Collin's Story

My son has a diagnosis of autism and apraxia of speech. He is essentially considered “non-verbal.” As a parent, it is my dream to one day be able to have a full verbal conversation with him. Jennifer Buck at Jabbermouths is helping us achieve that dream! When I realized that traditional speech therapy was not what he needed to help him get his words out, I went on a hunt to find what could really help him.

After finding out about his real deficits in regards to oral motor, I was thrilled to be able to have him accepted to Jenn’s caseload! We have seen him go from having literally no sounds, to now imitating sounds on command at a rapid pace. He can even form words, when prompted, that are made up of all of the sounds he has mastered. Needless to say, it is very exciting! The program is intensive, but fun to do. I personally like having a specific program with a hierarchy of goals.

It is very rewarding when he achieves a new goal and is able to move to the next level – whether it is a horn, straw, bit block, new letter sound, etc. Jenn gives us so much support and encouragement. She puts a lot of thought into the coaching of each exercise and is so dedicated and positive. It really keeps us going from week to week. Having someone who truly believes in your child’s capabilities, understands what tools he needs to succeed, and pushes him to achieve his goals is priceless. Sometimes it can seem like a long road, and it is, but we continue to see the steady progress and we know all the hard work is worth it. My family and I are very thankful for Jenn and Jabbermouths!

-Cheryl B.

Keagan's Story

Our family has been very fortunate to have been given the name of Jenn Buck. Let me start from the beginning. I am the mother of four wonderful children, two of which have autism. My daughter Keagan is eight years old and still non-verbal. She suffers from very low muscle tone and is driven by her need for constant oral motor input. She is the most verbal when she eats because her mouth is moving! When you add apraxia into the mix, things can get pretty frustrating for her. She know what she wants but can’t get her body to do it.

The difference in her since we began seeing Jenn in exceptional!!! Keagan sees Jenn once a month and is learning to build the muscles in her mouth and coordinate their movements to use her voice on command. We have many goals and dreams for Keagan and we continue to rally together as a family each day to help her achieve them. Jenn is an essential part of my daughter’s life. I love how she addresses the whole child. I have never seen my daughter so motivated by an individual or an activity until we met Jenn. I thank my lucky stars each day that she has accepted us into her caseload and if I could say one thing it would be, this program makes sense!

Oral motor really works and you can help your child overcome the setbacks they are struggling with. It is a structured program that is measure by goals which are achievable and very easy to do with your kiddo at home. This is coming from a very busy, very impressed mom! THANK YOU JENN! -Joanna S.

Bryce's Story

My son Bryce is 8 years old and has a diagnosis of Autism. He is also extremely orally defensive. I have spent the last several years trying to find feeding therapists in Arizona who worked well with his issues, but to no avail. I finally resorted to flying to Denver, Colorado every other week for feeding therapy with Toomey and Associates. We did this for two years, including practically moving to Denver over the summer of 2008. Bryce came a long way with the Toomey group. He went from not being able to tolerate food in front of him or touching it, to being able to put small pieces of food directly on his back teeth and then chewing and swallowing the food.

I am happy to say that now I do not have to travel to Denver, Colorado anymore, as I have finally found my feeding therapy “team” right here in Arizona! Jenn Buck has been absolutely phenomenal with Bryce and his therapy. She has specifically focused on oral motor skills and jaw strengthening. Thanks to her help, Bryce is now actually biting off foods, chewing them and swallowing them! This was accomplished within about a month of seeing her! He has gained confidence and the desire to eat as much as he can tolerate. He can now eat half of an order of small McDonald’s french fries! Not the healthiest we know, but hey we will take what we can get!

We still have a long way to go, but I am just so happy with the progress he is making, and I do not believe we would have advanced to this level so quickly without Jenn’s help. We are truly glad we found Jenn and Jabbermouths.

-Dawn and Nick L.

Jonathan's Story

When you find out that your child has a problem, you promise your child you will find them the best care to make things right. This goes especially for their health and well-being. We were surprised when our otherwise healthy fifteen-month old son, Jonathan, started having problems with transitioning to solid food. He had no issues with his bottle or puree, and was otherwise seemingly healthy and strong. Up until that point, every milestone was met on time. He was a beautiful, happy baby. The pediatrician suggested feeding therapy. I remember being shocked that there was even such a thing. Feeding therapy??? Yes, I was told. I need to get him eating right. If he is not eating right, he will have trouble with speech because the same muscles are used. That began my search for answers.

My free-time became consumed by internet searches. This led to my realizing that not only did my little boy have feeding issues, but he was becoming autistic as well. A visit to a developmental pediatrician confirmed my worst nightmare. Almost overnight, our lives went from relatively carefree to darkness. When something tragic happens it is normal to weep and angrily ask ‘why me?” But it is so important to quickly pick up the pieces and use that energy to be proactive to search for solutions. In my search to help my son, I went from speech therapist to speech therapist. It was apparent that the traditional speech therapy methods were not enough. He needed more. He had low tone in his mouth as well as motor planning issues that verbal modeling was not addressing.

Along the way I came across information about apraxia/dyspraxia. In reading, I found that there are specific therapy interventions for children with apraxia and low tone. However, most speech and language therapists are not trained in these techniques. It was up to me to find someone for my son who was. This search is what brought me to Jenn Buck. What impressed me about Jenn is that she is PROMPT trained, uses Kaufman techniques and well as Talk Tools for oral motor therapy. Furthermore, she has knowledge of applied verbal behavior. I was so excited to have finally found a specialized therapist who is trained to work with the sub-set of children who have low-tone and/or motor planning issues!

My child has made great progress using the approaches employed by Jenn. He is now biting and chewing foods appropriately. His articulation is improving daily as well. It is a long road, but we are on our way. Jenn is the perfect therapist for those kids who need just a little bit more.

- Michelle N.