Meet Mike Cole
Founder of Use Your Words Speech Therapy
Mike Cole graduated with his Master’s degree from Illinois State University. He is also a founding member on the American Board of Augmentative and Alternative Communication.
His over 26 years of experience began working in the schools where he discovered his strong passion and empathy for working with children who struggled to communicate verbally. Mike sought ways using AAC to help these children communicate to gain control over their lives and connect with other people.
Realizing that AAC is a specialized area of knowledge in the field for speech therapy Mike pursued further post graduate education in ACC amounting to hundreds of hours of education beyond what is provided in standard curriculum so that he could gain the knowledge needed to be the most effective professional speech therapist in treating these individuals.
In recognition for this education, Mike regularly receives the A.C.E. award from the National Speech Language and Hearing Association (ASHA), recognizing his achievement. He learned from the practitioners and professors on the forefront of AAC research and application. Mike consistently hears from families their relief in finding someone who can answer their questions, provide effective treatment, and more importantly, make progress.
Gradually, Mike moved into private practice which allowed him to pinpoint and focus on the knowledge base and therapeutic techniques required to increase progress for children and adults. This also enabled him to partner more directly with families to empower them to provide strong coping strategies and support for their children.
Families are truly the ones that can achieve the greatest results when providing the proper support. Mike’s unique approach where he asks for the families’ direct participation in sessions provides him the ability to team up and empower them to provide knowledgeable support their children need.
Mike takes special pride in working with patients, getting to know each one as an individual, and working on their behalf to maximize their progress in communication.
With his knowledge and experience in AAC Mike presents at national conferences and webinars to provide this training to others.
“He is continuing to surprise us, by using his device in new and different ways. When he repeated "Mommy" the night I was away I heard him saying "where is mommy" and can only imagine that he will actually be able to say that one day. But it's clear enough to me what he's trying to say.
It's bittersweet to know my son missed me, and wondered where I was, but how great that he was able to communicate that!”
Take the First Step
on Your Journey With Us
Perhaps you have questions you would like to ask before you decide to become our client. We offer a complimentary 20-minute consultation to answer any questions you have to help determine if our approach is right for you.