Many children have trouble with the proper use and meaning of words, grammatical patterns and social exchanges. Some children can neither speak nor understand speech, a condition that can be devastating for both the child and the family.

This Clinic is provided through the support of the Scottish Rite in partnership with Children's Mercy Hospital who provides staffing for the Clinic.

Special Help
Scottish Rite Masons have devoted much of their energy during the past 25 years to helping children with language problems reach their highest potential. Across the country, the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry has established nearly 100 clinics for childhood language disorders. In Kansas City, our clinic is run in conjunction with Children's Mercy Hospital and is located in the Scottish Rite Temple. Our phone number is 816-561-2277.

Early Detection
The Scottish Rite Clinic for Childhood Language Disorders is designed to serve children, ages 1 to 6 who may have difficulty hearing, speaking or comprehending language. Children develop speech and language at individual rates, passing important milestones along the way. Some children are at risk for language delay or disorder because of medical conditions that develop before or after birth. Many children with normal intelligence have difficulty speaking and understanding words.

Evaluation
Treatment
Parents concerned about their childs language may contact the clinic for an evaluation. The earlier a child's language difficulty is identified, the greater the success of the therapy. A certified speech/language pathologist's evaluation is the first and most important step. The speech pathologist then discusses evaluation results with parents and offers recommendations to meet the child's individual needs. If the child needs therapy, the clinician establishes a three to six month treatment plan for individual or small group sessions. Each session lasts 30 to 60 minutes. Therapy works best when parents observe their child's sessions and involve their child in learning activities at home.

The Scottish Rite Masons are partners with the Children's Mercy Hearing and Speech Clinic. For 30 years, they have helped provide speech therapy to children with speech and language impairments. As part of their mission, the Masons have generously donated a clinic site to Children's Mercy Hospital to serve children with communication needs.

The clinic features a cozy, homey atmosphere. Families wait in a comfortable sitting room while the children receive speech therapy. A shelf of books is available for children to pick out their favorite stories and take them home at no charge.

Location
The CLDC Clinic is located on the north side of the Scottish Rite Temple on the corner of Linwood and Paseo. It is a little over a mile from Children's Mercy Broadway Clinics and is two blocks east of the police station on Linwood. The Temple is a large white stone building with stone lions beside the steps in the front. The clinic is located at the back of the building. Parking is easily accessible. Signs for the clinic guide visitors into the parking lot and to the clinic door.

The Rite Care Clinic is open 4 days a week by appointment.
Phone: (816) 561-2277
1330 Linwood Boulevard
Kansas City, MO 64109   View on Google Maps