During his first month of kindergarten, David gave a speech to his entire class. He shared a Lego creation he had built by himself as he presented information about the history of Legos. David spoke clearly and confidently. His teachers and classmates understood every single word, and David exuded pride from a job well done! David’s story of building his confidence is like building Legos. It’s a process. It’s a transformation.
BUILDING CONFIDENCE: a Foundation with Communication
David has just turned six and has been building a “CONFIDENCE TOOLKIT” for communication, social, and academic success since he was 3 ½. When he first walked into our office, his speech was only understandable about 50% of the time (most 3 – 4 year olds can be understood with 90% accuracy). He couldn’t communicate easily, because others didn’t understand him! David’s mother, Bonnie, brought him to us for a speech and language evaluation with Tessa. He struggled to participate during the initial evaluation, lying on the floor and crawling into his mom’s lap.
After some cajoling, David let Tessa examine his mouth. One look down his throat, and Tessa discovered two dime-sized tonsils; they were far too large for his oral cavity. There was so little space for airflow that David’s mouth gaped open as he inhaled big, noisy breaths of air. He suffered from oxygen deprivation, especially lying down at night, and his exhaustion showed on his face.
David’s huge tonsils were pushing his tongue forward into a lazy position on the bottom of his mouth. His tongue was so weak that he didn’t have the strength or coordination to make many speech sounds. No wonder others couldn’t understand him!
David was referred to an ENT for a tonsillectomy. Immediately after surgery, David’s behavior and speech clarity improved. Because he was sleeping better, he became more flexible and energetic. He began speech therapy and quickly conquered his sounds.
BUILDING CONFIDENCE: in Social Skills STEP by STEP
*(or Brick by Brick in Lego speak)*
Although his speech had improved, David was still socially delayed. Like many 4 year olds, he needed new tools in his toolkit to learn to negotiate and compromise when problems arose. David’s mom enrolled him in our social thinking curriculum where the children practiced using expected behaviors, balancing talking with listening and taking turns during conversation. David learned that people don’t remember exactly what you SAY to them, but they do remember how you make them FEEL!
BUILDING CONFIDENCE: Putting it All Together for School
David was not interested in rhyming and letters/sounds – which is somewhat typical for boys his age. However, these are the precursors to reading. David’s mom recognized that speech issues can lead to academic delays, so she enrolled him in our literacy intervention program. Using the developmentally appropriate sequence, our instructors taught David to rhyme and segment words into sounds, and then they gradually introduced phonics.
By the time he started his formal education, David was reading emergent literature and spelling simple words. He was ready for kindergarten at The Rhoades School!
We just got a progress report from David’s mom –
David’s Story has a very “Happy Beginning.” He confidently uses his tools each day. David built his “CONFIDENCE TOOLKIT” upon the firm foundation that he received through speech therapy, social thinking and reading readiness classes at Jodie K. Schuller & Associates with support from home.
As a parent, I feel confident that I made a good choice to invest in helping my children build their “CONFIDENCE TOOLKITS” with Jodie K. Schuller & Associates as my family’s partner. David’s confidence continues to grow each time his words are understood, he laughs with his friends, and he can read the words in his bedtime story. David’s story of BUILDING his CONFIDENCE is like building Legos. It has been a process and a transformation.
Imagine How this Story could have Gone without a Proactive Mother and Early Intervention…
Sleep deprived? — hard to stay awake in school!
Speech disordered? — frustrating when people don’t understand you!
Socially Shy? — hard to make friends when you don’t converse!
Academically challenged? — Impossible to learn phonics when your reading readiness skills are delayed!
Fortunately for David, he IS ready for school. He is going to thrive academically, find his islands of excellence and be able to share his gifts with the world. He has a vivid imagination and tells thrilling stories–maybe he’ll be a screen writer one day…or even a motivational speaker!
Whichever direction he decides to go, David has blossomed into a socially confident and academically competent little boy. What a great place to start his education!
If you know a youngster who is struggling–with communication, social interaction or reading readiness, call us at 858-509-1131 or contact us via our form. It is never too early or too late to begin!