Happy National Speech-Language-Hearing Month! | Explore Support & Services for SLPs
Happy National Speech-Language-Hearing Month! | Explore Support & Services for SLPs
Welcome back to ableFamilies in Real Life, where we celebrate the everyday communication wins of families across the country. This month, meet Miriam and her daughter Sophie, a five-year-old from Georgia, who has spent the past nine months finding her voice with the QuickTalker Freestyle® speech device. In Sophie’s house, the device even has a name of its own: the family lovingly calls it “her words.”
For Miriam, the key to making the QuickTalker Freestyle part of daily life was simple: make it fun. She showed Sophie that “her words” could be a fun way to engage with the people around her, and that others could finally understand her without mom translating. That independence changed everything. Once Sophie realized she had something to communicate with, Miriam says, “it was like a door that was slammed open for her.” She was eager and excited, much of her learning was self-taught, and without the pressure of not having a voice, her behavior changed dramatically.
Within about three months, Sophie began saying specific words and small phrases out loud, right alongside her device. And the QuickTalker Freestyle doesn’t stay home. Sophie’s ABA therapy is adapted around it, with everyone on the same page, so she can express her needs there just as easily as she does with her family. From bathroom routines and snack breaks to choosing what to eat and which room she’s headed to next, “her words” go where Sophie goes.
Miriam will never forget the first time Sophie used a two-step command: “want colors,” a request for her beloved coloring supplies. Sophie did it entirely on her own, just from watching her mom, and she picked up exactly where to go on her device. It came surprisingly early in her QuickTalker Freestyle journey, and it was proof of just how much she had been taking in all along.
These days, the moments that make Miriam smile are even sassier. “No, I want chicken nuggets, stop, I want more,” Sophie will insist, arguing with her mom right through her device. “Never imagined I would be arguing with my kid using a speech device,” Miriam laughs, “but I can’t explain the actual joy it brings me.” It brings out her personality: chicken nuggets, sass, and all.
Miriam is honest about where the family started: skeptical. Like many parents, she worried Sophie would become too dependent on a device and lose the motivation to use her own voice. The opposite happened. The QuickTalker Freestyle brought motivation and encouragement into Sophie’s life to want to speak, and she has been.
Her advice for families just getting started: do not be afraid. “It’s not about our child becoming solely dependent on a speech device, but a way for them to have a voice and eventually find their own voice. You are giving them a window full of opportunities. Yes, there are learning curves, but the growth you all gain as a whole is worth it, and it brings y’all closer.”
Stay tuned for more real-life stories from ableFamilies across the country. Want to share your family’s journey or have a question? Our Parent Enthusiasts are here for you. You can also explore additional resources, guidance, and community connections on our SupportHub.