In person in Irvine · Telehealth across California
Speech, language, and swallowing care — every age.
From word-finding and focus after a concussion, to a child learning to be understood, to trouble swallowing safely — speech-language pathology is now part of Meridian, in Irvine and by video statewide, with Amy Paap, MS, CCC-SLP — a medical speech-language pathologist with more than 25 years of experience.
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Speech therapy is available now at Meridian, with Amy Paap — the same one-on-one, unhurried care as the rest of the practice, in Irvine and by telehealth across California. Call and we'll tell you exactly how Amy can help and get you scheduled.
Amy Paap, MS, CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist · Certified Brain Injury Specialist — cognitive-communication and swallowing care are her focus.
Amy is a medical speech-language pathologist with more than 25 years of experience — depth that's rare to find in an outpatient clinic. She's spent her career in hospitals and acute rehabilitation, including a Level 1 trauma center, treating the thinking, communication, and swallowing problems that follow a brain injury. As a Certified Brain Injury Specialist, she's a natural fit for our concussion work: the fog, the word-finding trouble, and the slowed processing that bring people to us are exactly what she treats.
Her focus is cognitive-communication and swallowing — after concussion, stroke, traumatic and non-traumatic brain injury, and conditions like aphasia, apraxia, dysarthria, and Long COVID. Patients and families tend to remember how she works as much as what she treats: person-centered, unhurried, and clear — bringing families in as partners and building practical plans you can carry home. She also mentors the next generation of clinicians as a supervisor at Chapman University.
You'll work with Amy one-on-one — the same full-attention care as the rest of the practice, in Irvine or by video across California.
What it helps with
Who speech therapy is for
Speech-language pathology covers more than most people expect. Here's the ground we're building this service to cover, grouped by who tends to need it.
Adults, after a concussion or brain injury
This is where speech therapy meets our core work. The same fog and word-finding trouble that bring people to our concussion care often respond to targeted cognitive-communication therapy.
- Word-finding — the word is right there, then gone
- Attention and staying on track in conversation
- Memory for names, plans, and what was just said
- Slowed processing — needing things repeated
- Organizing thoughts and getting them out clearly
- Brain fog that makes work and talking exhausting
Children (speech and language)
For kids who are hard to understand, slow to talk, or struggling to keep up with language — early, patient help matters.
- Speech-sound clarity — being understood by others
- Late talking and language development
- Building vocabulary, sentences, and understanding
- Following directions and expressing needs
Swallowing (dysphagia), adults and children
Swallowing is a speech-language pathologist's area too. When eating or drinking stops feeling safe, it deserves real evaluation.
- Coughing or choking during meals
- Food or pills that feel stuck
- Trouble swallowing after a concussion, stroke, or illness
- Mealtimes that have become slow or stressful
Why this belongs with our neuro care
Concussions and brain injuries don't only affect balance and headaches — they affect thinking and communication too. The patient who can't find words, loses the thread of a conversation, or feels wrung out by a simple phone call is describing a treatable problem, not a permanent one. Adding speech therapy lets us care for more of what a brain injury disrupts, under one roof, with the same unhurried attention.
Care in Irvine — or anywhere in California
Speech therapy works well by video. Much of cognitive-communication and language work is conversation and guided practice — which translates cleanly to a screen, on your schedule, wherever you are in California.
Some needs are better in person — young children, and swallowing evaluations especially. We'll tell you honestly which fits your situation when you call. In-person visits are in Irvine.
Cash-pay, and worth it
- A full session, one-on-one — no aides, no churn
- Focused, education-driven visits — fewer overall
- Superbill provided for possible insurance reimbursement
- HSA and FSA accepted
- No referral needed to start in California
Questions we hear about speech therapy
Yes — Amy Paap is our speech-language pathologist, and she's seeing patients now. Speech therapy is offered with the same one-on-one, unhurried care as the rest of Meridian. Call and we'll tell you exactly how Amy can help and get you scheduled.
Yes — same model as the rest of the practice. You pay directly, we provide a superbill you can submit to your insurance for possible out-of-network reimbursement, and HSA and FSA funds are welcome. Call and we'll walk through the details honestly before anything is scheduled.
Much of it, yes — across California. Cognitive-communication and language therapy are largely conversation and guided practice, which work well by video. Some needs, like young children and swallowing evaluations, are usually better in person in Irvine. We'll help you sort out which fits when you call.
Three groups, to start: adults with attention, memory, or word-finding trouble after a concussion or brain injury; children working on speech and language; and adults or children with swallowing difficulty. If you're not sure your situation fits, that's a fine reason to call.
Interested in speech therapy? Tell us what's going on.
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Need us sooner? Call (949) 850-2885
Tell us what you're working on
Call to ask about speech therapy. No referral needed in California — and if we're not the right fit, we'll say so.
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