Lethbridge Speech Pathologist Helps Children
Jefferson Humphreys on the frustrating problem of speech difficulties
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A Lethbridge speech pathologist has made a career out of helping kids with their speech. 6 year old Ryan Mankow has been in speech therapy for about a year and a half now, after his parents first realized he was having trouble speaking. His Mom Kelly, says it was frustrating. "At home we would have to get him to repeat himself sometimes three times just to be able to figure out what he was saying." Speech Pathologist Linda Hurkot says speech problems can lead to other problems. " There's big social implications in terms of getting along with friends and family and other community members so those are very difficult things for children". Hurkot has been working as a speech pathologist for more than 30 years and recently was recognized by her peers for her outstanding work in the field. "Working with kids I've always wanted to do what was best for them, to look at the newest technology or the newest method to see if it would work better to get them on their way." She says people often mistakenly assume children with speech and language problems are mentally challenged. Ryan's Mom says he's now back on track. "He's working on his final sounds the hardest ones. We rarely have to ask him to repeat himself and almost always understand him."
in Ryan's case... after a year-and-a-half of hard work here and at home...
