Health & wellness
BY JOVANNA AGUILAR
Michelle Martin said her father built the wooden rocket ship located at Launch Pediatric Therapy.
COURTESY LAUNCH PEDIATRIC THERAPY
Aside from Michelle Martin, Launch Pediatric Therapy has 12 therapists on sta .
JOVANNA AGUILAR COMMUNITY IMPACT
Launch Pediatric Therapy serving Jersey Village Michelle Martin found her calling as a speech pathologist in college while taking an elective course at The University of Texas. a team of 12 speech, feeding, occupational and physical therapists.
Launch Pediatric Therapy serves children of all ages in Jersey Village.
COURTESY LAUNCH PEDIATRIC THERAPY
The therapy center o ers therapy for children of all ages. With a focus on speech and feeding therapy, Martin said she spends most of her time working with children on the oor. Utilizing creative methods associated with posi- tive reinforcement and experiences, children with cognitive di erences and developmental delays are gradually introduced to foods they typically reject, walked through communication develop- ment and taught how to regulate their emotions. “I’m on the oor a lot, and we get thrown up on a lot. We all have spare clothes, but it is one of the most rewarding parts,” Martin said. “I love this part, because feeding and eating is so social.” What else? In addition to the proximity, Martin opened Launch Pediatric Therapy in Jersey Village to o er a therapy center where children and families could be equally treated in a family-centered, warm environment. “I entered this profession to make an impact, to make big changes, and not just for the child, but the whole family unit,” Martin said. Martin said she partners with a Jersey Village High School program, HOSA, in which students volunteer by assisting therapists at Launch Pediatric Therapy.
“I took this phonetics class, and I fell in love with speech pathology, so I changed my major, and I never looked back,” Martin said. After earning a degree in speech pathology, Martin began practicing in 2007 and opened her own practice, Launch Pediatric Therapy, in Jersey Village in October 2023. Staying local Martin said while growing up in Jersey Village, she attended Jersey Village High School and was an active member of the community. In turn, her roots in the community led her to return to serve the area she grew up in through her own practice. Located a few streets away from her home, Mar- tin said the proximity of her practice allowed her to have a better work-life balance while ful lling her passion in her own community. “It’s just been so nice to be in the community that I already love,” Martin said. “I volunteer and I’m on city council.” Although Martin said she originally intended to be a teacher to work with children, her creative soul led her to create a business where she could use her creativity to aid children with cognitive di erences. What they o er Launch Pediatric Therapy is operated alongside
Launch Pediatric Therapy utilizes several methods of therapy for children of all ages.
COURTESY LAUNCH PEDIATRIC THERAPY
SEATTLE ST.
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16000 Dillard Drive, Ste. 2B, Jersey Village www.launchhtx.com
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