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The RiteCare Childhood Language Center of San Jose, a program of the California Scottish Rite Foundation provides speech, language, and literacy treatment of childhood language disorders. We support 17 RiteCare Childhood Language Centers in communities across California, free of charge. The RiteCare Childhood Language Center of San Jose is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, totally reliant on philanthropy from individuals, foundations and corporate partners. We do not receive any state or federal funding.
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© 2024 by the California Scottish Rite Foundation, a 501c (3) organization. The Federal Tax Number for the California Scottish Rite Foundation is: 94-6078728.
RiteCare Childhood Language Center of San Jose
2455 Masonic Drive
San Jose, CA 95125
Phone: 408-448-4357
Email:
The California Scottish Rite Foundation
San Jose RiteCare Center Director
Rachel R. Sense, M.A., CCC-SLP
Rachel R. Sense, M.A., CCC-SLP, has practiced at the RiteCare Childhood Language Center of San Jose since 2007. She received her Master’s in Communication Disorders from
Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, in 2005 and completed her fellowship in Boston, MA, at a pediatric outpatient hospital facility. Rachel has experience working in hospitals, elementary schools, and private practice settings. She specializes in early child language development, motor speech disorders, Childhood Apraxia of Speech, cleft palate, stuttering, and social thinking therapies. Rachel has worked with San Jose State University’s Communication Disorder’s graduate program, offering supervision and mentorship for graduate students.
Recently, she received the ACE award from the American Speech-Language-Hearing
Association for her dedication to continuing education. Rachel loves working with children
because their joy is infectious. And she loves her job because she is constantly learning new and creative ways to help the kids she feels so blessed to work with at the Scottish Rite. Rachel enjoys working closely with families to foster the best learning outcomes for their children using evidence-based practices, and of course, lots of fun during therapy sessions! Seeing kids learn to communicate with their families and friends is the most rewarding experience. Rachel carries her Clinical Competence Certification with the American Speech-Langauge-Hearing Association, as well as licensure with the State of California Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology & Hearing Aid Dispensers Board.
San Jose RiteCare Center Clinician
Angela Stephan, M.S., CCC-SLP
Angela Stephan has been working as a pediatric speech-language pathologist for 21 years. Angela has experience working in hospitals, home based early intervention, private practice, and her favorite – outpatient clinical settings. Angela worked for the Rite Care Childhood Language Center of San Jose for 11 years before moving from San Jose, back to her home state of Kentucky. She was elated when the opportunity to re-join the Rite Care Center was presented through the option of telehealth services in 2020. Some of Angela’s favorite areas of practice include social pragmatic language, speech sound disorders, childhood apraxia of speech, language development and working alongside children on the autism spectrum.
Angela has worked in conjunction with other therapists to provide social language groups and speech sound disorders groups. Over the course of her career Angela has had the opportunity to complete various continuing education courses and considers herself a lover of life-long learning. Working with children of all ages and their families has been a great source of happiness and meaning for Angela. The Rite Care clinic has provided Angela with the support to focus on the children and their needs, because treatment decisions are based on a collaboration between the therapist and the family. Angela holds her Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language Hearing Association and is licensed to practice as a Speech-Language Pathologist in the states of California and Kentucky. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two daughters, taking walks, reading, yoga and baking gluten free treats for herself and others.
TEAM
Literacy is the ability to read and write.
Reading is a multifaceted process to make meaning from print.
Writing is the process of generating text.
The following skills are required for successful reading and writing:
Phonemic Awareness is the ability to hear and manipulate the sounds in spoken words. Understanding that spoken words and syllables are made up of discrete sounds.
Phonics instruction teaches children that specific sounds belong to specific letters or specific letter patterns.
Reading fluency is the ability to read with consistent speed, accuracy, and expression. Children read fluently when they are able to recognize words automatically and are no longer focused on how to read.
Vocabulary is knowledge of words and their meaning. A strong vocabulary assists with reading comprehension.
Reading Comprehension is the ability for a child to understand what they have read as well as to understand what they have written.
Spelling is the forming of words from letters according to accepted rules. Learning to spell and learning to read rely on the same underlying knowledge (i.e. relationships between letters and sounds).
LITERACY
Children begin learning from the moment they come into the world. For most children speech and language skills develop naturally from interaction with parents, siblings, and others in their environment. From an infant’s first smile to a two-year olds first sentence, these developmental milestones lay the foundation for successful communication throughout their lives.
