First Words

Pediatric Speech-Language Therapy & Early Intervention Servicesspeakfirstwords.com

First Words, Inc. is a Charlottesville, Virginia speech-language pathology practice founded in 1996 by Jessica J. Norton, providing Early Intervention therapy for children birth to age three exclusively under contract with the Infant & Toddler Connection of the Blue Ridge.

Company typePrivate
Founded1996
HeadquartersCharlottesville, United States
Headcount1–10
GTM typeB2C
OfferingServices

What First Words does

First Words, Inc. is a privately-held speech-language pathology practice founded in 1996 by Jessica J. Norton, M.S., CCC-SLP, and headquartered in Charlottesville, Virginia. The firm specializes in Early Intervention speech-language therapy for children from birth to age three who are eligible for services through the Infant & Toddler Connection of the Blue Ridge (ITCBR). The clinical scope covers articulation and phonological disorders, receptive-expressive language delays, childhood apraxia of speech, feeding and swallowing impairments, stuttering, and pragmatic/social language difficulties associated with diagnoses such as autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, and hearing impairment. Services are delivered in natural environments — clients' homes, daycares, preschools, and community settings such as local parks and the Virginia Discovery Museum — as well as via telepractice video conferencing. Treatment is family-centered, with caregivers actively incorporated into therapy routines to drive generalization of skills.

First Words firmographics

Firmographics

Name: First Words
Legal name: First Words Inc.
Website: https://speakfirstwords.com
Company type: Private
Founded year: 1996
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 1–10 employees
Short description: First Words, Inc. is a Charlottesville, Virginia speech-language pathology practice founded in 1996 by Jessica J. Norton, providing Early Intervention therapy for children birth to age three exclusively under contract with the Infant & Toddler Connection of the Blue Ridge.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

First Words industry classification

Industry

Product category: Pediatric Speech-Language Therapy & Early Intervention Services
NAICS: Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists (621340), Educational Support Services (611710), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)
SIC: Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Home Health Care Services (8082)
akta.pro primary industry: Speech & Language Therapy (Early Intervention) (EDACAFAB)
akta.pro secondary industry: Developmental Therapy / Early Childhood Special Instruction (EDACAFAG)

Keywords

Early intervention therapy
Pediatric speech therapy
Language development services
Articulation therapy
Speech-language pathology

Where First Words is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Charlottesville
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

First Words business model

Business model

GTM type: B2C
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

Early Intervention Speech-Language Pathology Services: First Words, Inc. generates revenue through insurance reimbursement as an in-network provider with multiple insurance carriers including Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Cigna, Molina Complete Care, Optima Health, TRICARE, United Healthcare, Virginia Medicaid Early Intervention program, and Virginia Premier.

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Other	Monthly	Insurance-based speech-language therapy services

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

First Words product offering

Product offering

Core offering

First Words, Inc. provides evidence-based speech-language therapy through Early Intervention for children from birth to age three who are eligible for services through the Infant & Toddler Connection of the Blue Ridge (ITCBR). Services address articulation, language delays, phonological disorders, childhood apraxia of speech, feeding/swallowing impairments, stuttering, and pragmatic/social language disorders, delivered in natural environments (home, daycare, preschool, community) and via telepractice, with active family involvement.

Product overview

First Words, Inc. is a speech-language therapy service provider offering a single core service: evidence-based speech-language therapy through Early Intervention for children from birth to age three. Services are delivered in natural environments (home, daycare, preschool, community settings) and also via telepractice. The company provides individualized treatment for articulation disorders, language delays, phonological disorders, childhood apraxia of speech, feeding and swallowing impairments, stuttering, and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

Speech-Language Therapy Services through Early Intervention Evidence-based speech-language therapy delivered through Early Intervention for children from birth to age three who are eligible through the Infant & Toddler Connection of the Blue Ridge (ITCBR). Therapy addresses articulation, receptive-expressive language delays, phonological disorders, childhood apraxia of speech, feeding and swallowing impairments, stuttering, and pragmatic/social language disorders, with active family involvement and strategies embedded in daily routines.
Telepractice Speech-Language Therapy Remote speech-language therapy delivery via video conferencing, offered as an alternative to in-person sessions for families in the service area.

