expert type icon EXPERT

Nicole Donnelly

Speech-Language Pathologist

My name is Nicole Donnelly and I am a Speech Language Pathologist and the owner of Sunflower Speech Therapy, LLC which is located in New Buffalo, Michigan.
I received my Bachelor and Master Degrees in Communication Disorders from Eastern Illinois University. I hold my Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC), which is a nationally recognized credential awarded by the American Speech Language Hearing Association.
I am passionate about working with children and families. I specialize in providing skilled screenings, evaluations and treatment of speech, language, feeding and stuttering disorders. I believe that developing strong, positive relationships with the children and their families is essential in helping the child make sufficient progress. Together, as a team, I am confident that we can help your child to reach their full potential.
As the owner of Sunflower Speech Therapy, LLC , our mission is to better the lives of children and their families by providing high quality speech language therapy services in a private practice setting. A sunflower typically produces greater than 1,000 seeds. Just as a sunflower produces seeds, a Speech Language Pathologist produces seeds of knowledge, advice and guidance so that together, as a team, we can help your child reach their full potential. Just as a sunflower grows toward the sun, our goal is to provide children with the nurture and nutrients needed to become successful communicators as they, too, grow toward the sun.
I look forward to starting this journey with you!
12 years Experience
Nicole Donnelly
  • New Buffalo, MI
  • Eastern Illinois University
  • Accepting new patients

My son still can't pronounce his "r's" properly. Would therapy help him?

There are a variety of techniques that can be used to facilitate his production of /r/. Speech therapy would definitely be or benefit to him so that the speech language pathologist READ MORE
There are a variety of techniques that can be used to facilitate his production of /r/. Speech therapy would definitely be or benefit to him so that the speech language pathologist can come up with a treatment plan and home practice program to remediste his /r/.

What can be done to help my 5 year old son speak more clearly?

Consulting with a speech language pathologist would be a great first step! An SLP can listen to your child’s speech and let you know if his sound errors are developmentally appropriate READ MORE
Consulting with a speech language pathologist would be a great first step! An SLP can listen to your child’s speech and let you know if his sound errors are developmentally appropriate or require remediation!

My daughter talks with a lisp. Can this be corrected?

Yes, absolutely. If the air is coming out the side of her mouth and making a slushy sound, that is something that should be treated right away. If it is a frontal lisp where her READ MORE
Yes, absolutely. If the air is coming out the side of her mouth and making a slushy sound, that is something that should be treated right away. If it is a frontal lisp where her tongue comes out the front of her mouth, that is a frontal lisp and treatment will depend on what age she is as it can go away on its own up until a certain point.

My daughter has somewhat of a his when she talks. How can it be corrected?

No, it is not too early to see an SLP. Consulting with an SLP can help you to determine if her speech sound productions are typical or if she requires treatment!

Why is my 4 year old son still unable to speak fluently?

This is something you should consult with a speech language pathologist about. In my practice, I like to screen the child to determine what is actually happening within their speech. READ MORE
This is something you should consult with a speech language pathologist about. In my practice, I like to screen the child to determine what is actually happening within their speech. Living in the COVID world right now, I do my screenings on a zoom call or by having the parents send a a few videos so that I can get a feel for what is happening regarding the child’s fluency.

Is there a cure for stuttering?

There are strategies that can be implemented to increase his fluency when communicating. Consulting with a speech language pathologist would be helpful in starting the process! READ MORE
There are strategies that can be implemented to increase his fluency when communicating. Consulting with a speech language pathologist would be helpful in starting the process!

Do kids with speech issues often have difficulty sleeping?

Speech delays do not directly cause difficulty sleeping. However, an underlying medical cause issues with sleeping as well as speech sound production.