Connection, communication, and whole-brain growth.
A child-centered, strengths based approach to pediatric therapy…
Step into a space where therapy feels a little less like “work” and a lot more like play! Tucked inside a warm and cozy corner of this centurion Kirkwood, MO home, you’ll find a room designed for comfort, creativity, and movement. Swing gently in the sensory swing, bounce on the yoga ball, climb and crash into soft cushions, or dig into the sensory bin for hands-on fun. Every corner is filled with opportunities to explore, move, and learn in ways that feel joyful and natural—because growth happens best when you feel right at home.
Introducing myself…
My name is Haley Bell and I am the owner of Rooted Together Therapy. I am a speech language pathologist (SLP) who has been practicing in St. Louis city and county since 2017. I have very well-rounded clinical experiences—medical, private practice, elementary and secondary educational setting, early intervention, and multidisciplinary diagnostic teams working alongside psychologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, neurologists, pediatricians, school teams, social workers, etc.
These systems have provided me with knowledge, experience, and trainings that have transformed me as a therapist. However, they are systems dedicated to “fixing” versus understanding. We are all variants of the human continuum in search of connection, purpose, belonging, and power.
I have dedicated my career and this practice to building awareness, meaningful connections, and overall communication amongst all children and their families. I believe that connection and safety are the foundations to all areas of development. Together with my clients, we build a relationship on trust where we can exist as our truest selves and foster life-long confidence and advocacy skills.
"Neurodiversity celebrates the natural differences in how brains think, learn, and experience the world—reminding us that there is no one 'right' way to be human."
Let me tell you about types of therapy…
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Speech Therapy supports the brain-body connection that is required in order to produce sounds and be understood.
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Building Communication Skills
Language therapy supports children in organizing, processing, and producing their own original thoughts.Understanding & Expressing
Therapy addresses both what a child understands from their environment and what they are able to communicate independently.Strengthening the Brain’s Language Centers
Sessions focus on strategies that strengthen neural pathways for language and communication.Making it Meaningful
Child-preferred and motivating topics are used to model helpful organization and recall strategies.
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Child-Centered Perspective
We believe the greatest impact comes from first understanding a child’s unique perspective from the inside out.Beyond Compliance Models
Unlike approaches that focus on making children look or act “normal,” we honor individuality and authenticity.Building Self-Advocacy
Therapy supports children in developing the confidence to voice their needs and strengths.Supporting Regulation
We teach strategies for de-escalation and emotional regulation that empower children in daily life.Celebrating Differences
Our goal is to help children grow into independent individuals who are proud of what makes them unique.
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At Rooted Together Therapy, early intervention is about honoring each child’s natural patterns of learning while empowering parents with the knowledge and tools to support them.
Parent Education
We help families understand how children build communication through unique developmental pathways. Rather than pushing rigid milestones, we focus on noticing strengths, following interests, and nurturing authentic connection.Understanding Barriers
Sometimes learning feels harder because a child’s nervous system is dysregulated. Stress, sensory overwhelm, or unmet regulation needs can create barriers to communication. We teach families how to recognize these cues and respond with strategies that help their child feel safe, calm, and ready to learn.Parent Coaching
Instead of one-size-fits-all drills, therapy sessions include parent coaching and modeling. Together, we practice strategies that fit naturally into daily routines—helping parents feel confident supporting communication, self-advocacy, and regulation at home, in the community, and beyond.
Our approach is collaborative, relationship-centered, and grounded in the belief that every child can thrive when families are supported with the right knowledge, strategies, and tools.
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At Rooted Together Therapy, we believe communication is more than words—it’s every way a child shares who they are. Our neurodiversity-affirming approach to AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) celebrates multimodal communication, where gestures, speech, body language, AAC devices, pictures, and facial expressions are all valued as meaningful.
Multimodal Communication
Children are encouraged to use the modes of communication that feel most accessible in the moment. AAC therapy is not about replacing speech—it’s about expanding options so every child has reliable ways to connect, play, and self-advocate.Parent Support & Coaching
Families are partners in therapy. We provide coaching, modeling, and practical strategies so parents can confidently support AAC use during daily routines. This helps children experience success across home, school, and community settings.Strengths-Based Learning
Every child’s voice matters. We focus on their unique strengths and interests, building communication opportunities that feel natural and motivating rather than pressured or compliance-based.