However, many children have difficulty learning because of underlying communication delays or disorders. The Department of Education estimates that 6 million children in the U.S.A. suffer from some sort of communication impairment. Communication delays and disorders fall into one or more of the four basic areas of development:
Processing or understanding sounds and spoken words
Expressing oneself with meaningful words using correct grammar and word order
Blending like sounds together in the correct sequence to be understood
Using language in a meaningful, purposeful manner in all communications
Because language is essential for communication, learning, social adjustment and emotional stability, impairment may lead to difficulty with everyday activities. The earlier these difficulties are identified, the sooner appropriate intervention can begin.
A Better Understanding of our Philanthropy
The RiteCare Childhood Language Center of San Jose provides therapy to address a wide range of speech and language areas, including:
Speech Sound Disorders
Language Delays and Disorders
Early Language Development
Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS)
Motor Speech Disorders - Apraxia and Dysarthria
Stuttering (Fluency)
Social-Communication and Pragmatics
Unfortunately, we do not provide services for the following:
Dyslexia
ABA therapy
OUR SERVICES
Our Programs
The RiteCare Childhood Language Center of San Jose provides comprehensive evaluation and therapy services for speech and language delays and disorders of children ages 2 -13 years of age who live in the Bay Area and surrounding communities.
All diagnostic and therapy services are provided by nationally certified and state licensed Speech-Language Pathologists. Diagnostic evaluations determine the course of treatment and direct an individualized plan of care specific to the needs of the child.
Our Speech-Language Pathologists obtain information about a child’s skills and abilities within the areas of receptive and expressive language, articulation/phonology, voice, fluency, oral motor development, and pragmatics/social communication using a variety of diagnostic tools. The assessment assists in formulating a plan of care that is specific to the needs of the child and follows evidence-based practices based on research within the field of communication disorders.
Therapy is either in-person, Telehealth, or a combination of both and may be provided in individual treatment sessions or in a small group depending on the specific needs of the child. Frequency of therapy is typically one to two times per week. Our Speech-Language Pathologists work closely with the child’s family to provide carryover of therapy interventions at home to ensure the best outcome of the child’s speech and language development.
In some cases, the Speech-Language Pathologist works with the child’s pediatrician or other medical professionals, teachers, and other rehab staff to assist with carryover of therapy goals or to make recommendations for other referrals to further assist the child and their family.
What do I do if I suspect my child has a speech or language problem?
Contact our clinic and discuss your concerns to see if your child requires an initial screening and further evaluation for services.
How much do services cost and do you accept insurance?
Speech and language services at the RiteCare Clinic are free of charge. Services are funded by the San Jose Scottish Rite and through donations. Families are welcome to donate to the clinic.
What types of services do you offer?
We offer treatment both in person and online. Treatment visits are offered individually and in small groups when recommended.
Do you perform assessments?
Once your child has been placed with a regular treatment time, their therapist will perform an assessment of their speech and language to assist in formulating a plan of care. If your child has recently been assessed elsewhere, you are welcome to provide that information to better assist the therapist.
What is your intake process?
After contacting the clinic and providing a brief description of concerns, your child will be scheduled for a screening. At this time the therapist will speak with parents and provide feedback regarding potential therapeutic treatment. If treatment is recommended, your child will be placed on the waitlist until a regular treatment appointment time becomes available. Waitlist time varies based on your family’s availability.
What does therapy look like?
We approach therapy in a variety of ways depending on the needs of your child. Play based treatment is typically used for younger children. We may incorporate games, movement, iPads, and a variety of strategies to get the best results for your child. Therapy takes place in a treatment room or at home via telehealth and parents are encouraged to observe and participate.
Where can I donate to the clinic?
The RiteCare Clinic is a non-profit center funded through donations. Your tax-deductible donation will go towards clinic resources, supplies, and toys. New or lightly used toys and books are also appreciated.
What age ranges do you treat?
Children 2-13 years old are eligible for speech services.
How many times per week will my child receive services?
Children can receive speech therapy 1-2 times per week.
How can I help as a parent?
You have already taken the first step by finding out more about your child’s development so that you can continue to advocate for your child. It is also beneficial to read to your child, play games, and verbally interact with your child daily. Be sure to communicate with your child’s daycare provider, teacher, therapist, or other service provider for more direction.