"His diction was so loud and clear that he was the only lead role not to need a microphone!"
I often find myself thinking with gratitude to the speech therapy sessions which you gave to Matthew. As a preschool child aged 4 he was largely unintelligible to all but myself and his older brother. We were used to interpreting for other people. He had a number of issues which you addressed in a fun way. He used to enjoy playing games and having undivided attention for forty minutes! I admired the level of concentration you were able to achieve from Matthew and you knew just how to motivate him. It was also great that you gave us exercises to practise in between sessions.
With a lot of perseverance on all sides, Matthew made massive improvements so that he was far more understandable when he started school. That was a huge relief as we had been worried that his speech would have an impact on him socially and in the classroom. With continued input he achieved his goals. He still needs occasional reminders but knows what he has to do!
He has flourished at school and has recently had a leading part in the year 5/6 production of Barnum. His diction was so loud and clear that he was the only lead role not to need a microphone!
He played the part of ringmaster and perfectly delivered tricky lines announcing 'a droll divertissement, a cavalcade, a caravan of cataclysmically comical clowns'. He had a similar lead role as narrator in a year 4 production.
Addressing his profound speech issues before he started school ensured that his confidence remained intact and he embraces all that life has to offer. His relationships with peers and staff are great and I attribute a lot of that success to the help he received when he was a frustrated four year old who could not make himself understood.
Mrs S Burson
