Welcome to Communication at Heart
Pediatric Speech, Language, & Feeding Therapy Clinic
owned by Nikki Sumner, M.Ed., CCC-SLP
Meet the Owner
Hi, I’m Nikki Sumner, owner and sole speech-language pathologist (SLP) of Communication at Heart. I was born and raised in northwest Georgia. I graduated from Pepperell High School then attended Georgia Highlands for my Associates degree before transferring to the University of West Georgia where I obtained my Bachelors and Masters degrees in Communication Sciences and Disorders. My career has led me to work in various settings including: public schools, private schools, outpatient clinics, and the hospital. Communication at Heart became my dream in 2023 as I felt led to pursue my passion of helping young children, with the increasing need in our area but lack of resources for families.
I currently live in Cedartown, GA with my husband and daughter. When I am not at the clinic, I enjoy going hiking and being outdoors. I also love to travel, browse antique stores, go fishing, exercise, and explore community events with my family.
The reason...
I chose the name Communication at Heart because communication is truly at the heart of everything we do! From our brains communicating to different parts of our body, our sensory system communicating back what we see or feel, to being able to express ourselves verbally or non-verbally, our entire body relies on good communication. Through my experience working in a variety of settings, I have learned that paying attention to ALL the ways individuals communicate is so important!
Many people hear the role of “speech therapist” and think that we only work on how people pronounce their words, but there is SO MUCH MORE! I have several passions in this field and want to share a little bit about my WHY…
My WHY...
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Feeding therapy - My daughter was born with a congenital heart defect called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. After her first open heart surgery, we learned how much our digestive system is affected by heart function. She had a GI bleed, constipation, feeding intolerance, and weak oral motor skills. She received all of her nutrition through an NG tube for the first 11 months of her life during which I absorbed as much knowledge as possible from other professionals and continuing education courses. We were able to wean her off of her feeding tube before her first birthday but our feeding troubles did not stop there. Over the years, we have continued to work on oral motor skills and decrease texture sensitivities. Experiencing this on a personal level, made me even more passionate about being able to help others who are going down a similar path.
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Hearing Impairments and Language Development - When I was 14, my youngest brother was born deaf. He began receiving speech therapy through a program at the Atlanta Speech School where he learned some sign language and also began to read lips and produce some sounds. He received his first cochlear implant at the age of 1. He continued therapies and school at the Atlanta Speech School where he became able to differentiate sounds and communicate verbally. His experience is what first led me to the idea of becoming a speech-language pathologist. During the next several years, I shadowed an SLP in the school district and volunteered at the Atlanta Speech School where I was able to increase my knowledge about hearing impairments. For several years, I also worked at the Georgia School for the Deaf where I became more immersed in American Sign Language and was able to develop more skills learning from not only the teachers there, but the students as well.
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Other areas I am passionate about are:
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early language development,
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alternative communication for children with autism
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sensory integration
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how behaviors affect communication
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tethered oral tissues
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I have been blessed to work with a variety of doctors, teachers, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and other professionals who have increased my knowledge in these areas and influenced my treatment approach. This is why at Communication at Heart, we believe in a holistic approach to speech therapy. We focus not only on improving speech and language skills, but on increasing communication across various contexts. We also strive to help children build confidence in themselves and their skills as they grow.