Student Success: Increased Confidence and Communication Lead to a 180-Degree Turn for Jaime

When Jaime began school at Connections, he could not speak and was frequently frustrated, making it difficult to participate in the classroom environment. Communication challenges led to difficult behaviors — at school and at home. “He got very angry easily,” says his grandmother, Patricia. “When he couldn’t tell us something, he would throw fits, scream, hit his head on the wall, or run out of the room. It made life very stressful.”

Jaime enjoys school visits from Palm Beach County firefighters.

Now a sixth grader, Jaime is thriving, and his family is elated by the transformation, especially the growth in the last year. “Between last year and this year, he’s a totally different child,” Patricia says. “He went from not speaking to expressing himself all the time. He’s more social. He’s gone from very limited eating to eating  anything we offer him.”

Confidence as the Catalyst for Communication

While the team at Connections worked with Jaime on communication skills, they soon realized the root issue wasn’t just self-expression. It was confidence. He appeared to feel a great deal of fear — fear of being wrong, of not being understood, or of being judged.

Ms. Paula, a licensed speech language pathologist (SLP) at Connections says, “We worked hard to give Jaime confidence and help him gain self-esteem. But first, we had to build a rapport with him so he would trust us enough to have the back-and-forth interaction that enables us to make progress. With so many of our students, and especially Jaime, if you don’t build a rapport, you’re not going to get very far.”

Jaime's grandmother, Patricia, joins him for a Halloween party at school.

To build that trust and confidence, Ms. Paula and Ms. Lexy, a speech assistant who had previously worked with Jaime as a classroom teacher, were mindful of the pace at which he was comfortable working on certain skills. If he didn’t want to do a certain activity at the moment or didn’t want to take a turn answering questions in front of the classroom, they let him skip his turn and come back to it later when he was ready.

They also worked to help him see that imperfection is a normal part of life. “When Jaime answers a question in class, he often perceives that he has given the wrong answer or failed,” explains Ms. Paula. “He does not like that feeling, so he used to avoid participating. We’re teaching him that it’s OK to not know the answer, that some questions have many possible answers, and that it’s OK to try again. We’re creating safe space where he can try without a lot of pressure.”

Along with steady encouragement, these strategies helped Jaime begin building confidence in his abilities.

Strengthening the Foundations of Communication

Another major focus was articulation. “Jaime used to be reluctant to speak, and when he did try, people often couldn’t understand him, which made it worse,” recalls Ms. Lexy. “Usually when a child cannot articulate words, the child also struggles with literacy. But that wasn’t the case with Jaime. He could read and write but still struggled with articulation.”

Ms. Paula adds, “Kids who struggle with articulation often avoid talking because they fear social rejection. That’s embarrassing and doesn’t feel good. Jaime’s improved ability to articulate words has been very important for his progress.”

The team also has worked to teach Jaime how to respond appropriately in different situations, teaching which behaviors are expected in specific settings. “With all our students, we teach them how to handle circumstances they’re going to encounter. For example, if a teacher calls on you in class and you aren’t ready to answer, it’s OK to say that you’re not ready or that you need to take a break. But it’s not acceptable to have a big outburst or run out of the room. So we teach them about the expected behaviors they can use and help them practice those,” she says.

Growth in Every Area of Life

Ms. Lexy was proud to celebrate with Jaime when he graduated from elementary school.

“Jaime has done a complete 180 between this year and last,” says Ms. Lexy.

With his improved confidence and communication skills, Jaime is making progress across all areas. He’s advancing in reading and writing and even enjoys explaining the meaning of words he writes. He’s becoming more social with his brothers, cousins and peers. And he eagerly participates in swim classes, helping ease his family’s concerns about safety near water.

To help Jaime manage frustration and regulate his emotions, the team at Connections introduced calming strategies based on his interests. One of the most effective has been drawing. “Jaime loves to draw, and he creates very detailed maps of places he’s visited, with streets, stores and trees,” says Ms. Paula. “When he starts to feel overwhelmed, we invite him to come draw for a bit. This takes his mind off the stress and gives him time to calm down while focusing on a preferred activity.”

Ms. Paula and Jaime have developed a strong rapport at Connections.

And the lessons about imperfection? They’re beginning to take root, too. “Jaime is learning that we can try things without having to do it perfectly the first time. He’s becoming more willing to try and is even learning to ask for help,” says Ms. Paula. “That’s big for him!”

His grandmother has seen his incredible change and appreciates the impact on his life at school and home. “His progress in the last year has been huge. He’s just a different child,” says Patricia. “Now he’s happy, healthy and learning every day.”

Empowering Students Through Speech Therapy

Jaime works with Ms. Paula to follow sequential, multi-step instructions to make a quesadilla.

May is National Speech Language Hearing Month, and Jaime’s growth is a powerful example of the life-changing work done by the Connections speech therapy team, working in collaboration with classroom teachers. Whether supporting expressive language abilities, receptive language skills or articulation, our speech therapists and assistants meet students where they are and help them grow.

“We use a variety of tools to help our students express themselves,” says Ms. Paula. “From picture exchange communication systems (PECS) and Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices to verbal communication, we’re focused on enabling students to develop their ability to communicate.”

Patricia adds, “I am so grateful for Connections. They treat us like family and care about what’s going on with me, my grandkids and our entire family. I don’t know what I would have done without them.”