Providing private speech therapy and parent coaching for families across the City of Pittsburgh, the North Hills, South Hills, and Northeast communities.
About Shared Spark Pediatric Therapy
The Shared Spark Mission
My mission is to empower families and support children in finding their authentic voices through developmental, relationship-based care.
Connection Begins with Regulation: I believe nervous system regulation is the essential foundation for all communication and social growth. By prioritizing a child’s internal felt-safety, we ignite the "spark" for meaningful engagement and learning to happen naturally.
Empowering the Family System: Speech therapy is most effective when it lives within your daily life. I prioritize parent and caregiver education so you are an empowered partner, equipped with the confidence to support your child’s progress between our sessions.
Growth Through Respect, Not Compliance: My work as a speech therapist is about supporting progress through respect and attunement, not changing who a child is. By centering speech therapy around the whole child and their unique sensory needs, we create the human connection necessary for true growth. Your child doesn’t need to change to be heard; they simply need a shared world where they can truly shine.
The Shared Spark Difference
What makes this private speech therapy practice unique isn’t just a set of techniques; it’s a way of seeing and supporting your child.
I prioritize the "Spark": Language grows only when a child feels safe, regulated, and truly seen. I focus on these social-emotional foundations first to unlock your child's potential.
I honor the whole child: Using the DIRFloortime® model, we move away from "fixing" and toward understanding your child’s individual differences and sensory needs.
I follow the child’s lead: I join your child in their preferred activities, creating naturally motivating interactions that respectfully expand their world.
I partner for real-life progress: My mobile speech therapy practice brings therapy and coaching into your home, school, or daycare. This ensures progress becomes a part of your daily life, not just something that happens during our speech therapy sessions.
About Lauren
Lauren Scaringi, M.A., CCC-SLP
Founder, Speech-Language Pathologist
For communication to truly take root, we must look past the goals and focus on the whole child. My name is Lauren, and I founded Shared Spark Pediatric Therapy because I saw how traditional systems often stand in the way of a child’s progress, leaving families feeling lost and overwhelmed.
My career began in a private practice where I witnessed the magic of a whole-team, family-centered approach. This is where I became a DIRFloortime® Practitioner, learning that regulation and connection are the essential foundations of a child’s development. However, I eventually hit a wall: the speech and language strategies I was taught in graduate school were not effectively supporting my autistic clients. Later, while working in the New York City Public School system, I saw the toll of outdated, compliance-based therapy. I watched families feel stuck and unheard by traditional approaches that prioritized rewards over a child’s intrinsic motivation to connect and communicate.
I knew there had to be a better way, so I dedicated myself to the work. I invested hours to become an NLA Trained Clinician and a Sensory Trained SLP. Today, I specialize in supporting autistic children who are gestalt language processors (those who communicate through scripting or echolalia) and helping AAC users progress toward spontaneous language.
I refuse to let another family feel lost in a system that doesn't honor their child. I am here to be the change for your family: to advocate for your child, nurture their unique nervous system, and explain the "why" behind their needs in terms that actually make sense.
When I am not in "speech therapist mode," you will find me exploring my new home in Pittsburgh, enjoying a coffee at a local shop, or nurturing my own nervous system through nature. I am here to listen, to attune, and to help your family find joy in regulation, connection, and development.
Credentials at a Glance
M.A., CCC-SLP: Master of Arts in Speech-Language Pathology and ASHA Certificate of Clinical Competence.
DIRFloortime® Practitioner: Basic Certificate in the DIRFloortime® model, focusing on social-emotional development.
NLA Trained Clinician: Specialized training through Meaningful Speech in Natural Language Acquisition for Gestalt Language Processors.
GLP & AAC Trained Clinician: Advanced training in supporting Gestalt Language Processors who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC).
Sensory-Trained SLP: Level 1 Inside Out Sensory Certificate, specializing in supporting sensory processing and regulation.
My Specialties
I provide neurodiversity-affirming speech therapy support for:
Autistic Children: Focusing on individual strengths, sensory profiles, and natural ways of engaging with their world.
Gestalt Language Processors: Supporting children who communicate through echolalia and “chunks” of language. Using the Natural Language Acquisition (NLA) framework, I help your child move toward original, spontaneous language.
Early Language & Late Talkers: We build the back-and-forth, attuned interactions that “spark” communication, helping you feel confident in supporting your child’s growth through everyday moments.
Augmentative & Alternative Communication (AAC): I partner with you to find a reliable communication system that empowers your child to share their thoughts, needs, protests, and ideas.