Joshua’s journey with Easterseals is one of determination and progress. As a young boy with Down syndrome, communication was one of his biggest challenges. Josh struggled to express his needs, emotions, and even to say the names of those closest to him.
Joshua’s mom, Melanie, was not going to give up and with dedication to ongoing therapy, she found Easterseals. With the support of Easterseals speech therapists, Josh became more empowered to engage in the world. Slowly but surely, he learned to communicate more clearly and confidently.
The progress he has made within just one year is remarkable, and it has transformed how he sees himself—as a confident communicator. We even find ourselves telling Joshua to quiet down occasionally because of how much he now enjoys speaking! He takes great pride in his achievements, especially when interacting in the community.
-Melanie, Josh’s Mom
Years later, as Joshua faced new challenges, his family knew exactly where to turn. Because of the life-changing progress he had made with Easterseals before, they brought him back to us. With additional therapy and a renewed commitment, Josh has blossomed even further. He now proudly initiates conversations. Another accomplishment for Josh that is so meaningful to him and his family is that Josh can now clearly call his brothers by name.
Easterseals has played an invaluable role in Joshua’s language development over the years, and our family is deeply grateful for the dedicated therapists who have worked with him. As his mother, I am continually amazed by how well he is now understood by complete strangers—an incredible milestone that has been hard-earned. This progress is a direct result of his consistent, twice-weekly speech therapy sessions at Easterseals.
-Melanie, Josh’s Mom
Josh’s journey is a testament to the transformative power of Easterseals and our commitment to helping individuals &nd their voices, connect with others, and thrive in ways once thought impossible.