Raising Cameron Peck (pictured right) was an intensive 24-hour-a-day job, seven days a week. It was difficult for Cameron to focus. In school, he found it hard to sit in one place and would move around the classroom interrupting instruction. At home, Kristi, his mom, constantly had to redirect his impulsiveness into positive activities. Cameron finally begun talking at age six, but at age seven, he still seemed to be in his own world. A neurologist's evaluation suggested Cameron may never be able to read. Hoping this could not be true, Kristi decided to get help for her son. When first evaluated by a Scottish Rite clinician, Cameron's oral and written language skills were severely delayed. His vocabulary, reading, and writing skills were similar to those of a four- to five-year-old child, he resisted verbal interaction, and he was still very impulsive. After Cameron was enrolled in the Sacramento, California, Scottish Rite Clinic for Childhood Language Disorders, three objectives were set: increase expressive language abilities, develop phonological awareness, and enhance pre-reading skills.

Cameron has come far in just one year. He and his clinician can have general conversations, sharing information with each other, and he has increased his self-control to the point of being able to play board games. His language abilities have improved so much that he can understand word relationships, as in analogies, and compare attributes, as in similarities and differences. His auditory memory, comprehension skills, and phonological awareness have evidenced ongoing growth. Cameron loves to be independent and able to do something by himself without help. He thrives on mental challenges and is on his way to interacting appropriately with his friends, teachers, and parents. His mom, Kristi, is tearful when she discusses how far Cameron has progressed in this past year due to the dedication of the clinicians helping her son at the Sacramento Scottish Rite Clinic for Childhood Language Disorders.

Reprinted from the Sacramento Scottish Rite News (Dec. 2000)