Atom McDowell began speech therapy at four years old, after his parents and pediatrician expressed concern about his speech development. "He was almost nonverbal, and not talking in any sentences," said Atom's mom Jessica. "He couldn't make his needs clear at all." This communication barrier was as difficult for Jessica as it was for Atom. "It is very challenging to watch your son and just not be able to communicate with him. And for Atom, it was obviously frustrating to not be understood or know how to express himself."
Atom began seeing Lauren Sekas, speech therapist at CCLLC, for regular sessions and made quick progress. He is now able to form sentences, engage with his family and friends, and express his needs.
Before Atom started speech therapy, Jessica recalled a few times when her and her husband could tell Atom was uncomfortable or in pain, but unable to use words to communicate those feelings. "But now, just a couple of weeks ago, he said, 'My tummy hurts,'" said Jessica. "It's those smallest words and phrases that people take for granted with their child. Just the fact that he was able to acknowledge that pain in his belly … he was so happy he could express himself in that way. And then because of that, we were able to tell him why his stomach hurt and what we were going to be able to do to make it feel better." Jessica recalled this instance tearfully, acknowledging both the past struggles of being unable to communicate with Atom, and the joy of recent progress and the increased connection it has brought.
"I don't even know how to express how much gratitude we have," Jessica said. "Lauren gave us tools that we could use at home, and she has been so great with Atom. She personalizes his sessions to maintain his interest and took the time to get to know him. He loves speech therapy because of that."
Atom will start kindergarten soon and is still working on developing his speech further. "We are still getting there with some of his words, but has excelled recently and made such progress," said Jessica.