October Participant Spotlight!

“Cristina has been in the GiGi’s Playhouse Amina Grace Speech & Language Program for only four months.  However, within that short amount of time, her speech and clarity has improved immensely.  Cristina has worked with Taylor on a speech she gave to over 75 people in early October.  We had many people come up to us afterwards and state how proud they were of Cristina and how incredibly clear her speech has become.  This is all thanks to the Amina Grace Speech and Language Program.  Cristina is now working with Taylor on scripts for two upcoming plays that Cristina will be acting in.  Being able to be understood by more people has helped Cristina to be more confident and proud as she knows people are finally understanding her.” –Marylynn, Cristina’s Mom

Talented. Smart. Beautiful. Self-Motivated. Funny. These are just a few of the words I’d use to describe our Participant of the Month, Cristina! Cristina is a 22-year-old woman who began participating in the Amina Grace Speech and Language Program this past summer per HER request! Cristina is extremely active in her community. She works at her local library, participates in a variety of plays and a book club, is an active member in UPS for DownS, runs a cosmetic business, and makes time to hang out with her friends, family, and of course, her boyfriend! Cristina’s self-determination and desire to be in this program and better her speech and language skills is what makes her such a remarkable young woman. She has made steady growth during her time in the program and is constantly reflecting on her goals and vocalizing areas she’d like to address.

During her sessions, we’ve been focusing on answering complex wh- questions, pacing and over-articulating to increase speech intelligibility, producing the /th/ sound at the beginning of words, producing grammatical morphemes (i.e. plural -s, past tense -ed), initiating, transitioning between, and maintaining topics within conversation, and demonstrating appropriate eye contact. Cristina participates in all tasks presented to her with a smile on her face! She consistently completes her “homework” and carryover activities to aid the generalization of skills taught in therapy sessions. Cristina enjoys bringing her scripts and speeches to work on them during therapy to practice, as well as incorporating her hobbies to make speech functional and relatable to her daily life. She recently gave a 15 minute speech at an event for Chicago Marathon runners. During her speech, she nailed her /th/s, kept a steady pace, was clear to the entire room, AND made great eye contact with the crowd. The word proud doesn’t even begin to cover it!!! She took what she learned and applied it… practicing in and outside of the therapy setting with the help of her amazing Mom. The Amina Grace Speech and Language Program at the Hoffman Estates Playhouse is devoted to continuing to provide Cristina with the supports she needs to meet the goals she sets for herself.

-Taylor Kent

To learn more about the Amina Grace Speech and Language Program, check out our website HERE!