Most people have a baby book with their weight, height, pictures, and first words recorded. Usually the first words are like dada or momma. Mine weren’t words, they were random sounds. Thinking back, I remember going to an office building every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. It had a smell like every doctor’s building: cleaning products and latex. The lady I would see was a beautiful tall, thin lady with long brown hair, and she always dressed like a professional. She was my speech pathologist. She was the one who taught me the proper ways to talk.
Speech-language pathologists, sometimes called speech therapists, assess, diagnose, treat, and help to prevent communication and swallowing disorders in patients. Speech, language, and swallowing disorders result from a variety of causes such as a stroke, brain injury, hearing loss, developmental delay, a cleft palate, cerebral palsy, or emotional problems. Their duties consist of: teaching patients how to make sounds and improve their voices, teaching alternative communication methods, such as sign language, to patients with little or no speech capability, working with patients to increase their ability to read and write correctly, working with patients to develop and strengthen the muscles used to swallow, and counseling patients and families on how to cope with communication disorders. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 29 March, 2012)
My mom told me the story behind everything when I was about 9 years old. I remember it more vividly now. It brought back the memories a talk about quite frequently. I was born in Rhode Island on October 10, 1993. I lived in a house which was so close to the beach that the air around my house was the smell of fresh salt water crashing on the rocks. I was a healthy and perfect baby. One thing that caught my mom’s eye was that I wasn’t talking at the average time most babies were talking. She brought it up my dad and they got a little worried.
When we moved to Ohio they took me to the pediatrician and the doctor said every baby develops differently and it can range from 12 month to 24 months. He said that I was fine and that I would develop and start talking in the next few weeks. Well my mom, having the motherly nature, said that there was no way my baby wasn’t talking at the age of two years old. My mom wasn’t a doctor but she had a gut feeling that there was something wrong with my speech. Aren’t doctors supposed to tell you the right thing? They began to get in an argument and she got very flustered. She told him he was crazy and left.
The next week she took me to another doctor. They said the complete opposite, which was extremely surprising. They agreed with my mom and dad that there was something about my speech that wasn’t correct. And this point I wasn’t saying full words, I was just saying random sounds. My first random sound was Dee Dee. I was referring to my older sister. I somewhat made my own language. I had a sound for pretty much everything. Making different sounds for different things and people is how my mom knew what I wanted. She told me sometimes that she wouldn’t know what I was talking about and it broke her heart to not know what I wanted or needed.
After my mom took me to the second doctor I started going to a speech pathologist. Her name was Susan Kall. I always called her Suzie. She was the nicest lady I could remember. Her office had yellow walls with light orange stripes just like the sun, which made me happy! We started going there three times a week because she knew there was a problem and she had an answer. She suggested that I would get my tonsils taken out to see if that would help my speech. So, when I was two years old we went to the doctor and I came out tonsil free. My mother was so anxious to see what could happen. After I recovered from that surgery I started to talk! It was like a miracle. I started finally talking around 2 and half years old. I started to sound out words and people started to understand my words a little. She was the hero. My favorite super hero wasn’t Spiderman, Superman, or Batman, it was her. After that I remember telling her everything. She wasn’t just my doctor; she was like a motherly figure to me as well. I grew up with her and she was almost part of the family. My mom always told me that I loved going to see her. I always wanted to go there, even if I didn’t have an appointment.
Speech-language pathologists work with patients who have problems with speech, such as being unable to speak at all or speaking with difficulty, or with rhythm and fluency, such as stuttering. They may work with those who are unable to understand language or with people who have voice disorders, such as inappropriate pitch or a harsh voice. They must also do various administrative tasks, including keeping good records. They record their initial patient evaluations and diagnoses, treatment progress, any changes in a patient’s condition or treatment plan, and, eventually, their final evaluation when the patient finishes the therapy. Some speech-language pathologists specialize in working with specific age groups, such as children or the elderly. Others focus on treatment programs for specific communication or swallowing problems, such as those resulting from strokes or cleft palate. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 29 March, 2012)
I had a speech impediment. It was considered a tongue muscle weakness. This caused me not to know how to use my tongue correctly when talking. I also remember my mom always telling me to keep my tongue in my mouth. I had a problem with keeping my tongue inside my mouth, like it was too big or something. I remember her showing me these exercises to tighten and relax my tongue. They helped a lot and they were also fun to do. I would do them at the office, at home, and even in public.
A typical day at the office I always went to on Monday, Wednesday and Friday was very calming. It was my chance to relax and learn new things sitting on a huge brown, soft, couch. We would always start with a warm up that involved my tongue. Then we would work on new words every day. I would read aloud to her and she would listen to what I am saying correctly and incorrectly. It was really never stressful which is why I loved it so much. She did everything in her power to make me comfortable and not stressed!
I went to Suzie up until I was old enough to start Kindergarten. After that I went to St. Angela Merci and I went to a speech pathologist there. I went to her everyday at school. I remember getting out of class everyday to see her. I wasn’t by myself. When she worked with me she also worked with a boy. His name was Robert. He and I became really good friends through the years. The teacher wasn’t as awesome as Suzie was but she was nice. She’s the one that helped me begin my real English. I learned how to read long sentences and pronounce words correctly!
