Meet Emalee Kioski of Balance Speech & Language Therapy in Redondo Beach

Today we’d like to introduce you to Emalee Kioski.

Emalee, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
As a working mom, I’m always looking for a balance between providing for my family financially, being fulfilled in my work, and being present (aka “in the moment”) with my kids. As a pediatric speech language pathologist, my services and expertise are in high demand. When I saw the clinic I worked for choosing to serve its executives over its therapists and patients, I decided to make a change. Starting my own practice wasn’t difficult per se, but it was certainly terrifying. I started with a few close friends whose children needed therapy and contacted former colleagues for referrals. I named my practice after a concept that means a lot to me; “In all things, there must be balance.” At Balance Speech-Language Therapy, I am dedicated to helping families find a balance between therapy, home, and school in order to optimize treatment. Balance is the key to a child’s success and I strive to help each family find the kind of balance that works for them. It’s been one year since I’ve started and I now have a wait list. There’s only going up from here 🙂

Has it been a smooth road?
The beginning wasn’t a rough road, it was a drop off a cliff. I worked for a clinic with an extremely long wait list (2 years) and I asked the executives if I could privately treat some of the kids on the wait list. I also wanted to treat a friend’s child whose insurance we didn’t take. I was initially given their blessing and was excited to start helping more families. Four weeks later the CFO pulled me in her office and said, “No, you can’t do that. Your last day is next Friday or you can stop seeing the other patients and stay.”

To say I was in shock was an understatement. I was given the weekend to “think about it,” but I made my decision before I even left her office. I was angry at first, but now am grateful. I would have never taken the leap on my own and it was just the fire I needed.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
As of now, I am a one woman show. I am a speech language pathologist who holds an American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) certification of clinical competence (CCC-SLP), a speech-language pathology California state license (SLPAB), and a teaching credential. I have an array of experience working with children ages birth through 22 years with a variety of needs including but not limited to expressive and receptive language delays, articulation/phonology disorders, stuttering, autism, apraxia, traumatic brain injury, and social/pragmatic delays. I have over eleven years of working with children with special needs, including 5 years working as a behavioral therapist implementing Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) therapy both in home and in the classroom. I specialize in children with sensory integration disorders and use sensory tools as part of my therapy.

I am most proud of educating parents on the needs of their child and empowering them to make the best decisions for their children and their families.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Our city is a great place for pediatric therapy needs. The demands are high. I have a wait list and have never once put out an advertisement. I have zero overhead and it’s incredible. There is a large team of private speech therapists in the south bay/Los Angeles and it’s not a competition. I get referrals from colleagues all the time.

Contact Info:

• Website: balancespeech.com
• Phone: 424-443-3170
• Email: speech@balancespeech.com

Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.