Photos courtesy of Amanda Makravos.
Speech therapist Amanda Makravos works with a client at Salt & Light Speech-Language Resources.
“Push. Up, down. Beep beep.”
A young boy plays with a couple toy cars and a dump truck. These aren’t his words, however—not yet.
These are the words of Amanda Mavrakos doing play-based speech therapy. As a certified speech-language pathologist, she repeats these words like these thousands of times in a day.
“I model language by narrating as they play, and I get them to associate the word with that action,” Mavrakos said. “It takes a lot of patience.”
Now with her own private practice in Vestavia Hills, Salt & Light Speech-Language Resources, Mavrakos works one-on-one with clients of all ages, who have speech and language disorders ranging from developmental delays and stuttering to myofunctional (muscle movement) problems of the face, tongue and mouth.
“There aren’t a lot of us in Birmingham who do myofunctional therapy,” Mavrakos said. “I have 50 hours of continuing education classes in this field.”
Mavrakos, who opened her office in May 2023, previously worked as a physical therapy assistant at nursing homes and home health care agencies for 15 years, working closely with speech-language pathologists. She decided to go back to school and earned her master’s in speech-language pathology and audiology from the University of Montevallo in 2018.
“I saw what they were doing, and I was intrigued. I thought, this is something I would love to do,” Mavrakos said.
In addition to treating language delays, speech sound disorders and myofunctional issues, Mavrakos works with clients who want to improve their voices.
“There are a few things I don’t do. For instance, I don’t work with singers. I can’t carry a note in a bucket,” Mavrakos joked. “And I’ve never worked with anyone who is nonverbal. But if there’s something I can’t help with, I can refer you to someone who can.”
Patience and fortitude are qualities that Mavrakos has strengthened not only throughout her career but also in her personal life. Three months into her master’s program, her marriage ended — a curveball that blindsided her during what was already a stressful time.
“I didn’t see it coming at all,” Mavrakos said. “It totally caught me off-guard.”
One year later, Mavrakos, who had lost her father in a car accident when she was 15, also lost her mother in a car accident. Her stepfather, who was seriously injured in the wreck, passed away due to complications two years ago.
“My professors and the staff at St. Vincent’s Home Health were so gracious and loving,” Mavrakos said. “It’s a testament to God’s mercy and presence in my life.”
Mavrakos credits God for the name she chose for her company as well.
“I had been praying and I did some Googling on speech language pathology offices, and I saw names like Sugar and Pepper. I asked God to give me the name and He gave it to
me,” she said.
Mavrakos said her aim is to serve her community through education and training on speech and language. Her website includes a blog, free resources and “homework” assignments that parents can use to help their children.
“My goal is to get one or two more therapists here,” Makravos said. “I also want to start an educational program for new mothers.”
Salt & Light Speech-Language Resources is located at 400 Vestavia Parkway, Suite 135. For more information, visit saltandlight-slp.com.
