Meet Jen Ehrhardt | Pediatric Speech-Language Therapist + Developmentalist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jen Ehrhardt and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jen, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I simply love working with individuals, but I’m not so crazy about groups or committees. I’m very creative, and constantly innovate and modify my professional practices, as needed. So a sole proprietorship is the best fit for my personality and work style. The WHY underlying my business is to help children (and the people who love them) grow their communication skills through connection and play. As a speech-language therapist, my emphasis is naturally, speech and language. But improving a child’s communication skills also enhances their social and cognitive abilities, particularly in the preschool years.

But perhaps the most important consideration is my children, though they were just dreams when I began my practice. I’ve always known I would be a very present mother. And my private practice created a flexible space and the time to prioritize mothering my three children. As their needs changed, I could add more clients or reduce my caseload. Now they’re mostly “launched” – two are in college, and my “baby” is a high school senior – yet I still mother them daily in some capacity, while running my practice. I never know when they might need me, and I appreciate that I can respond immediately when they do.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I spend most of my day sitting on the floor playing with children using retro-style toys: farm sets, trains, dolls, pretend food! (No batteries because the more a toy does, the less a child does!) By utilizing different developmentally-appropriate, intentionally chosen toys with every child, I use the power of play to form connections. Through those connections, growth naturally unfolds. Children learn through play, so it’s the optimal context to learn new communication skills, as well as anything else.

For twelve years, I’ve also hosted college interns studying Speech Pathology from Georgia State University. They learn firsthand about pediatric treatment for a variety of learning challenges, including autism spectrum disorders, apraxia, articulation, phonological disorders, pragmatic disorders, fluency disorders, and voice disorders.

Every child is unique, and requires a distinctive, creative problem-solving approach to meet his or her goals. I love the variety inherent in my days. I love to learn more about a topic, and incorporate it into my therapy techniques. For example, I’ve been meditating daily since 2016, and I teach my clients how to calm themselves or grow more attentive through simple breathwork. Occasionally I reward my clients’ hard work with a visit to the kitchen, where they can pat our chocolate lab Story, (she’s the Story in my website domain “Story of Wordplay”), and toss a ball for our English Springer Spaniel, Ivy.

To maintain my required license and certification, I acquire at least thirty hours of continuing education over two years. While I miss interacting with leaders and colleagues in hotel ballrooms, the new virtual options mean I can attend classes without the restrictions, cost, or complexity of travel. My intern-turned-assistant, Brianna, was with me during 2020, and she helped digitize hundreds of favorite books; we still use these to provide virtual speech therapy to children as far away as Texas!

The integration of virtual sessions has sparked my imagination, and I’ve added a new platform called “Baby Steps with Jen” to utilize the digital options and reach and support more families. I offer families guided, incremental steps to achieve many developmental growth areas, such as play, communication, and sleep. Intervention is tiered, so families can pay for as much or as little support as they need. Converting my practice to virtual during “Shelter at Home” was extremely difficult, but creating this program feels redemptive and hopeful.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Since the pandemic, I spend my free time differently. As the number of Covid cases drops more steeply, I’m rediscovering some of my favorite places around Atlanta. I love Zoo Atlanta, the Georgia Aquarium, the Coke Museum, and the High Museum of Art. My husband Britt and I love to go out to eat at places around Peachtree Corners in Town Center and The Forum, especially when they have excellent gluten-free options. For breakfast, we love Egg Harbor Cafe in nearby Johns Creek. We also love Roma Italiano in Duluth. For pizza, our favorite place is Blue Moon in Sandy Springs. When the weather is nice, we especially love The Crossing in downtown Norcross.

Because we have two energetic, athletic dogs, we love to hike at Simpsonwood Park as much as possible. We love to visit Athens, because we each have two degrees from UGA. Now my oldest, Carter, is a junior there, and my daughter, Mimi, will attend UGA this fall. Britt and I got married at The Graduate Hotel in September 2018, so all our visits to Athens include a sentimental drive through the parking lot, and walk through the covered pavilion where our ceremony took place. Downtown Athens is fantastic, and we love strolling the streets, browsing the shops, and eating anywhere that catches our eye.

My middle son, Elliott, is at Georgia Tech, so we’re learning about interesting restaurants to try when we visit him. The people I love are the greatest motivation for me to travel. I like visiting places that have significance in our relationships.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My parents signed me up for a Book-of-the-Month Club when I was a toddler, and they wrote my first and last name in every book that arrived in our mailbox. I still have many of those books, and I use them in my speech therapy practice daily! From age thirteen through graduate school, I babysat, worked at daycares, and taught kids of all ages in all places. No matter the context, I’d bring my favorite books to share with the children I served. And the intense connection between caregiver and child created through the magic of language captured my heart for life.

My Bachelor’s Degree from UGA is in Communication Sciences and Disorders and my Master’s Degree from UGA is in Speech-Language Pathology. But I also earned an English minor during undergrad, and reading, discussing, and writing about books brought me tremendous joy.

When I packed my hospital bag to deliver each of my three children, I brought several board books to read the day they arrived, even at 3:00am for my middle son night-owl! I read my children all my childhood book club favorites, and together we discovered many hundreds of new treasures. All those books surround me in my home treatment space, leaning in rows and towering in piles on three massive bookshelves, which line the walls.

About ten years ago I discovered audiobooks, and every spare moment of my life I “ear-read,” I can’t afford my voracious appetite for new books, so I limit myself to two to four new ones a month, and every third book is a favorite repeat. My children recommend books to me now, and I LOVE hearing their perspectives and learning from them like they once learned from me.

My parents are both avid readers, and growing up, I watched them read and discuss books with the power to transform, transport, and transcend. One of the many ways they loved me was through the books we read together, until I could read for myself. I am passionate about helping children find and grow the skills to share and understand language. I love words, and I love lighting a lifelong fire for language in the children I serve.

Website: www.storyofwordplay.com

Instagram: @jenniferleighelliott

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-elliott-ehrhardt-25554817a

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jenelliott.ehrhardt