Rowen first came to Grandview before he was two because of speech and language concerns. By the time he was in Junior Kindergarten, he was having a difficult time communicating with the other kids in his class because they couldn’t understand what he was trying to say. When his mom tried to get him to go play with others, he would beg her to stay with him because according to him, his “voice didn’t work”.
Rowen received speech language therapy at Grandview Children’s Centre that helped him find his voice. He came to Campbell Children’s School in SK and today, continues therapy in-school through our School Based Rehabilitation services. “It feels amazing to get speech therapy right in school,” says Rowen’s mom, Laurie. “It’s just another thing that happens for him during the day and he’s quickly back to class.”
After receiving help with his speech from Grandview Kids, Rowen has become a social butterfly at school.
You probably remember the video of Rowen trying out his dream of being a doctor. Now in grade two, Rowen still hopes to be a doctor when he grows up, and has also become a competitive dancer, spending many hours a week at tap, ballet, and jazz lessons. When he’s not dancing up a storm, Rowen likes playing video games (surprise, surprise!) and hanging out with his friends and older sisters.
“In the past, being social wasn’t really his thing,” says his mom, Laurie. “He would tell me that he didn’t have any friends, but today that has all changed. He is now very outgoing and even makes a point of sticking up for his friends when he needs to.”
According to Laurie, Grandview has been life-changing for her son. She is so grateful to our therapists for taking the time to figure Rowen out and giving him a voice through new words, gestures, and speech to text on his Chromebook. The approaches they’ve taught have even helped Rowen in dance class, as Laurie has gotten his dance teachers on board with the best ways to communicate with him.
“As a parent, the world is daunting anyway,” Laurie. “It makes us feel so much more confident knowing a place like Grandview exists to help our son.”
You can help more kids like Rowen to live their best life by making a donation, or becoming a monthly donor to Grandview Kids.
Do you have a similar success story to share about a Grandview kid who is living life to their full potential? We’d love to hear from you in the comments section of this post.
