Reflections on Buffalo Hearing and Speech's Impact on our Family

                We moved to Fredonia during the summer of 2009 with our son, Ian, who was three and a half at the time.  Ian had been having behavioral and social difficulties prior to our move, however transitioning to a new home and town really intensified his difficulties.  We were very concerned and didn't know where to turn.  On recommendation from a colleague, we talked to the Committee on Preschool Special Education at the Fredonia School District. Ian was evaluated quickly and it was obvious that while he had age appropriate academic abilities, his receptive and expressive speech as well as his social skills were severely delayed.  Ian was enrolled in the 6-1-1 program at Buffalo Hearing and Speech Center (BHSC) in Fredonia's Wheelock School.  He receives speech therapy five times a week and occupational therapy two times a week.  His teacher and therapists were able to recognize where Ian was strong and use those strengths to help guide him in addressing where he needed additional help.  In a very short time we started to see dramatic changes in his mood and abilities at home.  Two specific examples of Ian's improvements were interactions with other children at the playground and using finger paint.  Last summer he could hardly stand to be at a playground with other kids there, he would scream for them to go away.  Now if we go to an empty playground he asks (in a complete sentence) where the kids are because he wants to play with them.  With regards to finger paints, he would not touch it nine months ago.  Recently he brought home a great picture with every inch of the paper covered in finger paint and his teacher said he loved doing it.  BHSC use of the Greenspan theory and sensory based activities has been extremely effective and we feel helps Ian progress at the fastest rate possible.  In addition to the classroom services, they also offer monthly parent information sessions.  These sessions are facilitated by Kathleen Fedele and various other members of the BHSC staff depending on the topics being covered that week.  These sessions complement the instruction that Ian is receiving and have allowed us to develop real world skills to help us as a family understand his difficulties and provide productive activities at home.  We are very satisfied with our experience with BHSC and feel that it has made a tremendous positive impact on our family.  BHSC truly works with us as a team to help Ian and they have an amazing staff helping all three of us make progress forward.