Speech graduate 2013?

It was almost 4 years ago that Lainie started speech therapy. First, it was with Infant Toddler Services, coming to our house for one-on-one therapy. Then, it was the one-two punch of K-State Speech and Hearing Center and our special education preschool program in our district. The speech therapy at K-State was for two hours every week, and the preschool was four days a week. Last summer, she graduated from K-State Speech and Hearing Center, but continued speech therapy at her grade school. And now, there is talk she will completely phase out of speech therapy at the end of this school year.

This is about where we started, November 2009, after 6 months of therapy at K-State: I think this was about the same time:

April 2010:


And January 2011:


And this is where we are now:


There were days, I thought if she could just communicate in some way, we'd have success. Now, I'm setting the goal that people will be in disbelief to hear she ever had a speech problem.

And the best part? She can be understood by her peers and complete strangers. No more strange looks, no more looking to me for interpretation, no more frustration and anger from Lainie at not being understood.

Thank God for speech therapists!