12/15/2025
"My son, Samuel, was diagnosed with CAS (Childhood Apraxia of Speech) at three years old. Since that moment in time, we have spent countless hours in therapy as we have endeavored to help him learn how to create sound, form words, and communicate. He was mostly non-verbal until he was five, and it has been quite the experience to watch him work and struggle to speak at all, let alone in a way that others could understand.
I was informed about your program and jumped at the chance to offer something more to Samuel. We spent years on the waiting list and finally received the call that he was eligible for reading therapy with Ms. Esther in Salt Lake City. It came at such a KEY moment! CAS has its tentacles in SO many different ways that affect Samuel and any ability he has to communicate (whether with speech, reading, writing, comprehension, etc.). We were thrilled when he was offered the chance to work with her each week to improve his reading abilities. It just so happened to coincide with him entering 5th grade and will, hopefully, be so instrumental in helping him get caught up before he goes to the junior high level (something that really concerns his father and me).
We have seen SUCH improvement in the few months he has been able to attend these therapy sessions. He is reading with more ease (not perfect, but better). He is seeing the connections between words and the sounds his mouth needs to produce. He is starting to realize the different patterns of speech, break words down into their smaller parts, and is learning how to decode them. It is amazing to watch how excited he gets as he gets better and better. The school he attends has noticed his improvement and supports his therapy, even allowing him to miss several hours each Tuesday so he can go to therapy."
Sincerely,
Melanie Wayman
Casey Wayman
Samuel Wayman
Photo by Mikhail Nilov: https://www.pexels.com/photo/an-elderly-woman-having-conversation-with-her-grandchildren-8317828/
