Nicole and CMC have not only gotten her speech on track, but they’ve given her the confidence to tackle anything that’s difficult in her life.
Thanks to Therapy, a young child is overcoming a speech disorder.
Three years ago, Jennifer Hubiak became concerned when she noticed her youngest child, Zoey, who was 3 at the time, was having trouble speaking. “She would only say the beginning parts of words, so ‘milk’ would be ‘mil,’” says Jennifer. “I could usually figure out what she was saying, but she would get very frustrated at nursery school when she played with friends who didn’t understand her.”
Jennifer took Zoey to her pediatrician and asked for a referral to a speech therapist. A few weeks later, Zoey had an evaluation at Community Medical Center (CMC). She was diagnosed with a language delay and an articulation disorder.
Mastering Sounds
Zoey was assigned to work with Nicole Henry, MS, CCC/SLP, a speech-language pathologist who helps her improve her articulation—for example, making a K sound. Once Zoey has mastered a letter, Henry has her practice it as part of a word, then in a sentence. “What impresses me about Zoey is that she’s so motivated— she always tries her hardest,” says Henry.
Henry makes the sessions fun by playing board games or games on an iPad with Zoey. “If therapy is play-based, the child will go the extra mile to follow through,” says Henry. Zoey enjoys the sessions so much that she looks forward to them. “If I ever have to cancel, she gets upset,” says Jennifer.
Zoey has made enormous progress. “She can pronounce whole words now, even when she’s talking in sentences,” says Jennifer. “This year, she’s had no issues at all.”
Zoey still sees Henry twice a week and receives twice-weekly speech therapy at school. (Henry sends the school speech therapist Zoey’s progress reports and updates her periodically.) Zoey’s latest goal? Mastering the G sound. Says Jennifer: “Nicole and CMC have not only gotten her speech on track, but they’ve given her the confidence to tackle anything that’s difficult in her life.”
Therapy for All Ages
Speech therapy is beneficial for patients with a variety of problems—everything from developmental delays and traumatic injury to serious medical conditions. At Community Medical Center, licensed speech-language pathologists work with patients who have language, swallowing, articulation and voice disorders, as well as stuttering, stroke, ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease) and Parkinson’s disease.
For more information about Speech Therapy, click here or to schedule an appointment, call 732.557.8046.