I’m Thankful For You: My Children’s SLP
(Editor’s Note: This article was provided by Tara Surowiec and is part of Cooper’s, ‘I’m Thankful For You’ Campaign.)
This November I would like to thank Christine, my children’s Speech Therapist. She first started working with my son Greyson when he was just two years old. Currently, he is five years old, on the spectrum and nonverbal.
A little bit about us…My husband Paul, myself (Tara), my daughter Alexa (8) and my son Greyson (5) make up our family. We just celebrated our 17th anniversary! My husband Paul is an RN as well as a Flight Engineer in the Air Force. I worked for many years in the corporate environment but have been a stay at home Mom to both Greyson and my daughter Alexa since my daughter started receiving therapies at about 18 months old. At age 2 ½-3 she was diagnosed with Apraxia of Speech and then with autism at six years old. My son Greyson was diagnosed with Autism when he was two years old.
I am thankful for so many things where Ms. Christine is concerned. She was the first person to share with us that she saw the flags of autism in Greyson. I am so thankful that she shared her concerns with us as soon as she saw the signs because it prompted us to kick things into high gear. That was life changing for us. We were then able to become educated about Autism, which we knew nothing about at the time. Because we learned so early we were able to get him more support as well as help for our whole family.
I’m thankful that she thinks outside of the box and really has taken the time to get to know Greyson. Really KNOW him! She gets into his world to see how she could best help him. She has been a huge support to me as well in guiding me in ways that would help Greyson such as putting rhythm/song to books we read or just everyday things we need to do which he really responds to.
I’m thankful that Greyson absolutely adores Ms. Christine. That so huge! I’m thankful that she makes herself available whenever we need her. She has so much passion for Greyson and children like him and it shows in everything she does. I’m thankful for everything she has taught my husband and I. She taught us that learning is best taught through play and really just throughout every day life.
I’m thankful that even my daughter helps teach Greyson to makes sounds and words (he’s nonverbal) through what we’ve learned!
Ms. Christine has been invaluable to our family! She has been a huge advocate for my son and I have the utmost respect for her. I could go on and on.
Let’s just say…we’re her biggest fans!
One More Thank You
I am so thankful (yes…an extra thankful) for my hubby who is a wonderful husband, but is also a very hands on Dad! We do everything we can to make sure our children have all the supports they need, not to mention tons of love, hugs and kisses!
You can still nominate the doctors, therapists, teachers, friends and family that make a difference in your special needs world. Click HERE to learn how!
