Kristin was Cole's Speech Pathologist in his first year of full-time preschool at the Carle Auditory Oral School in Illinois. From the first moment I met Kristin, the passion she had for her profession and most of all her students was clear right away! Under Kristin's watch, Cole flourished...not just in his speech and language, but in his level of confidence and attitude about therapy! Kristin had the incredible ability to make the most difficult tasks for my boy feel like a game....and he LIKES games! Can you imagine being asked to work out your weakest sense, 75 minutes a day in individual therapy with a therapist who knew the destination and wouldn't accept any less than your best effort on the journey along the way? Kristin had a way of making this seemingly impossible task {teaching a deaf 3 year old to listen and speak}...something that Cole looked forward to every day...if that isn't a gift from God, I don't know what is! I'm honored she agreed to share her thoughts with you today...
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The truth is, there is no separating where I've been or what I do from the blessings that God has provided for me. Writing this blog entry has been a much needed reminder that He is at work in my life always; not just on Sunday mornings and Wednesday night Bible studies. Since I have started my journey with Christ, Christian music has had a way of speaking to me. It seems like when I have just had "one of those days" a song will speak to me at just the right time and in the most perfect way. Again, it's just another way I know that He is in my life ALWAYS. Recently, some lyrics have stuck with me and I couldn’t help but relate them to my life and profession.
I will praise You in this
storm...
As the thunder rolls
I barely hear Your whisper through the rain,
"I'm with you"
When our families first receive the news that their child has a hearing loss, they are faced with a storm of emotions. A whirlwind of thoughts and sometimes thundering sadness and anger suddenly strike like lightning. As a young professional supporting these families without having children myself, I often find myself trying to put myself in their shoes. However, I have come to realize that I can never fully understand what our parents are feeling when they hear the words, “your child has hearing loss." The best thing I can do is to simply be next to them to listen and do my best to support them in their journey that lies ahead. Some parents are ready to embark on that journey right away, while others need some time to take it all in and go through the grieving process - and that’s ok. Our mission at the ECHO program is to meet the child’s hearing needs while informing and supporting the families in any way that we can. I always remind myself that even though I work with children with hearing loss day in and day out - often times, this is the first experience with deafness that these families have ever experienced - and it is their child. I've learned that it is important to recognize and embrace their emotions. My goal is to let the families know that I am with them in the storm and give them hope that the storm will pass, but not without dedication and hard work… a lesson I have learned and experienced many times from God.
Isn’t it easy to give the Lord praise when things are going wonderfully!? A new job, the birth of a child,
an engagement, or maybe even finding 20 bucks on the sidewalk. You
think, “God is good!” and he most definitely is. But if you are like
me, when you are going through a time in your life when you are “walking
through the rain” I tend to forget to continue to give Him praise even through
the difficult seasons in my life. Sometimes I stop and think, “He shows me unconditional
love, so why aren’t I doing the same for Him?” Even when His voice in my heart
is barely audible, if I listen closely enough I know that He is still (and
always) with me...even in life’s storms He whispers “I’m with you.”
I can still remember
the day the Burdett family first came to our school. John and Danice (who was
pregnant with Cora at the time) walked through the door with two adorable little boys. As always, this family lit up the entire place. John with his funny yet reserved personality and Danice with her bubbly and positive attitude. Ryder was a blond-haired little boy with bright sparkling eyes and I remember thinking he seemed so mature for his age. Cole was a dark haired little guy with big brown eyes that could melt your heart. Both boys were beautiful and full of energy with one difference - Cole was deaf. The Burdett family was beginning a new journey.
pregnant with Cora at the time) walked through the door with two adorable little boys. As always, this family lit up the entire place. John with his funny yet reserved personality and Danice with her bubbly and positive attitude. Ryder was a blond-haired little boy with bright sparkling eyes and I remember thinking he seemed so mature for his age. Cole was a dark haired little guy with big brown eyes that could melt your heart. Both boys were beautiful and full of energy with one difference - Cole was deaf. The Burdett family was beginning a new journey.
Where you go, I'll go
Where you stay, I'll stay
When you move, I'll move
I will follow...
