Karen Aguilera, Speech Language Pathologist
McCarty Scottish Rite Clinic for Childhood Language Disorders
620 Walnut Avenue, Klamath Falls, Oregon 97601-6141

Sam is an energetic, bubbly, and bright little boy who was almost ready to turn five years old when he first came to the Scottish Rite Clinic in Klamath Falls, Oregon. Although he had a large vocabulary for his age and lots of interesting things he wanted to talk about, Sam had so many articulation errors that his speech was very difficult to understand. It was hard saying his brother's name, talking to his friends during play, and being understood by the other children and teachers in his preschool. Sam would get very frustrated when people were not able to figure out what he was trying to tell them. Sometimes he became so upset, he would just sigh, throw up his hands, and say, "Oh, forget it."

With the Scottish Rite's help, Sam began learning how to produce speech sounds correctly-first in syllables, then words, and then sentences. Because Sam is so full of energy and likes to move around, lots of movement was used during therapy. Sam might practice a list of his target sounds and words at the therapy table, then crawl through a tunnel to grab a toy, and zoom back on the scooter board. He learned how to listen for his mistakes, and soon he began correcting his own errors during conversations. He even learned some important grammar such as plurals and possessives.

Sam still needs help, but now almost everything he says can be understood, after less than three months of therapy! Sam's mother said that she and her family are "just thrilled" with the progress he has made in a very short time. Sam also seems to be very pleased with himself, as he now tells long stories of his many adventures.

Reprinted, edited for length, from the Oregon SRFCLD News