Julius’s Story
“The ability to communicate has such a powerful impact on a child’s emotions and everyday life. If Julius was having a hard day, he couldn’t communicate that to me – and that was really hard on both of us.”
-Helen, mom of Julius (age 2 ½)
When Helen enrolled her son Julius into the Early Supports for Infants and Toddlers (ESIT) program at Children’s Therapy Center, she was unsure what to expect.
“I thought speech therapy for Julius would be like being in school – lots of reading books and learning words,” she said. “I was so surprised by how different it was!”
Julius’ speech and language pathologist, Keara, immediately noticed how frustrated Julius was that he could not communicate successfully with his mom.
“He could physically point to what he wanted, but was having a hard time with the placement of sounds in his mouth. As adults, we often forget just how complicated forming words is! It is one of those fine motor skills that we develop when we learn to talk. Some kids, like Julius, just need a little more time and practice.”
Keara coached Helen on how to repeat words over and over during play with Julius in a way that made it fun for Julius to want to repeat them. As Julius learned how to say more words, he became excited. Finally, he was able to get his needs met!
“I learned so much from Keara!” says Helen. “The ability to communicate has such a powerful impact on a child’s emotions and everyday life. If Julius was having a hard day, he couldn’t communicate that to me – and that was really hard on both of us.”
They key to success, says Keara, was that Helen practiced with Julius between sessions.
“Helen was consistent and Julius was a quick learner. One day during one of his therapy sessions, we finished playing with a toy and Julius said ‘again.’ Helen and I both looked at each other and we both cried. It is so rewarding to watch a child make the kind of progress that makes them feel happy!”
Helen is grateful she decided to enroll Julius in the ESIT program and encourages other parents and caregivers with children who have developmental differences or disabilities to do the same.
“Not only will your child learn, but you will learn with them. We take so much for granted as adults that we often forget this is your child’s first experience with so many things. And every child goes at their own pace. The more knowledge you gain as a parent, the more you can learn to guide your child.”