Meet Ms. Sam!

Samantha Simmons

MS, CCC-SLP

Hi! I’m Sam, owner of Play and Say!

As both a mom and a speech-language pathologist, I understand how overwhelming it can feel to figure out the best ways to support your little one’s growth and development.

My goal is to be a trusted resource - not only in nurturing your child’s communication skills, but also in helping you navigate the tougher parts of parenting toddlers. From daily routines and behavioral challenges to school or daycare transitions, I’m here to provide you with guidance and information to help make your family’s lives a little easier.

By working together, we’ll guide your child to build confidence and truly thrive! 

I graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2016 with my BA in Public Health, then from New York University in 2020 with my MS in Communicative Sciences and Disorders. Since 2020, I have worked in private practice as a licensed and ASHA certified Speech-Language Pathologist. 

I have experience in the following areas:

  • Phonology/Articulation

  • Receptive/Expressive Language

  • Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS)

  • Pragmatics 

  • Cognition

  • Augmentative & Alternative Communication (AAC)

  • Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

  • ADHD

  • Hearing Loss

“Sam has had an incredible impact on our lives, especially on our son Jack… from being nonverbal to now saying many words and phrases…”

Mom of Jack, age 3

Kind Words from Cherished Clients

Testimonials

“My daughter has learned so much and has enjoyed each of her weekly speech therapy sessions with Mrs. Sam! She’s become more than a speech therapist, she is her best friend and someone she can trust (my daughter does not do this easily). Mrs. Sam is creative with the assignments she sends home - games, worksheets, and crafts for us to practice with. At the end of each session, she thoroughly explains how I should work with my daughter and ways to get other family members involved. My daughter has learned so much over the last year and I can’t thank Mrs. Sam enough!”

Mom of Marlie, age 3

“Sam is the most amazing speech therapist my son has had. He has really learned a lot and has progressed so much since being with her. She allows him to do things he’s comfortable with while teaching him new things every week. She’s the best!”

Mom of William, age 3 

“My name is Sarah and my son is Thomas, he is my smart and amazing 5-year old! Thomas has been seeing Sam since he was about 2-years old. He struggled with talking and we didn't know why. He had many ENT visits for that and other reasons but ultimately it was Sam who suggested Thomas had hyper-nasal speech and a submucosal cleft. Since that surgery, hearing aids, and continued speech with Sam twice a week, Thomas has flourished! He loves going into speech- to him it's fun and games when really it's lots of learning with fun tied into it. His speech has improved tremendously and I can't wait to see how much he continues to grow. We are grateful and thankful for the time, effort, and love Sam has given to our boy!”

Mom of Thomas, age 5

“Sam has had an incredible impact on our lives, especially on our son Jack. She is genuine, compassionate, and very dedicated. We’ve seen tremendous progress in our son—from being nonverbal to now saying many words and phrases. She took the time to understand his unique needs and tailored each session to meet specific goals, always with patience and encouragement. We couldn’t be more grateful for her.”

Mom of Jack, age 3 

“Our pediatrician recommended speech therapy to intervene early and prevent communication issues/frustration with our 1.5yr old son. Samantha was very thorough in the first appointment and created an action plan. Our son met with Samantha once a week for almost 6 months. He was always happy to go with her and she did a good job using toys and activities to make his appointments fun and engaging. She sent videos from his appointment showing the exercises she did with him. That made it easy for me to recreate at home. She would let me know where she saw improvements and how we could continue supporting him at home. At the 5 month mark, we agreed to start winding down because his speech was on target with his age. We were sad to say goodbye but so proud of our son’s progress!”

Mom of Lincoln, age 2

“Mrs. Sam has been working with my son for over two years now. She has played a vital role in his progress. Sam’s lessons are goal and data driven. Her sessions are filled with multimodal learning to capture my son’s short attention span. Her direct communication helps me carry over what they worked on together so I can help at home. Her warm, loving, and knowledgeable background has been a direct correlation to our son’s growth. It is evident she is a passionate educator by the way she is able to move her students to achieve their goals! I can’t sing her praises enough!”

Mom of Banks, age 3