Quantifiable outcome

Children can achieve age-appropriate language levels within 6 months of therapy intervention
+1 more outcomes

Companies that use First Words

Customer profile

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

First Words technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

First Words partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

Infant & Toddler Connection of the Blue Ridge (ITCBR)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFirst Words, Inc. is a contracted provider exclusively with ITCBR to provide Early Intervention services. All speech-language pathologists are state-certified Early Intervention professionals providing services through ITCBR. Children found eligible for services receive individualized treatment, and families can choose First Words, Inc. as their provider during the IFSP process. ITCBR covers Charlottesville City and Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, and Nelson Counties.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

First Words competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Emerging players

TinyEYE Therapy Services: Online speech-language and occupational therapy provider serving schools and pediatric populations, including Medicaid-funded programs in multiple U.S. states. Comparable as a telepractice substitute in the EI speech-language category.
DotCom Therapy: Virtual speech-language and occupational therapy provider serving schools, health systems, and families across multiple states. Comparable as a scaled telepractice SLP provider targeting pediatric and school-age populations.
Great Speech: Virtual speech-therapy company providing online SLP services to children and adults, including through payer partnerships. Comparable as a remote-delivery competitor that could compete for the same Medicaid-funded EI population.
Better Speech: Online speech-language therapy platform offering 1:1 virtual SLP sessions to children and adults, with insurance coverage in many states. Comparable as a telepractice alternative in pediatric speech-language therapy.
Presence (formerly PresenceLearning): Online speech-language and mental-health teletherapy platform serving K-12 schools and increasingly Medicaid-eligible populations. Comparable as a delivery-mode alternative to First Words' telepractice offering and as a potential substitute for EI-eligible children whose families prefer remote sessions.
All Care Therapies: Teletherapy provider offering speech, occupational, physical, and ABA therapy services with broad insurance and Medicaid coverage. Comparable as a multi-disciplinary telepractice platform addressing pediatric speech and developmental needs.
Expressable: Online speech-therapy provider focused on children and adults, accepting major insurance plans and Medicaid in multiple states. Comparable as a virtual SLP delivery model targeting the same payer base and pediatric speech conditions First Words treats.

Broad incumbents

Cortica: Multi-disciplinary developmental care provider for children with autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions, integrating speech-language therapy, ABA, OT, and medical care. Comparable as a scaled multi-disciplinary provider addressing the same autism and developmental-delay population First Words serves in EI.
Hopebridge: Pediatric therapy provider offering ABA, occupational, speech, and feeding therapy for children with autism and developmental delays across multiple states. Comparable as a multi-disciplinary therapy platform that addresses overlapping EI patient populations.
BlueSprig Pediatrics: Multi-state ABA and related therapy provider for children with autism, increasingly expanding into speech and OT services. Comparable as a scaled pediatric therapy platform that could compete for the same developmental-delay population.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

First Words financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

First Words leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

First Words funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

First Words M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about First Words

What does First Words do?

Is First Words a public or private company?

First Words is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.

When was First Words founded?

First Words was founded in 1996. It employs 1 to 10 people.

Where is First Words based?

First Words is headquartered in Charlottesville, United States, in the North America region.

How does First Words make money?

One revenue line is on record: early Intervention Speech-Language Pathology Services.

Who are First Words's main competitors?

Emerging players on record are TinyEYE Therapy Services, DotCom Therapy, Great Speech, Better Speech, Presence (formerly PresenceLearning), All Care Therapies and Expressable. Broad incumbents are Cortica, Hopebridge and BlueSprig Pediatrics.

Does First Words have an API?

No public API is recorded for First Words.

What industry is First Words in?

First Words's product category is Pediatric Speech-Language Therapy & Early Intervention Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDACAFAB, Speech & Language Therapy (Early Intervention), with a secondary code of EDACAFAG, Developmental Therapy / Early Childhood Special Instruction. Its NAICS code is 621340 and its SIC code is 8000.