Speech and Language Therapy
Our licensed speech-language pathologists assess, develop and enhance a child's ability to communicate, from first words through complex conversation.
Learn about speech and language therapyCanton, Woodstock, Holly Springs, Ball Ground
Pediatric Therapy in Cherokee County
Cherokee County families cross into Forsyth for us, so we try to make the trip worth it: every discipline in one building, and scheduling that does not send you back three days later for a different therapist.
Cherokee County families make up a steady share of our caseload, mostly from Canton, Woodstock, Holly Springs and Ball Ground. The practical reality of a cross-county drive shapes how we schedule them. Where a family is traveling, we try to stack siblings or stack disciplines into one visit rather than asking for three trips a week, and we lean harder on the home program, because the drive is the thing most likely to end therapy early.
Cherokee is also the county where the public routing catches parents out most often, because it does not point toward Atlanta. For early intervention the county sits under the North Georgia Health District, which is administered from Dalton, not from anywhere a Woodstock family would think to call.
Where a Cherokee County family starts
Georgia hands responsibility for a child with a developmental concern to two different public systems, and which one you deal with depends on your child’s age rather than on what is going on with them. Both are free. Which office you call depends on the county you live in, and Cherokee County is not routed the same way as every county around it.
Birth to age 3: Babies Can’t Wait, North Georgia Health District
Cherokee County is served by the North Georgia Health District, alongside Fannin, Gilmer, Murray, Pickens and Whitfield. There are Babies Can’t Wait contacts through the Cherokee County Health Department offices in Canton and Woodstock. Referrals can be made by phone, email, fax, letter or in person, and evaluation and service coordination carry no charge. Some additional services are billed on a sliding scale, and the district holds financial resources to help; eligibility itself is not income based.
Cherokee County program: 706-529-5763 · statewide: 1-800-229-2038
Source: North Georgia Health District, Babies Can’t Wait, checked August 2026.
Age 3 through 21: Cherokee County School District, Preschool Special Needs Program
The Cherokee County School District serves children from three through 21, and its preschool special education services begin on a child’s third birthday at no cost to the family. Any Cherokee County child aged three to five with significant difficulty in development, whether physical, cognitive, communicative, adaptive, motor or social, can be referred. The referral has to be initiated by the parent, and all referrals are confidential.
Referrals: 770-704-4315 · Office of Special Education: 770-721-8562
Source: Cherokee County School District, Preschool Special Needs Program, checked August 2026.
Where private therapy fits
Private therapy is not an alternative to either of those systems and we do not ask families to choose. Public programs are bound by eligibility rules written around educational impact, which means a child can be visibly struggling and still not qualify, or qualify for far less frequency than their goals need. Families come to us to start before a public evaluation is scheduled, to add frequency alongside school services, to cover disciplines the school does not provide, or to keep going through the summer. With your permission we will coordinate directly with a school therapist or a service coordinator so the two plans reinforce each other instead of pulling in opposite directions.
Cherokee County communities we regularly see families from:
- Canton
- Woodstock
- Holly Springs
- Ball Ground
- Waleska
- Free Home
- Hickory Flat
We see children from across Cherokee County at our clinic in Cumming. Nothing on this page is medical advice and none of it is a diagnosis. If something here sounds like your child, an evaluation is how you find out what is actually going on.
What we treat
Services available to Cherokee County families
Children birth to 21, across every discipline, in one clinic on Friendship Circle in Cumming.
Occupational Therapy
Our licensed occupational therapists help children with physical, sensory or cognitive differences take part in daily life as independently as possible.
Learn about occupational therapyPhysical Therapy
Our licensed physical therapists help each child reach their maximum potential for independent movement and take an active part in home, school and community life.
Learn about physical therapyOral Motor and Feeding Therapy
Our specially trained therapists work with children to enhance their ability to eat safely, comfortably and effectively.
Learn about oral motor and feeding therapyABA Therapy
ABA uses a data-driven, individualized approach built on positive interactions and engaging learning activities.
Learn about ABA therapyEarly Intervention
Through Georgia's early intervention program, Babies Can't Wait, we provide home-based therapy and education services to children from birth to age three.
Learn about early interventionEvaluations
Comprehensive, individualized evaluations that assess your child's skills and directly address the concerns you have raised.
Learn about evaluationsCenter-Based Programs
Physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language therapy and associated programs delivered at our Cumming center for children from birth to 21.
Learn about center-based programsCommon questions
Cherokee County questions we get asked
Is the drive from Woodstock or Canton realistic every week?
It is for a lot of families, but be honest with yourself about it before you commit, because a schedule that is unsustainable in February is worse than a lighter one that survives the year. If the drive is the constraint, tell us at intake. We will look at stacking two disciplines into a single visit, weighting the plan toward a home program you carry out between sessions, or being straightforward that a closer provider is the better answer for your family.
Why does Cherokee County's early intervention run out of Dalton?
Georgia administers Babies Can't Wait through regional public health districts rather than by county, and Cherokee is grouped into the North Georgia Health District with Fannin, Gilmer, Murray, Pickens and Whitfield. It surprises most parents, because the county's shopping, hospitals and commuting all point south toward Atlanta while its public health administration points north. The local contact points are the Cherokee County Health Department offices in Canton and Woodstock.
Our Cherokee County school evaluation came back not eligible. Now what?
That result answers one narrow question, which is whether the difficulty rises to the level where federal law obliges the school system to provide special education. It is not a finding that your child is fine, and parents are told the two are the same far too often. A private evaluation asks a different question, about function rather than educational eligibility, and frequently identifies something worth treating in a child the school found ineligible.
Do you offer ABA therapy for Cherokee County families?
Yes. Our board certified behavior analysts design the programs and registered behavior technicians deliver them, in our Cumming clinic. program design starts with an assessment rather than a template, so the first conversation is about what specifically is getting in the way at home and at school.
The rest of our service area
Dawson County
Dawsonville and Dawson County
Pediatric therapy in Dawson CountyForsyth County
Our home county
Pediatric therapy in Forsyth CountyNorth Fulton County
Alpharetta, Milton, Johns Creek, Roswell
Pediatric therapy in North Fulton