Published: May 05, 2008 03:16 pm            

Speech therapy pilot program shows promise

AVON, Ind. — Erin Confer-Staggers doesn’t mind the sweet sound of ‘Are we there yet?’ resonating from her son, Ben, as she travels between the Cornerstone Rehabilitation Services center here in Danville and the family’s Greencastle home.

Ben was diagnosed with a moderate language delay, but has continued to improve his speech and language skills, thanks in large part to Cornerstone’s Building Blocks program.

Building Blocks is a preschool program for developing children with a mild or moderate speech delay and Ben is one of several preschool-aged children who spend their mornings participating in speech therapy exercises, music and movement, and other cognitive activities.

Erin says that for Ben the results have been remarkable.

“It started off with just finding someone to give me hope,” she said. “If you are going to find treatment, it’s up to you as a parent to look around and figure that out. This program has been tremendous, and what they’ve done has helped his ability to communicate with peers and adults alike and it has been a long time coming.”

Cornerstone’s owner, C.J. Gregory, said that the Building Blocks program was developed in response to a gap in speech therapy services for children older than age 3. Indiana operates in the First Step System which provides direction and rehabilitation services for children ranging from 0-3 years of age. However, some children need more time and further development at a level not deemed significant enough to merit placement in a special needs school, but still significant enough to warrant further attention.

“Out therapists were finding that when these kids turned 3 there was no place for them to go and they still needed more development,” Gregory explained. “We developed this program as a half-way between for those kids who still need more intensive speech work.”

Cornerstone has orchestrated a number of other pediatric rehabilitation initiatives as well. The clinic also offers physical, occupational, and developmental therapy and carries a student-to-teacher ratio of 3 to 1.

Gregory said that the organization’s goal is to provide autonomy, understanding, and social interaction for children. The clinic operates very similar to a preschool and charges a tuition. The speech therapy portion of the clinic’s regimen is often covered by a family’s health insurance.

“We’ve tried very hard to keep our costs low enough that even if someone doesn’t have insurance it is still possible for families to do on their own,” Gregory said. “The younger they can get these services, the better the outcome is likely to be in the end.”

For more information about Cornerstone Rehabilitation Services, call 718-0089.





Bran Kern writes for the Hendricks County Flyer in Avon, Ind.

        

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