenges, while supporting each child's unique needs. We adapt our therapy to your wants and needs, and never judge nor push an agenda.
Allison Gray, MA CCC-SLP/L, IBCLC, Owner & Founder
Allison (Allie) Gray is a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). She completed her Bachelors of Science with a degree in speech and hearing science from the University of Illinois and her Masters Degree in communication, sciences and disorders from Northwestern University.
Allie has worked in the pediatric hospital setting for over 15 years, treating and supporting inpatients in the NICU, PICU and general pediatric floors. Additionally, Allie has extensive experience working with children with a variety of needs including speech, language, and feeding in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Her experience performing videofluoroscopic swallow studies, conducting oral motor assessments, working with premature infants and in a NICU follow-up clinic, and collaborating regularly with other disciplines (OT, PT, Audiology) & medical professionals (pediatricians, neurologists, cardiologists, ENT, GI, nurses) makes her a leading therapist in her field.
Through all of Allie's experience with feeding in the hospital setting as a SLP, she noticed that when a baby and/or parent needed support with bottle feeding, Speech Therapy was consulted; however, if the infant and/or parent needed support with breastfeeding, Lactation was consulted. Allie recognized the overlap and the importance of wanting to support her patients in all aspects of feeding and went on to become a Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC), then later achieved the gold standard in Lactation by becoming an IBCLC.
Allie's goal is to ask the families she works with: "How can I help you? What is best for you?" With years of experience in assessing signs and symptoms of aspiration, oral motor and oral anatomy differences, pacing techniques, positioning techniques, and supporting feeding with the bottle, breast, tube, straw, cup and/or spoon, Allie is eager to help you and your child in whichever capacity you need.
Allie is a member of the National Association of Neonatal Therapists and the American Speech, Language Hearing Association. Allie's proudest achievement is being a mom to her three boys.
Many parents choose to do a combination of bottle and breastfeeding, or exclusively bottle feed. Whether with formula or pumped milk, we will work with you to ensure the bottle feeding experience is positive and pleasurable, while assessing that your baby is feeding safely.
Whether you are anxious about breastfeeding (which is okay!), want to ensure your baby is receiving adequate supply or if you are having latch, flow, pain or any other concern, we are here to help!
Eating is something so many take for granted, but is foundational to our development. From transitioning to solids, to sensory challenges or aversions, we have you covered.
Did your child have a stay in the hospital, including the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) or pediatric intensive care unit (PICU)? With over 16 years (and counting) of experience working in a leading children's hospital, we can help bridge the transition to your home, in the comfort of your home.
Many infants and children are fed via tube due to a variety of medical reasons. We will work with you and your child to address oral skills, while continuing to foster a positive feeding experience, no matter the way in which your child is fed.
We treat children with a variety of goals including articulation, phonological, expressive and receptive language.