‘They Bonded Immediately’: Connection with Speech Therapist Helps Preteen Achieve Clearer Speech
Abby Barnes, M.S., CCC-SLP
As parents and caregivers, we all want what’s best for our children as they’re learning and developing. And that doesn’t stop as the teen years approach. Communication skills matter even more as kids grow and become more independent.
That was the situation for Dacarri, a 12-year-old boy, and his mother, Anisa. After several attempts at speech therapy over the years with a few different speech therapists, Anisa knew that Dacarri still had some speech sounds he needed to improve. As a mom, she wanted him to be able to communicate clearly with anyone he met. Once they found Expressable, everything changed.
A new speech therapist: ‘They bonded immediately’
Dacarri had been in speech therapy when he was younger, but there were still some sounds he couldn’t pronounce correctly: the /r/, /l/, and “TH” sounds.
Dacarri’s mother began looking for a speech therapist. She was hoping to find a speech therapy option he could do from home, where he was most comfortable.
A Google search brought up Expressable. Anisa set up a consultation call and talked with one of our specialists. Dacarri was matched with speech-language pathologist Karyn Hamson, M.S., CCC-SLP.
Anisa says that from the very first session, Karyn and Dacarri hit it off. “She just really met him at his level. She was very familiar with a lot of things that kids his age are interested in. I think that helped a lot. They bonded immediately.”
Looking for a speech therapist?
Teletherapy makes it easy. We serve families with a range of communication needs across the U.S. Learn how we can help in a free consult call.
Free consultationDacarri recalls that initially, he didn’t want to do speech therapy because he didn’t think it would be fun. But he says that by the second session, he knew he’d enjoy it because of how well he clicked with Karyn.
Karyn says that Dacarri is a self-starter who’s intrinsically motivated. But even though he’s a hard worker, she knew she still needed to make the sessions engaging. Children learn best when they’re having fun, after all. They played many games of Connect Four during sessions, and both Karyn and Dacarri will say that neither of them went easy on the other!
As Dacarri put it, “Ms. Karyn always makes me laugh and she’s competitive, so it’s fun to play against her.”
The secret to Dacarri’s success
Although having fun during sessions is a key part of therapy success for kids, that’s not the only goal, of course. In working on speech sounds, speech therapists provide clinical support using techniques that work best for each individual client.
Karyn was able to identify exactly what type of support Dacarri needed for each sound he was focused on. Likewise, Dacarri was always willing to work hard in sessions and by practicing at home.
The two of them spent a lot of time working on the mechanics of each sound–what it looks like and feels like as each sound is said. Karyn says, “Dacarri can now describe what he is doing [to make each sound] and knows how to cue himself.”
Anisa agrees: “If he messes up on a word, he can go back and fix it easily.”
More confidence in conversations
After eight months, Dacarri has made excellent progress through his speech therapy goals. He’s now working on generalization. This means he’s focused on using speech sounds correctly in conversations with other people. He’s practicing with Karyn as well as when he’s at home, talking with friends, or out in the community.
Dacarri says he has more confidence in how he sounds. He especially notices this when he’s talking with his friends.
Anisa agrees. “I know [speech therapy] has boosted his confidence. He is talking more to people. He is also talking louder. He used to talk more quietly.”
Dacarri says he has more confidence in how he sounds, especially when he’s talking with his friends.
The goal of speech therapy is for kids to need less and less help from their speech therapist over time. Dacarri has gained significant independence in his speech articulation skills, and he’s close to graduating from speech therapy.
Karyn stresses that it wasn’t just his time in sessions that brought Dacarri this close to the finish line, but also his consistent practice at home. His family’s involvement in his speech therapy helped make that possible. Karyn sent frequent text message updates to keep Anisa informed on Dacarri’s progress and explain how to help him at home. Anisa says she loved the text updates and appreciated how easy it was to stay in touch with Karyn.
Free speech check
How well is your child speaking for their age? Find out with our free 5-minute online screener. No signup required, just answers.
Start the screenerA bittersweet speech therapy graduation
Although graduation from speech therapy is what Dacarri, his family, and Karyn have been working toward, they’re all feeling a little sentimental about it. Dacarri said he feels “terrible” about his last speech therapy session because he’s going to “miss playing games” with Ms. Karyn.
Karyn also acknowledged how hard it will be to end their weekly sessions. She says, “It has been such a privilege to work with Dacarri and his family. It is incredible to see amazing kids like Dacarri coming up in this next generation.”
There’s no better gift you can give your child than the support they need to reach their goals. Dacarri’s involved family, his determination to improve, and a special client-therapist relationship all came together to help him make amazing progress.
Let Expressable support you, too!
If you’re concerned about your child’s speech, don’t hesitate to ask for help. Schedule a free consultation call to talk with one of our specialists. We’ll answer your questions and help you determine the next best steps for your child.
Get started today—we’re here to help your child become the communicator they were made to be!
