Dear Melissa,
Last month my “The Heart of an OT?” post inspired this question. So, this month it seemed appropriate to shed light on the work of pediatric Speech therapists, also known as pediatric Speech/Language Pathologists (SLP’s). For this, I turned to several members of our fabulous SLP team at Children’s Therapy TEAM. They captured the “heart” of the discipline that is celebrating “BHSM”, as our friends at the American Speech and Hearing Association like to refer to it. This is what they shared:
“There’s nothing more rewarding than watching a parent see their child communicate with them for the first time. And that’s just the beginning!”
– Lynsey Lobdell
“Since I see a lot of babies and young children, I love the connection I get to make with the families. Parents that sit in on my sessions are eager to see their kids eat and be successful, and I love being part of that.”
– Connie Clark
“I have the coolest “office” ever, I laugh daily and get hugs frequently….and that cannot be beat! I think communication in any form is such a gift, and I love watching kids learn and grow. I also love that I can try to provide support and encouragement to parents as they navigate parenting along with special needs.”
– Amy Smith
“I love being able to give kids a way to communicate. It gives them some control in an environment that sometimes feels out of control for them. Even communication as simple as learning to point to make a choice, or learning to nod or shake your head for “yes/no” to make choices, is so powerful when you haven’t had that control in your life.”
– Carmen Shumpert
“Kids have the need and the desire to learn. For me it’s a cycle…I learn just as much from the kids on my caseload as they do from me. They keep me on my toes constantly. I enjoy being a positive and consistent role model in their lives. I assume when it comes to communicating that it’s just one big or small puzzle that the kids and I are attempting to solve together. When the child is successful so am I. I also appreciate all the knowledge I gain from my fellow TEAM members.”
– Tabitha Mayberry
“I love being a speech therapist because I love helping kids and seeing them making progress toward their goals every week! Working with a diverse group of patients and diverse disorders is challenging to me. I love our clinic and how we are able to spend so much one-on-one time with each patient and their parents in order to provide the best treatment possible!”
– Jill Goodwin
drinking and swallowing difficulties, conversational skills, social skills and
understanding the meaning of language.
your life or the life of your child?
would love to hear your stories!