Today I had one of those moments that speech therapists live for. One of our patients was discharged from therapy!
 
That’s right- he no longer needed speech!
 
At the end of a journey such as this one- many parents tell me how grateful they are and shower me with lots of thanks! And I absolutely love it! But today was a little different. 
 
See this patient was 13 years old and he had gone to speech for YEARS! He has gotten speech in school and then decided to homeschool while continuing to take him to the school for therapy only. The patient’s mother reported that no matter how much therapy her son received, his speech never sounded clear to others. 
 
Then this mom began a journey of finding new doctors (ENT and Pediatrician) and then she found us. After a year of consistent therapy and hard work, he is leaving us with speech that is clear to unfamiliar listeners and the confidence to match. 
 
I am not saying that we are that awesome (I mean to me we are but I will leave the decision up to you) but the one thing I took from this experience today-is that sometimes you have to keep searching until you get the answers. Many times as parents you will hear: 
 
“Your child has reached his plateau.”
 
“No she doesn’t need more therapy.”
 
“This is probably how is it going to be.”
 
Today this mom showed me the results of not backing down. I hope I always remember this and I hope you do too. 

 

Adrienne Fuller M.S., CCC-SLP
Speech Builders, LLC
speechbuilders.org