Amy Harlow M.S.CCC-SLP
Owner, Speech-Language Pathologist
Amy Harlow was born and raised on a farm in Carroll County Maryland. She is one of a set of triplets and has three older siblings, two of whom are a set of twins. She currently resides in Sparks, MD where she lives with her husband and many pets. Her adult children are finishing up high school or off to college!
As a child, Amy received several years of speech therapy due a minor birth defect. As an adolescent, she began to develop a keen sense of awareness of the sensitivities of others, having experienced them herself. She learned how to be strong in challenging or difficult times. Amy believes her experiences as a child dealing with psychosocial adversity truly led her to choose this career path. She can just as easily relate to a child experiencing communication difficulty or psychosocial adversity as she can listen to and help the adult who expresses their feelings about the changes impacting their life. She honestly believes her passion to help others is evident in her energy and enthusiasm in each of her sessions.
While a student at Towson University, Amy decided that her desire to care for and help others would be best served in the field of speech language pathology (also known as speech therapy). She obtained her Masters in Speech-Language Pathology from Towson University in 1997 and was pleasantly surprised to gain employment in the field immediately upon graduation.
Since then, Amy has worked in a variety of settings including hospital, school, nursing home, home health and private practice. She has worked directly with patients and also in management positions. She has gained a plethora of knowledge, which she brings into each unique situation as it pertains to speech, language, cognition and swallowing disorders. However, along the way, she decided that being in management was depriving her of one-on-one contact with patients/clients.
After much personal introspection, Amy finally realized that her dream speech therapy job lay in private practice. There she could maintain meaningful and continuous relationships with both children and adults, allow the necessary time to meet the needs of those she served and provide services to diverse clients with diverse needs. She has been given the opportunity to make a positive impact on the life of a child or adult forever, to educate and empower individuals, parents and caregivers. Very few people get to experience how this “feels”!!!
Amy believes her experiences as a child dealing with psychosocial adversity truly led her to
choose this career path. She can just as easily relate to a child experiencing communication difficulty or psychosocial adversity as she can listen to and help the adult who expresses their feelings about the changes impacting their life. She honestly believes her passion to help others is evident in her energy and enthusiasm in each of her sessions. She believes that brain fitness exercise coupled with physical fitness is key to keeping her balanced and in shape for what the world has to offer.
Most of the advice Amy gives, comes from her experiences receiving therapy, not giving it. Her best advice is that you use your resources, ask questions, and expect nothing but the best for your loved one. Your therapist should be able to confidently and competently explain and provide a sound rationale for their recommended treatment plan and include you in the development of that plan.
Affiliations: American Speech-Language Association (ASHA) member; certification in vital stimulation, training in PROMPT, and certified to provide DPNS (Deep Pharyngeal Neuromuscular Stimulation)
Practicing speech therapist for 20 years. In her spare time, Amy enjoys spending time with her family, friends and pets (Cooper, Louie, Caroline and Theo). She enjoys traveling, exercising, reading and a good cup of coffee!
