I hear my 4 year-old son down the hall call out, "Can you guys play with me?" Were my ears deceiving me? Alex? Asking to play with him? My heart races as I venture down the hall to ask him to repeat his question. "Can you guys play with me?" he says. After uncountable times of his brother and I asking for him to join in our train-line or building of a castle, Alex finally wants to interact with us! Alex, my son, has PDD-nos and ADHD. After just a few short months of speech therapy, Alex decided to venture out of his own small world to play with us; albeit with the topic he perseverates to, Super Heroes.
Having gained my undergraduate degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology in 1999, some would think I have some knowledge that would help my son. No. Thankfully I am, however, able to advocate for my child and integrate the therapy techniques at home that the speech-language pathologists use at school. Family collaboration, I believe, is a crucial part of the success of therapy and I feel that as being a parent of a child with special needs, I will empathize with future client's families and involve them as well in their child's impending success in speech therapy.
Delaying the attendance of graduate school for "a few years" lasted actually 13 years for me. At last I am in the position to return to academia and the depth of my interest in pursuing a career in Speech Pathology has grown unequivocally. Additionally, as a more mature student with experience of having a child with special needs, it allows me to apply my experience to enhance my knowledge in the classroom. I find myself eager to attend class to expand my knowledge base and advance myself closer to achieving my ultimate goal of becoming a speech-language pathologist.
Naturally, I have developed a special interest in the area of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Helping individuals with ASD to appropriately interact with their environment, teaching them compensatory strategies so they can do so and ultimately helping them live richer lives are some of my greatest ambitions. With that said, after observing several speech-language pathologists in varying settings, I find that my interest in which specialty I want to pursue fluctuates, nonetheless. Gaining knowledge and experience via graduate school at Hunter College will allow me to explore the assortment of career opportunities available to a speech-language pathologist and equip me to make a more informed decision about which particular area I will want to pursue as my specialty. The location and program offered by Hunter College in Communication Sciences provides unmatched opportunities that are indispensible, allowing me the growth necessary in the field and also meet my level of passion I have for it.
Having gained my undergraduate degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology in 1999, some would think I have some knowledge that would help my son. No. Thankfully I am, however, able to advocate for my child and integrate the therapy techniques at home that the speech-language pathologists use at school. Family collaboration, I believe, is a crucial part of the success of therapy and I feel that as being a parent of a child with special needs, I will empathize with future client's families and involve them as well in their child's impending success in speech therapy.
Delaying the attendance of graduate school for "a few years" lasted actually 13 years for me. At last I am in the position to return to academia and the depth of my interest in pursuing a career in Speech Pathology has grown unequivocally. Additionally, as a more mature student with experience of having a child with special needs, it allows me to apply my experience to enhance my knowledge in the classroom. I find myself eager to attend class to expand my knowledge base and advance myself closer to achieving my ultimate goal of becoming a speech-language pathologist.
Naturally, I have developed a special interest in the area of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Helping individuals with ASD to appropriately interact with their environment, teaching them compensatory strategies so they can do so and ultimately helping them live richer lives are some of my greatest ambitions. With that said, after observing several speech-language pathologists in varying settings, I find that my interest in which specialty I want to pursue fluctuates, nonetheless. Gaining knowledge and experience via graduate school at Hunter College will allow me to explore the assortment of career opportunities available to a speech-language pathologist and equip me to make a more informed decision about which particular area I will want to pursue as my specialty. The location and program offered by Hunter College in Communication Sciences provides unmatched opportunities that are indispensible, allowing me the growth necessary in the field and also meet my level of passion I have for it.
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