Contributed A COMFORTABLE ENVIRONMENT — Vanessa Maurer, owner of Hometown Speech Therapy, said she set out to create a comfortable environment in which to aid youth of all ages with communication issues and feeding disorders. Wintersville officials recently conducted a ribbon-cutting ceremony to welcome her.

WINTERSVILLE — Licensed speech therapist Vanessa Maurer said she named her practice Hometown Speech Therapy because she wanted people to know they didn’t have to go far to find help for their children with communication issues and feeding disorders.

And she has worked with her husband, Mike, to make her practice at 125 Main St. a welcoming and comfortable place for the youth she treats.

Located at the rear of the Goodwill building, with its own entrance and parking, the spacious practice includes a play area where children may unwind.

It also lends itself well to hands-on activities used by Maurer to assist youth 18 and under in overcoming difficulties in expressing themselves or swallowing food.

She explained she has been trained to aid people with dysphagia, a condition in which swallowing is difficult and may be accompanied by pain, drooling, coughing, gagging and other symptoms.

Such problems can occur as early as infancy with difficulty in breastfeeding, but there are methods to help children overcome them, she said.

Maurer added for various reasons, some children have difficulty articulating certain vowel or consonant sounds, and she can work with them to confidently express themselves to others.

She noted there also are devices that can aid with communication.

In addition to part-time speech therapist Taylor Hawthorne, Maurer is joined at her new practice by Danielle Haught, who offers tutoring in various subjects to the children aided there.

Haught said developmental delays in verbal skills often affect a child’s performance in school, and she can help them catch up.

A graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville with 20 years of tutoring behind her, she has organized summer day camps to reinforce skills children will need when they return to school.

A 2006 graduate of Toronto High School, Maurer earned a master’s degree in speech therapy at West Virginia University.

Her husband’s work took her for a few years to Georgia, where she worked in a private practice, before returning to the Ohio Valley, where she worked for a time in the Brooke County and Buckeye Local school districts and at a local nursing home.

While she is focusing on youth at this time, she hasn’t ruled out later expanding to adults, including senior citizens who may suffer from speech impairment resulting from strokes and other conditions.

Maurer said some of her clients come through doctor referrals, and she accepts most insurance, but many have learned of her services through word of mouth.

A mother of three, she said she enjoys working with children and has been happy to pursue a career that involves helping people.

Appointments currently are available from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, Thursday and Friday and 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, though those hours may expand in the summer.

To make an appointment for treatment or tutoring, call (740) 461-0860.

Information about Hometown Speech Therapy also can be found on its website and Facebook page.

(Scott can be contacted at wscott@heraldstaronline.com.)