Our son is an amazing, bright, passionate child, but no matter how much we immersed him in communication and language, he was just not speaking clearly or even trying very many words at all. We also noticed that he fell well behind his peers when he played with other children at parks and playgrounds. When he turned four, we decided to get him an evaluation for his speech and language skills, as well as to see if he needed occupational therapy, knowing that we have done our very best with him on our own but now needed outside help.
It was crushing when our fears were confirmed that he has apraxia/dyspraxia, a neurological motor planning disorder. Our first point of contact at Emerge was SLP Kelly, and she was so kind and helpful and eased our worries. We knew right away that we wanted our son to work with her. The very next week he started speech therapy, and Kelly was immediately a life changer. She is so kind and straightforward and brilliant. I love how much she teaches us during his sessions, too. She’s awesome at explaining her process and reason for doing things. Our son made IMMEDIATE improvements within the first week and he just adores Kelly. And now two months later, he’s saying SO many new words and seems so much less fearful in his efforts to talk. He also gets frustrated so much less often because he’s better able to communicate with us. We owe Kelly so much more gratitude than she will ever know.
Shortly after our son began speech therapy, he was fortunate enough to begin his occupational therapy sessions with Bonnie, the executive director of Emerge. She is amazing!! We saw so many physical ability and behavioral improvements with our son right away. He was like a new kid. His behavior and outbursts at home even improved. And he just LOVES Bonnie. She is so sweet and has an incredible ability to improvise and think on her toes to accommodate our son’s needs and wants minute by minute! He would get so incredibly excited every time I told him it was time to go see her! The things that she was able to teach our son how to do in such a small amount of time were incredible.
The entire staff at Emerge has treated us like family. We especially love Dan at the front desk, too! What a great person to greet you everyday and help you with all of the logistical stuff. In just two short months, we have been given a new and improved version of our son, which we didn’t think was possible! He’s trying new things, his overall behavior has improved, his physical abilities are starting to catch up to other kids his age, his speech and language skills have seen tremendous development, and he’s just acting like a kid… having fun, running around, trying his hand at conversations, engaging in more physical and pretend play, and so much more. Everything has just been amazing and we are so incredibly blessed to have walked through Emerge’s doors and begin our journey with them.
The entire Emerge crew has also been incredibly helpful in assisting us with gathering all of the necessary documentation, writing letters, etc. that we need to submit to our insurance company for a chance at reimbursement of the therapy. Getting services covered for a child who had apraxia is an extremely difficult battle, but they’re willing to help in any way they can.
-L.C.
It was baffling to us. Our daughter was so friendly, so engaging and yet could not seem to get past “hi.” She was intelligent but would not play with toys, seemed clingy and lost if an adult was not guiding her. She loved school and yet could not learn the daily routine, even after an entire year in the same classroom. Luckily, her teachers assessed her and provided us some explanations and encouraged us to have her evaluated.
We had a few past evaluations to share with the therapists at Emerge when we first met and we were so impressed with how they seemed to know our daughter before they even met and observed her. Following the initial evaluation, it was recommended that she receive speech and occupational therapy to address the deficits. Within just a few sessions we saw positive changes. After several it was like watching a miracle happen before our eyes! She was playing appropriately with toys. She was speaking in full sentences. She was saying “Hi, what is your name?” and starting to have conversations. Pretend play is an everyday occurrence now and oh, the places we have gone…picnics, “outer space” and pirate adventures.
Emerge is a very appropriate name for this organization because after one month of sessions our child is emerging into the world with so much more skill and mastery of life! Thank you Emerge.
My two boys have seen tremendous improvements since they started working with the Occupational Therapists at Emerge – A Child’s Place. My oldest son used to sit alone at lunch and play by himself on the playground. Since learning new techniques from his therapist, he has been able to make friends and plays much more easily with others. As a parent, seeing this kind of a change means the world me!
Emerge has also made a huge impact on my life. My son’s therapists have helped me understand why my children react in certain ways, and the therapists have given me a new perspective on how to deal with difficult situations. Their innovative ideas have helped me address every day occurrences in new ways. The support my family has received from Emerge has made life a lot easier for us all.
I full-heartedly recommend Emerge – A Child’s Place for families. Every member of their staff is AWESOME, and they have the expertise to address all kinds of challenges for children including autism, ADHD, communication difficulties, behavioral problems, and even picky eaters!
In a matter of months, the therapists at Emerge have accomplished what others have been trying to do for years. I have seen such great improvements with him because the therapists here really focus on the total picture. Instead of addressing only on one issue at a time, they look at the big picture and tackle everything from balance, to self-confidence, handwriting and communication.
Gavin’s gravitational insecurity caused him to climb into the car on all fours, and meant that he was unable to sit in a chair for any length of time. Thanks to the Occupational Therapy at Emerge, Gavin is now climbing trees!
Gavin’s speech therapist has helped him learn how to make sounds that he was unable to make before and he is now saying words he could never say.I didn’t know how he was going to function before we brought him to Emerge, but the transformation Gavin has made here has been life changing for him and for us.
When we came to Emerge the first time, Bonnie said “We will give your daughter back to you.” Slowly, but surely we are getting her back. Today our daughter enjoys most of everything like a normal child. She not only enjoys swinging, hiking, climbing, but actually enjoys doing them with her sister. All the people at Emerge, the staff and therapist are family. They are present for every milestone and celebrate it with the same gusto that we do. Thank you Emerge for being there for us in good times and bad.
My child has graduated the occupational therapy program and is now functioning in all areas just like any other child- socially and academically. My child loves to draw, cut, and glue; to ride the bicycle, run, and jump; to initiate and participate in games; and enjoy the smells and sounds of a beautiful spring day. The therapist has proved to me that occupational therapy is scientific and generates excellent results if practiced professionally and systematically. I have no words to describe my thanks to Emerge. You gave my child the skills to be a happy child. Thanks a lot!!!
Four years ago I thought that occupational therapy is some kind of alternative method of healing equivalent to homeopathy. I had no idea how powerful this field is in strengthening physical and mental skills. Four years later I am thankful that I chose to invest my time and money in providing my child with occupational therapy.
The effect of Emerge’s methodological therapy has changed my child from being insecure, quiet, and uncoordinated, to a social, communicative, self-assured child. Occupational therapy is based on the idea that the person’s actions and reactions derive from brain messages and, if, from any reason, the brain is not processing or over-processing stimulation, the child under or over-reacts. During therapy, the therapist was always sensitive to my child’s reactions, and could tell which part of the body needs more work in order to help the brain process the information correctly. The effect of therapy was not immediate. It took a few months to see a change in my child’s behavior, but this change was in all areas- social, learning, attention, motor, self-confidence, and more. The therapist was always prompt on changing the goals when they were achieved, and targeting new areas. Her recommendations for teachers helped to generalize learned skills in other environments.