Sunshine
Pediatric Therapy
Welcome to Sunshine Pediatric Therapy!
We are team of licensed speech-language pathologists that are here to support your child on their communication journey.
If you are seeking speech-language services or have questions about your child's development, we would love to help you.
Individualized Therapy can be used to treat the areas:
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Speech: Articulation Disorder, Phonological Disorder, and Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS)
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Language: Receptive and Expressive Language Disorder
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Fluency
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Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)
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Feeding/Swallowing
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Auditory Processing Disorder
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Social Aspects
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Cognition
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Voice
We currently accept the following types of insurance:
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Blue Cross Blue Shield
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United Healthcare
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Sanford
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Cigna
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Health Partners
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ND Medicaid
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Tricare
Speech and Language Therapy
Our team of speech-language pathologists provide individualized therapy to the pediatric population to assess, diagnose and treat a variety of communication needs. We accept a variety of insurance plans; we are happy to look into the specific benefits of your insurance plan prior to your first appointment.
Our Approach
Theme-Based Therapy
At Sunshine Pediatric Therapy, we believe that therapy should be both fun and effective. Each session is thoughtfully designed to support your child's growth while working toward their individual goals. To keep things exciting and meaningful, we introduce a new theme every week—giving children the chance to explore a variety of vocabulary in an engaging, play-based way. Our theme-based approach keeps sessions fresh, fun, and motivating, helping kids stay eager to learn and make meaningful progress in their communication skills.
Communication Milestones
These milestones may be used as a reference to help you know what to expect as your child continues to grow and develop. We offer free developmental screenings, which can help determine if a full evaluation is necessary.
Please contact us with any questions, we would love to assist you in any way possible.
Speech
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2 1/2 years old: 25% intelligible to unfamiliar listeners and 50% intelligible to familiar listeners
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3 years old: 50% intelligible to unfamiliar listeners and 75% intelligible to familiar listeners
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3 1/2 years old: 75% intelligible to unfamiliar listeners and 100% intelligible to familiar listeners
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4 years old: 100% intelligible to unfamiliar listeners and 100% intelligible to familiar listeners
Language
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Vocabulary size
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1 year: 1-10 words
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1.5 years: 50-200 words
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2 years: 200-500 words
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3 years: 1,000 words
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Utterance length (Sentence length)
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1 year: communicates with single words
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2 years: combines two or more words to communicate
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3 years: combines three or more words to communicate
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Important preverbal skills before words emerge
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Shared attention
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Turn-taking
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Gestural communication
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Receptive give/get commands
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Fluency
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Speech characteristics associated with "typical disfluency"
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Whole word and phrase repetitions
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Interjections (Example: "um", "like")
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Revisions (Example: "yesterday I, no wait today...")
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More disfluencies can be observed in times when language is quickly developing
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Speech characteristics associated with "stuttering"
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Sound or syllable repetitions (Example: "b-b-b-ball")
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Prolongations (Example: "sssss-ee" for "see")
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Blocks (Example: "I want _____ more")
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Secondary behaviors (Example: eye blinks and facial grimaces)
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Negative reactions or frustration
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Moments of stuttering associated with physical tension or struggle
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Avoidance behaviors
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Family history of stuttering
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Social Aspects
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1 years old: engaged in routine-like games (Example: pat-a-cake)
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1.5 years old: uses a pointer-finger gesture
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2 years old: notices when others are hurt/upset and looks at a caregivers face to observe reactions
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2.5 years old: plays next to/with other children and follows simple routines (Example: "clean up")
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3 years old: joins other children in play
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4 years old: avoids danger, comforts others emotions, and engages in pretend play
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5 years old: follows rules and takes turns with others
Our Team
We are a team of licensed speech and language pathologists who are dedicated to supporting parents and their child throughout the entire therapy journey. At Sunshine Pediatric Therapy, we believe that therapy should be playful, engaging, and full of smiles. We take a client-centered approach that is tailored to each child's unique strengths, challenges, and goals. Our goal is to create an environment where parents feel encouraged and children feel confident.
Candace was born and raised in Saskatchewan, Canada. After completing her undergraduate degree, she ventured to Minot to pursue her master's degree in Speech-Language Pathology. Before she completed her graduate studies, she met her husband, which solidified her decision to pursue a career locally. Over the past 8 years, Candace has gained experience within the private practice setting as well as with providing in-home consults for families and their children. Making personal connections and involving families in the therapy process has been one of her favorite parts of the private therapy setting. Her special interest areas include early language development and phonological disorders. She also has specialized training with Pragmatic Organization Dynamic Display (PODD) and therapy for Auditory Processing Disorders. In her personal time, Candace loves any chance to make memories with her family.
Candace Larson MS, CCC-SLP Owner, Speech-Language Pathologist
Abby Abel MS, CCC-SLP Speech-Language Pathologist
Abby was born and raised in Minot, ND. She completed both her undergraduate and graduate degree at Minot State University. Abby has always had a passion for working with children. She loves how every child brings their own unique strengths and areas of growth. Abby recently graduated with her master's in speech and language pathology in 2024. While completing graduate school, Abby gained clinical experience working with pediatric clients at the Minot State University CSD clinic, Minot Public School, and Sprout Pediatric Therapy. Following graduate school, Abby discovered that she loved the private practice setting. She is excited to continue her career by helping children in her hometown community. She looks forward to partnering with families, and supporting both parents and their children through every step of the communication journey.
Candace Larson, MS CCC-SLP
CONTACT
We would love to help!
Send us an email or give us a call to discuss any questions or concerns you may have about your child's development.
If we do not answer, please leave your name and number, we will get back to you as soon as we are able.
Office Hours
Monday = 8-5
Tuesday = 8-5
Wednesday = 8-5
Thursday = 8-5
Friday-Sunday = closed
Contact Information
Office Phone Number: (701) 858-1955
Office Email: clarson@sunshineminot.com
Location
15 1st Ave SE, Minot, ND 58701
