With help from the Scottish Rite Clinic for Childhood Language
Disorders, a Russian child learns to communicate.

Anastasia Seely (photo right) has a smile that lights up a room. At five years old, she has made tremendous growth in all aspects of speech and language and continues to grow. At two years old, Anastasia came into the Seely home and spoke only Russian, but her Russian words were not properly pronounced according to her mom, Diana, who speaks both English and Russian. From that point on, her mom spoke only English. After a few months, Anastasia generally understood her, but couldn't repeat words intelligibly. Her tongue was weak, and, though two years old, her progress compared poorly to the verbal milestones of a six-month-old baby.

A neurologist diagnosed Anastasia's developmental delays due to delayed brain growth. This, in turn, caused her severe speech and language delays. She received speech services through Alta California Regional Center until the age of three and then began speech and language therapy at the Sacramento Scottish Rite Clinic. Her mom had to serve as an interpreter, and there were times when even her mom could not understand her.

At Scottish Rite, Anastasia has improved speech clarity and language skills. Her therapists have encouraged her expressive language by focusing on story sequencing, word associations showing how and why words are used together, and answering "wh" questions-who, what, where, when, why. Similarly, they have helped Anastasia understand basic concepts such as on, in, under, and following directions.

As the busy mom of five children, Diane is so grateful that the Scottish Rite has been there to help. Aside from going to preschool five days a week, with two of those days focused on a speech-only preschool morning, Anastasia is seen at Scottish Rite two times a week, and she has many exercises to do at home, with her mother, to strengthen her lip and mouth muscles. The work is paying off. Anastasia's speech is now 25% intelligible, and she has progressed to a level of communication where she can now play with children her own age and her seven-year-old sister as well. Not more than six months ago, her sister would tell Anastasia, "I don't know what you are saying. Please go away." Now they are interacting in play together.

Scottish Rite has meant the world to the Seely family, and the change in Anastasia is wonderful. Her professional and compassionate therapists have made an endless supply of resources available to her and to the other clinic children.

Every member of the Seely family is excited by the many milestones Anastasia has accomplished, and her mother says, "We are very thankful for this program and know that we would not have made it this far in her speech progress without Scottish Rite. Thank you for the opportunity for our children to grow and learn."

Reprinted, edited for length, from Sacramento Scottish Rite News