ABC Speech Language TX | Testimonials

Please note that Instagram suddenly locked us out of our original account, @abcspeechandlanguage, as of November, 2021 when IG changed to META. We no longer have access to that account.

Our CURRENT ACCOUNT is:

@abc_speechandlanguage

Testimonials: Written by parents and other professionals

Virginia has a superb understanding of children and establishes immediate rapport. She is that rare combination of artist and teacher and any client or organization would be blessed to have an affiliation with her.

DIANE HALPERIN, M.A., LMFT, TEACHER, & DANCE-MOVEMENT THERAPIST, RANCHO PALOS VERDES

I observed Ms. Mariconda to have exceptional skills in adapting educational strategies to meet the individual needs of special students. Ms. Mariconda develops excellent rapport with both her students and their parents. She has the ability to set limits in a loving and safe environment.

STEVE RILEY, PRESCHOOL TEACHER AND SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGIST, REDONDO BEACH

Hi Virginia,

First off, for the longest time I’ve been wanting to get you a gift, but can’t find one that would show you how much you mean to me! As a mom! You’re my angel, Virginia. You have lit up something in Amira...and there is no gift I can give you that would even compare to what you have given me and Amira.

Today, I had a bad day, and I wasn’t the best mom. Amira spilled tomato sauce and I got upset. I didn’t yell, but in a stern, mean voice I said, “Are you happy? Look what you did, you made a mess” and Amira replied, “Yeah, I am happy.” She smiled at me and kissed me.

Which made me laugh hard.

Last night she said, clearly, “Bye, auntie”. She’s been talking all day. She said, “I am hungry", “Who is it?”, “Where we going now?” And all of the sentences were clear. Oh, and she said giraffe with the G sound perfectly. Oh, and tiger. With the r in tiger, it sounded more like “tiga”. Anyway, she’s been saying words more clearly.

Thank you for coming into our lives. Thank you for loving her and giving her your all.

KAT COVARRUBIAS, Mother of a Three-Year-Old Child with Speech-Language Delay due to infantile surgery, GLENDALE

His teachers, therapists, and physicians are amazed at how well he speaks. His vocabulary is extensive too!

I want to take this time to thank you so much for your time with him. I feel so fortunate to have had you as part of his early learning experience.

My parents and I are extremely grateful!

L.M.Z., Mother of a speech-language delayed child treated at ABC Children's Speech & Language starting at 19 months old, LOS ANGELES

Virginia is extraordinary and I think any child would benefit from her gentle, playful, imaginative techniques. Christopher looked forward to her visits and we saw improvement quickly. Some of the learning games that Virginia used with him, Christopher still enjoys to this day! I, as a parent, appreciated Virginia’s compassion and willingness to sit down and answer my questions and give suggestions. She is a wonderful support for the parents as well. My only complaint is that we couldn’t take her with us when we moved to Idaho!

CRISTINA NIKKEL, Mother of a Three-Year-Old Child with High-Functioning Autism, formerly of PALOS VERDES

Choosing Virginia at ABC Children’s Speech and Language was one of the best decisions we’ve made for our son. Virginia takes the time to get to know the child and go at his or her pace, working meticulously on trust and language. She creates a fun, comfortable environment, and my son LOVED going to see her. Virginia works especially well with sensitive children. She’s able to read the slightest signs of communication, allowing for a wonderful foundation in which to build and learn. Virginia also updates her toys regularly for new activities, and she remembers favorites from previous visits. I highly recommend her speech therapy services.

V.R., Mother of a Two-Year-Old Child with Autism, LOS ANGELES

Kailo's connection with Virginia was instant. Her energy opened up my little shy boy within the first 10 minutes of our first meeting. It felt like it was meant to be.

Kailo lives in a bilingual home (French and English). His speech delay was a little concern from our pediatrician who recommended ABC Speech & Language. Virginia not only helped Kailo in both languages (since she also speaks French ) but she also gave us the tools to support Kailo’s speech journey beyond the speech therapy session. Any questions or concerns were approached in a loving way. I can't even word my appreciation for all the progress Kailo made in a couple of months already.