At this point in my life I was learning equally the same pace as everyone else I was just not as fast as reading and speaking my words and the students in my classes. I wasn’t in the fundamental classes that some kids were in, even though I could have fallen into that category. But my parents agreed that I was still smart enough to keep up with the rest of the class. And from then on I did. I learned to talk more correctly each day. I learned new words everyday like everyone. I was now the typical little girl that everyone knows today. I developed into a not stop talking chatter box. If I never went to get help with my speech I would be a completely different people. I would be as outgoing and precious as I am today. Some days I wonder if my mom ever think how nice it would be if I didn’t talk for a few minutes.
I look back at family videos and I listen to my voice and I just think to myself, how could people have really fixed this? My speech was really bad that really, I couldn’t even understand what I was saying. I couldn’t say most sounds. The biggest ones were my THs and my Rs. It is literally a miracle what doctors can really do. If it wasn’t for them I probably wouldn’t be reading and writing. They are the reasons why I have made it this far in my education.
The summer going into my senior year of high school, I was thinking my major was Special Education. Now going into my first year of college, my major is Speech Pathology. It really interested me when I was looking up majors that involved special needs. I wanted to work with special needs in some way because I love them. I fell in love working with them my senior year. Then I realized that I went to a pathologist when I was younger. She changed my life. Suzie is my reason why I have this huge passion for helping others with their speech impediments. Just the fact that I will be able to work with patients that were just like me is going to be thrilling. Not only will I help kids like me but I will be able to help all different kinds of people that have a lack in speech and swallowing. I can’t wait!
Even though it takes a tremendous amount of schooling, I want to be someone’s hero I want my own office that has a huge couch and makes people happy by just the colors on the walls! The standard level of education for speech-language pathologists is a master’s degree. Although master’s programs do not specify a particular undergraduate degree for admission, certain courses must be taken before entering the program. Required courses vary by institution. Graduate programs often include courses in age-specific speech disorders, alternative communication methods, and swallowing disorders. These programs also include supervised clinical practice in addition to coursework. Speech-language pathologists must be licensed in almost all states. A license requires at least a master’s degree and supervised clinical experience. Some states require graduation from an accredited program to get a license. For specific requirements, contact your state’s medical or health licensure board. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 29 March, 2012)
Suzie has made the biggest impact on my life. From helping say little words correctly to helping pick out my major. I wish I was still little, going o appointments all the time again. She’s literally has done it all. Now I have the proper English, not my random sounds! I am lucky to know that I worked with the best doctors and knowing that my whole family was supportive with my help. There is no Dee Dee anymore!
With the schooling and all of the hands on work, there needs to be more than that. You need to have compassion because speech pathologists work with people who can be very frustrated about their difficulties. They need to be a support beam that is emotionally for their patients and their families. They need to be critical-thinkers. Speech pathologist needs to be about to adjust their treatment plans as needed, finding different ways to help their patients. They need great listening skills. Pathologists need to listen to their patient’s symptoms and problems to decide on treatment. Some patients need more time than others and need more attention so they should have patience. Talking to families and patients on an everyday basis needs great speaking skills.
My speech impediment did not just impact my life but it also impacted my mother’s. From day one she has always cared about me getting better. When she told be the stories she would always tell me that she knew I would get better. She knew that Suzie was the one to change our lives. My dad was always working to keep food on the table, meaning my mom was a stay at home mom who took us to school and all the motherly things they do! I remember my mom always telling me to practice my exercises after school. It was kind of like homework.
Tongue resistance exercises. The first, and very simple, thing you can do is to encourage your child to press their tongue against the roof of their mouth or the back of their top teeth, with as much force as they can. While they are pushing against the roof of their mouth, count. The idea is to increase the numbers each week until you begin to see your child holding his/her tongue in that same position without struggling. Simply having the strength in their tongue to consistently hold that position will help speech therapy. Another form of tongue resistance exercise. You can also use tongue depressors, lolly pops, or whatever will work with your child to get them to work on their oral motor skills by pressing their tongue in a particular direction. (Oral Motor Skills Exercises for Speech Therapy with Children, 18 August, 2009)
Throughout this journey I have learned many things. I have learned to be patient with myself and let things come to me. There are also opportunities to reach out and let something take your hand. Everyone can change and make a huge difference in life. My life has changed drastically with the help of my hero. I hope to be someone’s hero one day and maybe they will be writing about their environment of living with a speech impediment. Even though I and not living in the same environment. It is still a huge part of what I have become and what I will become later in life.
Works Cited
Hayes, Madeline. "Oral Motor Skills Exercises for Speech Therapy with Children." Yahoo! Voices. Yahoo! Contributor Network, 18 Aug. 2009. Web. 10 Apr. 2013.
"How To Become One." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 29 Mar. 2012. Web. 9 Apr. 2013.
"What They Do." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 29 Mar. 2012. Web. 10 Apr. 2013.