People who meet Kimble Rose now would never know that just two years ago, he was extremely difficult to understand among some family and most non-family members.

In October 2019 at 5 years old, Kimble was referred to speech therapy services at Memorial Regional Health for his phonological disorder. With help from Colleen Boyle, his speech-language pathologist at MRH, he now has accomplished all his speech goals since that very first day.

“I am so proud of Kimble for many things,” Boyle said. “When we started, he was difficult to understand, and it was hard for him to keep his focus in a therapy session. He quickly became an engaged participant throughout his sessions and is now a graduate of the program. I get excited when I think about how he has grown — as a person and with his speech skills.”

Kimble’s mother, Dollie, could not be happier with her son’s experience. She said Boyle has not only helped Kimble reach his speech goals, but has been one of his major supporters throughout the journey.

“Kimble’s relationship with Colleen is excellent,” she said. “Colleen made speech therapy fun for Kimble and kept him engaged by asking him about his interests and creating a fun environment for him during his visits. She genuinely cares about him and made sure to start every session by asking him about his life outside of speech therapy.”

LOOK: Kimble Rose is ready for one of his final sessions with Colleen Boyle, speech-language pathologist at MRH.

Gradual progression to success

Kimble’s speech therapy evolved as he progressed. At first, Boyle took a phonological approach, working with him on sounds with similar features and providing instruction on where to place his articulators —tongue, teeth, lips and jaw — to correctly say what he wants to say. She provided him with the visual, verbal and tactile clues he needed to nail down some of his tougher, less pronounced words.

Boyle found that Kimble responded well to drill-work mixed with play, as a lot of kiddos do. For these patients, she’ll practice about 10 words or so words with them, which then earns them a turn in a game or obstacle course.

“When I approach patient care, I put the child and their interests front and center every session,” she explained. “My child-led approach creates high engagement and growth. I also have clear expectations and firm boundaries so that kids know what is expected of them here.”

Boyle’s approach is reflected in her relationship with Kimble, who always showed up motivated to work, was aware of her expectations and often arrived with a game in mind because he knew the structure of their sessions. She aims for all her patient relationships to be collaborative and entertaining.

“Kimble stayed engaged working with Colleen and looked forward to playing and beating her in games each week during therapy,” Dollie said. “The intelligibility and articulation of Kimble’s speech have significantly improved. The continuity, engagement, dedication and personal connection Colleen created with Kimble greatly impacted his ability to be successful.”

Kimble recently perfected his last few sounds and became a graduate of the speech therapy program. The moment was bittersweet — Kimble was Boyle’s very first patient at MRH. Together, they celebrated his accomplishments, along with family, friends and MRH staff.

“The work Colleen and Kimble have done together is evident in Kimble’s everyday life and will stick with him into adulthood,” Dollie said. “Our family is grateful for the local speech therapy services that MRH provides, and the quality of services provided by staff like Colleen.”

LOOK: Colleen Boyle, speech-language pathologist at MRH, performs various activities with one of her pediatric patients, Kimble Rose.

Local speech services

Boyle and her team provide a wide range of speech and language therapy services, including speech sound disorder therapy, language therapy, fluency therapy, social skills therapy, augmentative alternative communication therapy, and feeding and swallowing therapy.

“It is important for the community to know about speech therapy services at MRH, specifically for children, because families don’t have to struggle alone,” she said. “If you have concerns, get a referral from your doctor and we can talk about it and problem-solve together.”

For those who do not know about speech and language therapy, Boyle describes it as the assessment and treatment of communication problems, speech disorders and swallowing disorders. Reasons a speech-pathologist may work with a patient include:

• Speech disorders —issues with making sounds, including articulation, fluency and voice or resonance.
• Language disorders —problems understanding or putting words together to communicate ideas.
• Dysphagia/oral feeding disorders — struggles in the way someone eats or drinks, including problems with chewing, swallowing, coughing, gagging and refusing foods.

The MRH speech therapy team works with children and adults. Although speech therapy can appear intimidating, especially for children, the team aims to serve as a support system for patients and their families. Their goal is to establish a comfortable environment that children enjoy — and eventually have a hard time leaving.

“Sometimes families may feel like they need to go to bigger cities to get the care their child needs, but we offer it right here,” Boyle concluded. “We have partnerships with Children’s Hospital of Colorado, and I work closely with any outside therapists and team members to provide the best care possible for your child. We have a wonderful team of providers waiting to make your family part of ours.”