Speech therapists and audiologists are “pearls on the ground,” said Carmen Ball, executive director of Hedges Regional Speech & Hearing Center.



To those with speech and hearing problems and their parents, the therapists are worth their weight in gold.



“Without Hedges, honestly, I don’t think we would be where we are socially and verbally,” said Ther-esa Sharp, whose 10-year-old son, Zacary, has been receiving services at the facility since he was 3.



“He’s never gotten to a standstill,” Sharp said. “It’s been a slow pro-cess.”



Zacary was born with some self-injury behavior the doctors eventually determined was a form of autism. As he grew, Sharp said, he wouldn’t talk, so the therapy began with sign language and picture cards.



Eventually, Zacary began working with a communication device that talked for him and complemented his verbal speech that began developing, Sharp said. Now, she said, he pretty much relies on his speech.



Zacary’s speech therapist, Kathy Chambers, not only works with him in verbal areas, but in communication as a whole.



The difference with Zacary being able to communicate is the world.



“As the communication skills im-proved, a lot of the self-injury problems stopped,” Sharp said. “It’s been a chore, but we’ve made it. I don’t know when there’s an end or if there even is an end.”

As long as there is improvement, she said, his ability to function socially with other children at school will continue to thrive.

“I owe them a lot,” Sharp said of Hedges.

Catina Sundvall feels the same way.

Her son, Nathan, came into her life first as a foster child at 3 years old.

“He spoke very, very little when he first moved in,” Sundvall said.

Although there never was an official diagnosis for his lack of communication as a youngster, Sundvall thinks it was neglect and a lack of stimulation in his formative years.

Almost 7 now, Nathan has come a long way.

“His vocabulary went from 20 words to he talks non-stop now,” Sundvall said of her son, adding the difference is “amazing.”

His biggest problem now, which she hopes will end through speech therapy and growth, is stuttering when he is over stimulated.

The one-on-one therapy Chambers provides not only has helped him learn to slow down his speech so he can be understood but it has meant a huge difference in his level of confidence.

“He will speak for himself,” Sundvall said, “ask for things he wants more often.

“She’s amazing,” Sundvall said of Chambers. “It’s been a great experience.”