Everyone Deserves
a Voice
At AMS Speech Therapy, we help people of all
ages discover and embrace their voices.
Achieving Successful Breakthroughs
AMS Speech Therapy specializes in treating children, but we realize speech and language can be affected at any age. We have helped improve quality of life for patients ages 0-106!
Our greatest joy is witnessing the transformation of an entire family when a child, parent or grandparent is able to effectively communicate their thoughts, ideas and feelings.
We believe the most successful breakthroughs occur when we develop connections with our patients and their families.
About AMS Speech Therapy
AMS Speech Therapy was founded by Ashley Melby Schanks, M.S. CCC-SLP/L. The practice has grown to include two additional speech language pathologists. All are currently taking new patients.
About Ashley
Ashley Melby Schanks, M.S. CCC-SLP/L holds a certificate of clinical competence through the American Speech Language and Hearing Association (ASHA), a State of Illinois License, and a State of Missouri License and Early Intervention Credential. She earned bachelor's and master's degrees from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, both in communication disorders and sciences.
Ashley and her husband Michael reside in Waterloo with their sons, Logan and Landon. Pre-Covid, the family kept busy with the baseball, soccer and swim teams. These days, they spend a lot of time doing activities at the YMCA and exploring the outdoors with their three dogs, Molly, Cheyenne and Dexter.
Ashley enjoys listening to audiobooks and cooking. She loves experimenting with new recipes for her family to try.
About Johanna
Johanna (Joey) Moeller, is a speech language pathologist at AMS Speech Therapy. She earned a master's degree in communication disorders with a minor in Spanish from Truman State University in Kirksville, Mo.
Joey is working with AMS while also working full-time as an educator in a special education classroom at Kirkwood Early Childhood Center. She was previously employed by the Special School District of St. Louis County as a paraprofessional.
Joey currently resides in Fenton, Mo., where she grew up, but hopes to one day make Waterloo her home.
In her spare time she enjoys being active, trying new things and traveling.
About Emily
Emily Homrighausen is a 2020 graduate of Eastern Illinois University with a master’s degree in speech-language pathology.
During her college studies, Emily was drawn to feeding therapy and working with the younger population. Now she is able to work with patients of all ages as she splits her time as a Speech Language Pathologist between AMS and a local school district.
Emily has a personal connection to the field having received speech therapy as a young child. With firsthand experience comes a unique perspective and understanding.
She aims to support her clients and their families through quality therapy and a positive outlook.
Treating the Individual
Every person is different, and so are their needs. That’s why our therapists design individualized therapy plans to meet each individual where they are.
No two people learn or grow the same way - and that's especially true of children. Our individualized treatment process helps us, and the patients, learn to communicate more effectively.
Feeding Therapy
Many families are all too familiar with the mealtime struggles that come with having a “picky eater.”
Likewise, parents are often surprised to learn that there is therapy available to help their child overcome the obstacles preventing them from eating appropriate, nutritious meals.
What presents as “picky” eating can often be attributed to physiological issues related to chewing and swallowing. Sometimes there are structural issues in the palate or frenum and behavioral issues such as food refusal.
A child can experience one or more of these issues preventing them from eating safely and willingly.
The feeding therapy approach supported by AMS Speech Therapy is geared to meet children’s motor skills and sensory needs. Food play and chaining are paired with exercises to strengthen and increase coordination of the muscles in the mouth.
Working on motor skills and sensory needs at the same time is effective in encouraging kids to eat a wider variety of foods and to ensure that they are chewing and swallowing safely.
Speech Therapy
AMS Speech Therapy utilizes play-based therapy to help children grow and embrace their voice. We believe therapy shouldn’t be “scary.” We use toys and play to help our youngest patients develop speech and language.
The entire family is encouraged to get involved with play-based therapy. When caregivers are given tools to implement during playtime, therapy is carried over into the home and becomes a way of life.
AMS Speech Therapy provides a full range of speech and language conditions including but not limited to:
Apraxia of speech articulation and phonological disorders
-
Autism
-
Cleft lip/palate and craniofacial syndromes
-
Cerebral palsy
-
Down syndrome
-
Feeding and swallowing disorders
-
Hearing impairment
-
Language delay
-
Oral motor
-
Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)
-
Stuttering/fluency
-
Auditory processing
-
Social language and pragmatics
All three speech-language pathologists employed by AMS Speech Therapy are credentialed in Early Intervention.
Communication Devices
AMS Speech Therapy helps patients and families navigate issues that may arise with communication devices. Our therapists are trained to troubleshoot, program and implement a variety of augmentative and assistive communication devices (AAC).
Our therapists use “lite” tech communication programs such as picture boards and task strips to encourage communication resulting in increased insurance coverage for a device.
Please note: AMS Speech Therapy does not do evaluations for augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). We prefer patients be evaluated at Children’s Hospital in St. Louis.
Once the evaluation is complete, our therapists work closely with the therapy department at Children’s to transition patients to therapy through our team. This approach provides shared knowledge and data resulting in more effective therapy and increased insurance coverage.
Contact Us
If you believe your child or loved one could benefit from the services provided by AMS Speech Therapy, please submit the form below.
AMS is currently accepting new patients.
We are enrolled with BCBS and Tricare. Self-pay options are available.