BASED IN ROLESVILLE, NC

Speech & Feeding Therapy
for Babies & Young Children

Child participating in speech therapy for late talkers in Rolesville, NC

Serving families in homes and local community centers throughout Rolesville, North Raleigh, and Wake Forest, NC.

Welcome to Balanced Beginnings

We build communication & feeding skills through play!

Child working on eating solid foods during feeding therapy in Rolesville, NC

At Balanced Beginnings, we believe that the foundation for strong communication and feeding skills starts early— and that no family should navigate this journey alone.

We take a playful, child-led approach to support your little one’s development. Whether working on early speech, language, or feeding skills, we bring therapy into your child’s everyday life, meeting them where they feel most comfortable— at home or in the community. Our sessions are engaging, family-focused, and designed to bring new skills into your daily routines.

Our services go beyond individual therapy, offering group enrichment programs and community groups to help families connect, learn, and grow together. By incorporating caregivers and even siblings into the process, we make therapy feel like a part of everyday play!

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Pediatric Therapy Services

Balanced Beginnings specializes in providing speech and feeding services for children from birth through 4 years old. Whether you participate in individual therapy sessions or join a group program, we will work together to support your little one’s development!

Speech Therapy for Late Talkers

Reach early communication milestones through play and child-led therapy sessions.

Feeding and Swallowing Therapy

Learn strategies to create safe, comfortable, and stress-free mealtimes for the whole family.

Feeding Enrichment Groups

Explore foods and learn mealtime strategies alongside other families.

Language Enrichment Groups

Engage in sensory activities, music, and active play to build language skills together.

Meet Your Speech & Feeding Therapist

Lauren Huffman, M.A., CCC-SLP, owner, speech therapist, and feeding therapist at Balanced Beginnings Pediatric Therapy in Rolesville, NC

Lauren Huffman, M.A., CCC-SLP

I am a pediatric speech therapist with over 18 years of experience helping children develop the skills they need to communicate, enjoy mealtimes, and thrive. Through my time working in homes, clinics, preschools, and pediatric medical settings, I have had the privilege of supporting little ones and their families at various stages in their journeys.

As a wife and mom to two energetic boys, I understand the deep love—and the worries—that come with parenting! My personal experiences have given me a profound appreciation for the challenges families face when a loved one has communication or feeding difficulties.

My goal is to always take a family-centered approach to therapy, where both the child and caregiver feel supported. Whether you want to meet one-on-one or join a community of people who are in the same boat as you, I am committed to making our time together feel impactful and meaningful.

Outside of work, I love running, yoga, planting flowers, and spending time in the mountains. I look forward to learning more about your family!

Advanced Certifications

  • Beckman Oral Motor Certified

  • AEIOU: An Integrative Approach to Comprehensive Feeding Certified

  • NLA (Natural Language Acquisition) Trained Clinician for Gestalt Language Processing

Robyn Chioda M.Ed. CCC-SLP

I am a dedicated pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist with over 10 years of experience specializing in the assessment and treatment of various speech and language disorders in young children up to the age of 5. With a deep passion for supporting early childhood development, I have worked extensively with children facing challenges such as speech and language delays, articulation disorders, language processing difficulties, and social communication concerns. I also believe in creating a warm, nurturing, and engaging environment to help each child reach their fullest potential, utilizing evidence-based strategies and personalized treatment plans. I am committed to making a difference in the lives of children and their families and take pride in being a compassionate and skilled advocate for early speech and language development.

Outside of work, my husband and I love to be outdoors (especially at the beach) and with our 4 dogs, serving our community by volunteering at the local school or hospital with our certified therapy dogs or traveling as much as possible! I look forward to meeting you and getting to know more about your family!


  • "Lauren is an amazing SLP!"

    "Lauren is an amazing SLP! She’s so passionate about what she does and truly cares. She’s been my 4-year-old son’s speech & feeding therapist for less than 3 months, and we’re already seeing so much progress. He hadn’t eaten anything orally in so long due to his EoE (g-tube fed), but Lauren has gained his trust— and recently he has started to accept small amounts of pureed foods on a spoon. He is also making progress with speech. He’s pressing buttons on his device, making choices, and having so much fun while learning. "

    - Yosi B.

  • "She has a knack for connecting with kids..."

    "My 5-year-old sees Lauren for both speech and feeding therapy. She is amazing! You can tell right away that she loves kids and has a heart for helping them. She has a knack for connecting with kids and meeting them right where they are while encouraging them to grow in whatever they are working on. She's helpful, kind, and patient and always willing to listen and answer all my questions! I also love that she offers small group workshops for different speech and feeding issues."

    - Kate F.

  • "Highly recommend working with Lauren..."

    "Highly recommend working with Lauren for any worries with your child. She helped ease my worries of my daughter's eating struggles! She would leave us with exercises and notes, and we saw amazing improvements with our daughter at 10 months. She now eats so well and loves so many different foods!"

    - Brittney G.

  • "She opened a world of communication..."

    "I have a non-verbal child with a trach and G-tube. Lauren came into our lives as a feeding therapist and then also as an SLP. She opened a world of communication with gestures and an AAC device. LOVE HER!"

    - Debbie R.

"We can all dance when we find music that we love."

~ Giles Andreae, Giraffes Can't Dance

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Let’s Get Started!

Balanced Beginnings travels to serve families in homes and community centers throughout Rolesville, North Raleigh, and Wake Forest, NC.

Step One

Call for a free consultation! If we decide to move forward, you will receive intake paperwork to complete before the first appointment.

Step Two

Schedule an initial evaluation. We will be on the floor, playing with your child as we gather information about their strengths and challenges.

Step Three

Begin speech or feeding therapy! Each session will work toward your family’s goals, and payment for services will be collected each Friday.

Insurance & Billing

Balanced Beginning is a provider for NC Medicaid Direct.

We are not in-network with any private insurance companies. We accept self-pay, HSA, and FSA payments. If requested, we will provide superbills for qualifying speech and feeding therapy services.

Please visit our Helpful Information page for more information about insurance and billing.

Follow us on Instagram:

@balancedbeginningspeds

Parents are often surprised when I pull a book out of my bag and do everything BUT read the story word for word. Down the road, after several instances of exploring the book together, I will definitely begin to incorporate reading the story to the ch
Transitioning to solids is about more than your child hitting a certain age. Read your baby's cues and be sure to make them part of mealtime before it is even time to transition to that next stage of feeding! If you have concerns regarding feeding
As parents, questioning our children in play can become a habit. For instance, " What is that?" Or " What sound does the car make?". Due to the way GLPs process and learn language this can result in the child disengaging or increa
We are happy have have Robyn join the team at Balanced Beginnings Pediatric Therapy! She will be serving North Raleigh, Knightdale, and the Wake Forest area with private in home speech & language therapy visits. Learn a little bit more about her
🌟 Part-Time SLP Contractor Needed 🌟 As my caseload grows, I would love another pediatric SLP to help support the case load. Join the team to provide home health visits for children from birth to Pre-K! Flexible hours, competitive pay, and the oppo