By combining AAC tools with parent support, we create a communication environment where children are understood, empowered, and free to express themselves in ways that honor their individuality.
Services
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As an experienced diagnostician, I will collect data and caregiver input, administer standardized assessments, complete observations, collect play/language/speech samples as seen appropriate.
I am equipped to use professional tools across multiple fields in order to present a well-rounded picture of your child’s specific strengths and potential areas from growth. I contract with a multidisciplinary team to interpret assessments and present the whole-picture of a child.
Clients will be provided with a written evaluation along with therapy recommendations that can be shared with other healthcare professionals or school teams.
This is a highly individualized process designed to meet the needs of each client.
Rooted Together Therapies cannot “diagnose” medical disorders; however, we can provide detailed reports and interpretation to the child’s primary care physician or school team in order to provide them with any necessary information to make an appropriate diagnosis for medical or educational purposes. This process can help families bypass lengthy waiting lists for diagnostic centers and/or avoid being at the mercy of educational timelines.
Evaluations may include information regarding speech, language, and cognitive functioning, play skills, sensory processing, executive functioning skills, emotional regulation, etc.
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Individual therapy supports each person’s unique goals for increasing overall communication. We lean into special interests and favorite topics because we know that modeling language that is the most meaningful to the child is going to make the biggest impact. And true connection and fun between therapist and client is directly related to success in therapy!
Therapeutic Specialties:
- Communication differences related to Autism
- Gestalt Language and Cognitive Processing and Development
- Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Systems and Language Development
- Sensory Processing differences and it’s impact on regulation, language development, and overall learning
- Articulation and phonological disorders (i.e., correct production of specific speech sounds or sound systems)
- Receptive and expressive language disorders
- Childhood Apraxia of Speech and other motor planning based disorders
- Feeding dysfunction related to sensory differences (i.e., ARFID)
- Other neurodivergent populations with co-occurring communication differences (i.e., ADHD, OCD, Selective Mutism and/or Generalized Anxiety Disorders, Dyslexia, communication differences relating to specific medical diagnoses such as Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, genetic disorders, etc.)
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Do you want to create a village that is all on the same page with neurodiversity affirming practices as the foundation? We are prepared to meet with family members, care teams, school staff, etc. in order to provide education, resources, and individually created visual supports for children with different communication styles in order to better support participation and independence at home or in the community. This could be a 1x meeting or a recurring team check-in led by Rooted Together therapists.
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At Rooted Together Therapy, I design personalized visual supports and thoughtfully consider sensory strategies that fit naturally into your family’s routines. By starting with your family’s strengths, I help empower multimodal communication, language, speech sound awareness and production and learning so every member of your family can connect more easily—without needing to make major life changes or layering on parental guilt. Let me take something off your plate!
Certifications
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Missouri Board of Healing Arts Certified Speech Language Pathologist
American Speech Language and Hearing Association (ASHA) member and certified
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20+ hours of ASHA approved continuing education on record
Meaningful Speech program certified GLP practitioner
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multidisciplinary training in sensory processing, polyvagal theory and trauma informed care, as well as developmental milestones relating to motor, cognition, emotional regulation and authentic social participation.
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Certified with 9 years of experience administering, scoring, and interpretting the ADOS standardized assessment. The ADOS is considered the “gold-standard” in Autism diagnostics and is often a requirement by insurance companies for medical diagnoses.
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For the past 10 years, I’ve consistently supported children who use AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication). I’ve worked with more than 10 different systems, from high-tech eye-gaze and switch-access devices for children with complex bodies, to low-tech options for a wide range of abilities. My approach centers on using special interests and highly engaging activities to model language and build excitement for communication. I also guide families in finding balance—offering ideas for easy integration and modeling at home while easing feelings of overwhelm.
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Contact me.
Calling all therapists! Let’s work together!
My dream is to build a multidisciplinary team of ND practitioners under one roof here in St. Louis county and via telehealth. I want to learn, grow, and build community amongst professionals and families that centers around understanding the WHOLE child. Specifically in the fields of occupational therapy (OT) and developmental psychology. Reach out to me with any inquiries.