After John and Danice made the decision to give Cole the
gift of sound and receive his cochlear
implants, it was pedal to the metal! When he was old enough to start school, Cole made the transition
from early intervention to preschool and it was decided that I would be one of his therapists. When I first started seeing Cole for therapy, countless hours of intense work had already been invested into him by Dr. Novak, our audiologists, early intervention therapists and his family. Our early intervention therapists did such an amazing job nurturing and training Cole and his family for this big transition and I remember the thinking to myself, “Kristin, don’t mess this up!” It was our first session and I will never forget the way Cole bopped into my therapy room like we were old friends. He looked at me as if he was saying “Kristin, I am ready to follow your lead. Let’s do this!” I knew that Cole and his family were trusting our program and myself to do our best to help their son thrive and I didn’t want to let them down. The nervousness I felt quickly turned to excitement as I started to get to know Cole and his family.
implants, it was pedal to the metal! When he was old enough to start school, Cole made the transition
from early intervention to preschool and it was decided that I would be one of his therapists. When I first started seeing Cole for therapy, countless hours of intense work had already been invested into him by Dr. Novak, our audiologists, early intervention therapists and his family. Our early intervention therapists did such an amazing job nurturing and training Cole and his family for this big transition and I remember the thinking to myself, “Kristin, don’t mess this up!” It was our first session and I will never forget the way Cole bopped into my therapy room like we were old friends. He looked at me as if he was saying “Kristin, I am ready to follow your lead. Let’s do this!” I knew that Cole and his family were trusting our program and myself to do our best to help their son thrive and I didn’t want to let them down. The nervousness I felt quickly turned to excitement as I started to get to know Cole and his family.
Cole and I followed each other. He would follow my lead as I
used strategies to expand his language and correct his speech. I followed him as he showed interest in
different things such as Cars and Toy Story. I loved using what he was
interested in to elicit specific speech sounds and spoken language. The best
sessions were when he was too busy having fun playing games or reading a book
to realize that he was actually WORKING! Don’t you wish it could be this way
for us as adults?
Every day and in everything I do, I am faced with the choice
to either follow God or not. Sometimes it is hard and I am skeptical, but then
I remember that He makes ALL things work together for my good and all I need to
do is to trust and follow Him.
All
authority, every victory is Yours
Savior,
worthy of honor and glory, worthy of all of our praise,
You overcame
There are so many things that I love
about my job as a speech pathologist, but the biggest joy I have is witnessing
the victories (both big and small) our students experience each day. Whether it
is successfully using a language target to tell their friend about the yummy
food in their lunchbox or reciting the Pledge of Allegiance over the loud speaker with good speech - there is no victory too small.
Cole continued
to make awesome progress with his language and I remember Danice telling me
that
because of his jump in language and ability to better express his thoughts and feelings, she felt like she was finally getting to know a side of her son that she never knew before. I get tears in my eyes just thinking about it! These children are overcoming their challenges on a daily basis and there is nothing more rewarding as a professional to have the chance to be a part of that.
because of his jump in language and ability to better express his thoughts and feelings, she felt like she was finally getting to know a side of her son that she never knew before. I get tears in my eyes just thinking about it! These children are overcoming their challenges on a daily basis and there is nothing more rewarding as a professional to have the chance to be a part of that.
It’s important to remember that even
the small victories in life are all intentional and made possible by
Him. Having a thankful heart and taking the time to recognize God’s blessings even on the most ordinary days is powerful.
Him. Having a thankful heart and taking the time to recognize God’s blessings even on the most ordinary days is powerful.
As I write this during Better Hearing
and Speech Month I wonder...
Doesn't God encourage us all to have better hearing and
speech?
Better hearing when listening to God’s voice regarding a co-worker that tests
your patience, a spouse who is trying to compromise, a friend who just needs
someone to listen to them, or someone telling you to get out of an unhealthy
relationship?
Better speech when talking to others about God, memorizing
scripture, speaking words of kindness towards others and being intentional with
the words we use around children?
To me, it is obvious that we ALL can benefit
from better hearing and speech!
Good word, thank you! And fun to hear you tell of Cole's journey! Thank you Jesus for Kristin and for her investment into your children.. in helping them to hear and have a voice! You are Good God, all the time!
Blessings,
Kirstin