A Letter to My Childhood SLPs

If I could write to the many speech-language pathologists who helped me throughout my younger years, here’s exactly what I would say. Chances are, you don’t hear much from students or clients after you finish listening to them repeat “r” or “l” sounds for months or even years. Maybe this is particularly true of the children. You watch their confidence flourish and their speech become clearer, until one day they stop coming to you because they’re exploring the world with the language and speech tools you taught them to use. Sometimes I wonder if you know what a difference you made. That’s why I’m writing you this letter. Decades after we worked together, you still have a daily impact on my life. I was the timid 7-year-old whose mom brought her to see you every week because my r’s were weak, my l’s soft, and my s’s ambiguous (three little letters so crucial to comprehension). Muscle weakness caused my speech sound disorder. You patiently worked with me, sitting in a tiny white plastic chair that looked so uncomfortable. Using a giant popsicle stick to tap the roof of my mouth, you showed me how to articulate each sound more clearly. When I brought a storybook personalized with the names of my family members and trusted teddy bears, you graciously used it as our read-aloud material. On other afternoons I’m sure the clock ticked at least three times slower for you as I frowned and crossed my arms out of frustration. I’d think to myself: Why can’t I ...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Tags: Private Practice Schools Slider Speech-Language Pathology Speech Disorders Source Type: blogs