When Lionel was very young he stuttered just like any young child would...on and off now and then...no big deal. It went away and we thought nothing of it. Well, after a couple years, it started coming back slowly, yet it kept getting worse and worse. By the time he was 9 years old it was extremely difficult to have a conversation with him because he stuttered so much. I would often lose my patience and would be short with him - not on purpose, but out of frustration. (Don't worry, he knows that and I did apologize - every time!) It was around that time we began to search for some serious help.
Our medical insurance didn't want anything to do with paying speech therapy bills (typical) and they actually told us to bring him for counseling and see if it was mental. To say that it totally ticked me off is an understatement!!! Well, instead of going that route (since we knew it was nothing like that) we decided to contact the Stuttering Foundation of America. That was the best thing we did! Lionel began speech therapy at a local university where the master's students would work with him while the professors (and myself) would observe the whole session through a one way mirror. (Or is that a two way mirror?? I always get confused!?! Anyhow...they couldn't see or hear us, but we could see and hear them!) He has had therapy every week for an hour since then. He did improve a bit, but we found that when he was home, as the week would pass by, he'd get worse.
Long story short (sort of)...we were told about the SpeechEasy device, and that it would help Lionel's speaking - it would almost make him completely fluent!!! The device looks almost like a hearing aid. What it does is cause the stutterer to hear a delay, so it's like he is speaking with himself...pretty bizarre...but quite impressive!! There are 4 different models out now, but when we first called there were only 3. This past August I phoned the SpeechEasy company, and they told me to contact a specialist in NYC. I made a call that afternoon and was able to get an appointment for September. The good part about waiting those 3-4 weeks, is that the 4th model came out just before our appointment with the specialist! This particular model is less evasive in the ear canal, and less obtrusive...perfect for the pre-teen who soon will be hitting puberty and wouldn't want anything in his ear that may embarrass him. The device is extremely expensive, but for what it does...it's priceless!!! Lionel was evaluated by the specialist, and was found that he was the perfect candidate for it. When he tried it in his ear and spoke...I was speechless!!! He no longer stuttered like he was without the device. I had not heard my son speak 'normally' like that in years. It was amazing...words cannot describe the emotions I felt inside.
Getting fitted for the SpeechEasy...
Holding up the SpeechEasy device...
I bet you can't even see it in his ear!!!
Lionel and the specialist...
Needless to say...we ordered the device that day, and we were able to go back into the city and pick it up only 3 weeks later. He wears it every day faithfully and now speaking with him is a dream. Of course it's not a 'cure' for the stutterer, but it certainly does help. If you go to youtube.com and search for SpeechEasy, you'll see a few examples of how it works.
We are so thankful to God for giving the wisdom to the doctor who invented this device. He too was a stutterer, so he knew how important it would be. Lionel has not only improved in his speaking, but he now doesn't try to hide the way he talks. He was at the point where he was starting to clam up, get frustrated and we could tell his self-esteem was affected by it all. Now he will now order food for himself in a restaurant, talk to people he comes in contact with, answer the phone, and is a lot more social...totally unlike the 'old' Lionel. Praise the Lord for small miracles like this!!! He wears it with pride and is not ashamed of it which makes us extremely proud of him!
1 comment:
Oh my goodness, how wonderful this is! I never heard of anything like this device. My sis-in-law is a speech pathologist, I'm going to ask her if she knows anything about this...! It must feel like a miracle!
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