Communication is such an important part of a child's journey to open up to the world. ABC Children’s Speech and Language is the perfect place to make the transition as smooth and loving as possible. Virginia truly has a gift with children.

MYRIAM & DARRYL BANKS, Parents of a Bilingual Two-Year-Old Child with Speech- Language Delay, LOS ANGELES

I would like to thank Virginia Mariconda for the quality of speech therapy provided at

ABC Children’s Speech and Language. Virginia is an outstanding professional that helped my son achieve his speech goals and built a relationship of trust that made

him look forward to every session. She has many years of experience and

incorporates games and fun activities into her sessions that keep the child engaged during therapy. I highly recommend ABC Children’s Speech and Language!

K.T., Mother of a Nine-Year-Old Bilingual Child with delayed /s/ production, LOS ANGELES

English is my son’s second language. At the end of preschool, I became concerned that he was unable to express himself fluently in English and that his vocabulary in English was limited as compared to his peers’. We were very fortunate to have Virginia begin working with Alexander. She was able to assess and target the areas in which he required help…and provide individualized, goal-oriented work. As a result, at the end of first grade when he took the CAT/6 test, he scored "Above Average" in language and in the 99th percentile in vocabulary. Virginia possesses a unique combination of high creativity and attention to detail, and has a gift for working with children. She was able to set high expectations for my son and motivate him at the same time.

EUGENIE BOIADJIEVA, Mother of a Gifted Bilingual Child, SAN PEDRO

Ms. Mariconda served as an integral part of the intervention team. She was highly dedicated to her clients and well respected by other team members, in addition to all who came in contact with her at the clinic. In particular, Ms. Mariconda was known for her professional demeanor, conscientiousness, patience, and kindness.

JULIE EWALD, OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST, formerly of TORRANCE

I’m proud of him and how he has moved through therapy with your expert guidance to acquire new skills, stamina, tools and tricks to overcome something so difficult for him! I cry every time he spontaneously reads, which is a lot now. Even as he stumbles on words, he is really working through it and usually perseveres! May those be skills he continues to use in other difficulties he encounters in life. I tell everyone about it!"

V.G., Mother of an Eight-Year-Old Child with Dyslexia, who began at ABC at age 5,

RANCHO PALOS VERDES

My son loved Ms. Mariconda and his positive rapport with her increased his motivation to do well. He progressed from laboriously sounding out three-letter words to reading entire books. His spelling scores at school also increased dramatically. Additionally, Ms. Mariconda has considerable skill in the area of behavioral intervention and did a remarkable job of nearly eliminating the poor behavior my son used to exhibit when faced with failure or disappointment.

MARITZA SCHMIDT, Mother of a Child with Prader-Willi Syndrome, TORRANCE

Virginia works very well with my son. She has a way of connecting with children, coupled with her knowledge of the various developmental interventions, that has helped Patrick make tremendous progress academically and socially. Virginia has been an enormous help in preparing my son for the challenges he has faced, and in working with his teachers and aides to help them understand what techniques and approaches bring the best results. So many teachers and friends have said to me, "What would you do without Virginia?" I know that my son would have accomplished no where near what he has without her help.

JIM STOREY, Father of a Child with Autism, MANHATTAN BEACH

I am so happy that you are providing trainings at our Resource & Referral sites. Our early care and education providers really enjoy your energy, knowledge, connection, and interactive workshops.

ZENAIDA MEZA, Professional Development Coaching Manager, CHILD CARE ALLIANCE OF LOS ANGELES

We want to thank you for all your amazing help! I feel like we addressed some great ways to help raise our son while discussing some things that will really benefit our marriage as well. We can't thank you enough, really...and we appreciate it more than you know.

THE GROVER FAMILY, SOUTH BAY, regarding our in-home "Behavioral Assist" services (please contact us if this is of interest) with their 2-year-old