‘Above and beyond’: New pediatric facility helps improve communication for Southern Utah’s autistic youth

ST. GEORGE —A new Pediatric Therapy practice is increasing connections for children with autism while also addressing rare speech disorders, but that’s not all.

Emily Sonzogni, a Speech-Language Pathologist and owner of Prickly Pear Pediatric Therapy, smiles for the camera, St. George, Utah, Jan. 26, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Emily Sonzogni, St. George News
Emily Sonzogni, a speech-language pathologist and owner of Prickly Pear Pediatric Therapy, smiles for the camera, St. George, Utah, Jan. 26, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Emily Sonzogni, St. George News

They’re offering hands-on classes that allow kids to explore and increase their abilities.

Emily Sonzogni, a speech-language pathologist and owner of Prickly Pear Pediatric Therapy, said she first opened the practice in July 2021. As a stay-at-home mom, she planned to work one day a week. Instead, the needs of the community caused her caseload to grow, and she found herself with a hefty waitlist.

“While there are some great resources in the community, those are getting full and sometimes families want more than they can provide,” Sonzogni said. “I wanted to provide a red-carpet therapy experience where we can provide the best services for these families and go above and beyond.”

As for the prickly pear name, Sonzogni said the specific type of cactus grows prolifically, and when it flowers in the midst of a prickly, hard, desert climate, it’s beautiful.

“I want to provide beauty amidst this desert season for these families,” Sonzogni said. “No parent expects their child to have developmental disorders or plans for that. We want to be here to provide that beauty in the midst of that desert season for them.”

Dr. Kristy Lawson, an occupational therapist at Prickly Pear Pediatrics, smiles for the camera, St. George, Utah, an. 26, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Emily Sonzogni, St. George News
Dr. Kristy Lawson, an occupational therapist at Prickly Pear Pediatrics, smiles for the camera, St. George, Utah, an. 26, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Emily Sonzogni, St. George News

Prickly Pear Pediatric Therapy specializes in two areas: working with childhood Apraxia of Speech, a rare speech disorder where the brain doesn’t connect to the mouth muscles, and speech delays for children with autism, specifically Gestalt Language Processing.

The facility focuses on a collaborative therapy experience, which includes a team of four therapists. Occupational Therapist Dr. Kristy Lawson said the goal of her therapy is to allow kids to do the things they love while making those experiences more meaningful.

She offers group classes such as The “Write” Stuff Handwriting Class, a Sensory Stars Toddler Class and a Food Explorers class

With a play-based approach, Lawson said children are able to have fun in a functional way as she adapts or modifies the tasks that lead to their success. Sensory-based development is done through an obstacle course, allowing kids to run, jump and crawl, concluding with landing in a large pile of pillows or toys. The soft landing compresses and calms the nervous system, creating a memory of the appropriate response.

Lawson said she is also passionate about working with children who are dubbed “picky eaters.” She discovers the root cause of selective eating by offering individual and group Food Exploration classes. During these sessions, kids experience various food groups by touching, playing and even making food together.

She once had a 16-year-old client with autism who would only eat soft foods such as noodles and french fries. During a therapy session, they brought in pizza, and Lawson told him to chew it. While he did the motion, he chose to spit out the food, and she realized he hadn’t chewed the food at all.

“He had never learned to chew and he was 16,” Lawson said. “His way to eat was to swallow, so he ate noodles or a banana he could smash with his tongue and hard pallet.”

Speech-Language pathologist Kalista McMullin smiles for the camera, St. George, Utah, Jan. 26, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Emily Sonzogni, St. George News
Speech-language pathologist Kalista McMullin smiles for the camera, St. George, Utah, Jan. 26, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Emily Sonzogni, St. George News

As they shifted and worked on building up the strength and coordination to chew, he was able to eat a variety of foods, which changed the family’s life. For more information on upcoming group classes, click here.

Kalista McMullin, a speech-language pathologist who joined Prickly Pear Pediatrics in August 2021, said that typically, children learn through analytic language development, starting with single words such as “ball” or  “bottle,” then add layers to construct sentences. With Gestalt language development, children learn scripts or phrases, then migrate down to single words, which leads to an organic language that is context-specific.

“Often, kids with autism, you’ll see them scripting or saying things that maybe don’t match the context, but the idea behind the Gastalt processing is that it is true communication,” McMullin said. “We give these kids the skills they need in order to have a more successful life, having their needs and wants met more proficiently.” 

Dr. Becky Meachum, a part-time physical therapist at Prickly Pear Pediatrics, said she has a play-based approach that focuses on strength, balance and motor milestones, such as jumping, walking, running and climbing.

Dr. Becky Meachum, a physical therapist at Prickly Pear Pediatric Therapy, smiles for the camera, St. George, Utah, Jan. 26, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Emily Sonzogni, St. George News
Dr. Becky Meachum, a physical therapist at Prickly Pear Pediatric Therapy, smiles for the camera, St. George, Utah, Jan. 26, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Emily Sonzogni, St. George News

“Kids learn the best when they’re having fun,” Meachum said. “Physical therapy should also be fun while learning how to move their bodies in big ways, allowing them to play with their peers in an effective way and participate in their daily routines.”

Seeing a need in the community for quality therapy, Sonzogni said Prickly Pear Pediatrics hopes to have a larger facility with more therapists in the future. They want to become a pillar in the community and provide value by offering free training, classes and education.

“I think that when occupational therapy and speech therapy are missed, they’re missing out on a lot of great things,” Sonzogni said. 

To learn more about the team at Prickly Pear Pediatric Therapy, visit their website. To set up a free consultation, call (307) 258-1852 or make an appointment online. Follow Prickly Pear Pediatric Therapy on Instagram and Facebook for more information.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.

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